SIMFEST is a TV and film festival – competition, the only one of this kind in Romania and one of the few in Europe.
It is organized every year by "SIMFEST Cultural Association", which supports and promotes the creators in visual arts. SIMFEST stands for professionalism and for the freedom of expression of the journalists and the media producers. The festival promotes, at the same time, local journalism and community mass-media.
It is a complex manifestation for electronic mass-media. It is the annual meeting point of the TV's and film’s world specialists from Romania and from all of the world, of students, independent producers, and of media enthusiasts; it is a competition that it's designed to find and form values and talents, to give them the needed validation and for connecting them with the medium in which they can develop. It is a competition and, at the same time, a media school and a cultural event.
The SIMFEST components are:
- The Competition
- The Summer School for journalists and media creators and film
- The official program of the festival
The Competition is opened to all the media creators, reporters, cameramen and media producers from Romania but also from other countries, but is also opened to freelancers, to students and territorial correspondents of central televisions, production houses, as well as to all multimedia creators. It has eight sections.
- PUBLISHING (REPORTAGE/ DOCUMENTARY/ INQUIRY/ ESSAY / TALK-SHOW etc.)
- ENTERTAINMENT
- VIDEO
- MULTIMEDIA (+IA)
- STUDENT PROJECTS (fiction and non fiction)
- TOURISTIC FILM
- FICTION (short movie and feature film)
- ANIMATION
The jury of the competition consists out of well-known personalities in the field of journalism, TV and cinema from Romania and from other countries.
The Summer School for journalists and media creators was founded and included within the festival in 2007, and through it, SIMFEST became in the past few years an institution of non-formal education of media creators and film , especially from the audiovisual section.
The journalists Romeo Couți and Brândușa Armanca (TVR), the writer Bogdan Hrib, Assoc. Prof. PhD. Ion Stavre (SNSPA), Assoc. Prof. PhD. Lucian Ionică (West University of Timișoara), the director Ștefan Fischer (Germany), Charles Fletcher, MBE (Scotland), TV producer Codruț Pânzaru, TV producer Tamas Barok (Hungary), the director Copel Moscu (UNATC Bucharest), Iulia Badea Gueritee and Raymond Clarinard (Courrier International Paris), Beata Biel (Google expert, Poland), Ovidiu Gyarmath (Director of photography), Prof. PhD. Laura Baron (UNATC Bucharest), grat Romanian actors like Marcel Iures , Daniela Nane and Dan Puric, Elisabeta Bostan film producer, JC Guest film producer 2023 Emmy Award Winner and many others held lectures and led workshops or held masterclasses within the Summer School., Toma Enache film producer
The official program of the festival is available for the public with the purpose to, on one hand, construct a way of communication between the creators of media and those whom they serve: the consumers of information in order for the audience to correctly understand the messages transmitted through mass-media. On the other hand, it offers a space of free expression and a non-formal platform for professional development for the journalists and filmmakers. Therefore, SIMFEST is a festival not only a TV and film competition but also a cultural complex.
International recognition: SIMFEST is known and recognized in the Romanian mass-media as a role model in the promotion of artists' free expression and for the promotion and being an advocate of real media professionalism. Most of the creators attending SIMFEST for the past years, have also won international recognition at competitions organized in Sibiu, Prague, Belgrade, Bucharest, London, Kishinaw and Tel Aviv. SIMFEST is also in collaboration or in partnership with other similar manifestations: CRONOGRAF Chishinaw, DETECTIVEFEST Moskow, CINEPOLITICA Bucharest etc.
The Athens Short Film Festival is an annual event that spotlights international independent breakout shorts. Taking place in the multicultural and artistic Greek capital, ASFF supports the city’s underground scene and breaks its geographical boundaries by gathering a mixed audience of locals and internationals. Local cinemas have always been a place where conversations and debates on social, political and gender issues sparked. And it is part of ASFF’s mission to rejuvenate these spaces and honour their cultural significance.
The Festival’s screening programme features emerging talents from all over the world and all filmmakers regardless of background are invited to submit their artworks. Expanding year by year, the Athens Short Film Festival aims to enrich its programme with industry events, workshops and seminars and become a reference Film festival for the Athenian independent cinema scene.
The Athens Short Festival is organised by HFP, a pioneer organisation that runs Film Festivals and other events showcasing and championing ideas of diversity. Through our global series of film Festivals that spread over 13 countries, we open the path to voices with a compelling story to share. Our main mission is to honour independent cinema and establish a network of artists eager to join forces and spread their work across all nations.
We conceive IBZCF as a window into contemporary cinema, its new trends and creators who contribute new narrative paths to create vibrant, necessary, and modern films.
The 11th edition of IBZCF will take place in 10 venues across the island's five municipalities and online on the Filmin platform. Ibizacinefest renews its commitment to Ibiza and its culture through a program of national and international titles never before seen on the island, exclusive premieres in the Balearic Islands and Spain, activities aimed at professionals, short film sections to discover and promote local and Balearic talent, and our educational program with special screenings to create new audiences.
Reflection will also be given space through open discussions on the relationship between cinema and various current sociocultural issues.
Short films are once again the focus of IBZCF, once again as a qualifier for the Premios Goya,Forqué Awards, and the Fugaz Awards, collaborating once again with the European Film Academy on the Shortfilms on Tour program.
Xavi Herrero
Director and programmer IBZCF2-European Film Academy Member
BITBANG International Animation Festival opens its call for entries and invites you to be part of its twelfth edition, which will take place in October 2026, in person, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
BITBANG is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards® (Oscars). The winners of the Bitbang Official Competition, in the categories of Best International Short Film and Best Latin American Short Film, will be automatically eligible to enter the OSCARS® Short Film competition.
BITBANG disseminates and promotes innovative, experimental and authorial proposals through projections, exhibitions and competitions. We promote audiovisual creation in Argentina, orientated towards the development and consolidation of the industry as a cultural contribution on a worldwide level.
We place special emphasis on training and capacitation, for that during BITBANG there are being held masterclasses, seminars, conferences and workshops. In addition to that, there are laboratories, spotlights, retrospectives, illustration contests, installations, exhibitions, making a film in 24 hours, and thematic parties. All screenings are with free admission.
Since 2015 we have organized BITBANG, a unique experience that each edition allows all those interested in art, creativity and innovation, to meet with the most important referents in the country and the world. It is a meeting point that enables collaboration between artists from different disciplines and generates the construction of new languages and other perspectives.
In previous years, the venues were CCK, Planetarium Galileo Galilei, Espacio INCAA Km 0 Gaumont, C3 Museum, Borges Cultural Center, Recoleta Cultural Center, Cosmos Uba Cinema, Da Vinci School, Otra Historia Club Cultural, Local, Club Lucero, C Complejo Art Media, Deseo, Dune Park, La Paz Arriba, Bar El Destello, Arcade Club Social, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Also we held BITBANG in different parts of Argentina, spreading the best of Argentinean and International Animation.
In this 12th Edition BITBANG welcomes you to these artistic proposals and to the fans and professional audiovisual community.
GuglilemoMarconi filmf - Kids and Teens International Film Festival (former vvfilmf) was created to create a large film festival for children and teenagers that combines talent and culture, to indicate welcoming places for young people and to offer workshops dedicated to the study of new forms of artistic expression.
#GuglielmoMarconi filmf (former vvfilmf) aims to be an initiative aimed at the whole country and internationally to satisfy both the expectations of a young population and those of adult spectators, in an attempt to bring the general public closer to quality forms of cinema. The Festival's programming, despite having children, school-age children and university students as its preferential audience, also opens up with enthusiasm to adults and to the entire population interested in cinematographic art, fascinated by artistic and visual culture, passionate about teaching , pedagogy, fun and educational but also simple entertainment.
It represents a good opportunity to show new training paths, offering a constantly renewed program of cultural activities, and to propose, through the cinematographic medium, respectful skills and fruitful reflections open to all members of the school.
The festival can cite the High Patronage of the European Parliament, the Patronage of the Presidency of Italian Ministers, the Ministry of Culture, Labor and Social Policies, of Tourism, of almost all the Italian Regions, of many Italian Provinces and Municipalities.
Among the multi-year collaborations that vvfilmf has developed are RAI Cinema, Fondazione Ente dello Spettacolo and with RAI Radio 2 and RAI Educational.
Due to the high quality of the selection of films in competition and the professionalism of the work carried out over the years, the festival was chosen by the President of the Biennale Foundation, Paolo Baratta and the Director of the Venice Biennale, to choose a group of young jurors and accompany them in the world of international cinema during the Venice International Film Festival.
"PLUM!" is an animation festival that celebrates the art of animation in all its forms. It showcases work from both local and international artists, giving the people of Tafí del Valle access to productions they might not otherwise encounter, while also promoting cultural tourism in the region. The festival aims to be a vibrant platform for the exhibition and exchange of animated content—from short films to feature-length works, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge digital animation.
"PLUM!" fosters creativity, dialogue, and collaboration between artists and the broader community.
Only for Ibero-American filmmakers.
A segunda edição do Festival Internacional Bolivia Lab en Corto 2026 “Intensos Fulgores” faz parte do XVIII Bolivia Lab 2026.
O Festival, voltado para a exibição, difusão e fortalecimento do curta-metragem ibero-americano, bem como para o incentivo a novas vozes do setor audiovisual boliviano, convida você a inscrever seu projeto nas diferentes categorias, abertas a pessoas da Bolívia e de toda a Ibero-América.
Este encontro será realizado na cidade de Sucre, Bolívia, tornando-se um espaço de intercâmbio, exibição e celebração do cinema contemporâneo e contará com duas linhas de participação
claramente diferenciadas:
• Curta-metragem nacional e internacional (tema livre).
• Câmara livre nacional, tema (Histórias que migram)
“Histórias que migram” reúne relatos de partida, retorno, espera, transformação e adaptação, destacando as múltiplas formas como as pessoas e as comunidades se relacionam com o território, a memória e o sentimento de pertencimento. O eixo conceitual dialoga simbolicamente com o comportamento das aves migratórias, tomando como referência o maçarico-de-bico-preto, espécie migratória que percorre milhares de quilômetros do hemisfério norte até a América do Sul e que, a cada ano, encontra na Bolívia um de seus territórios de passagem durante sua rota migratória. Sua travessia representa um poderoso símbolo de deslocamento, resistência e adaptação às mudanças ambientais e territoriais.
Publicação obrigatória na rede social TikTok.
Uso da hashtag oficial do festival (#HistoriasQueMigran).
Publicação em perfil público.
Experimental Superstars is an international festival of experimental films.
We accept experimental films, experimental documentaries and music video works that use film techniques, whether they rely on dance film, animation, or other experimental film techniques.
We are not a big festival, but we have dedicated audience and versatile and quality program.
Only works that can be presented as part of the screening will be included in the selection, no video installations.
Festival takes place in Novi Sad, Serbia.
Film Invasion Lima showcases wonderful undiscovered films in one of South America's most dynamic cities! The team running FI-Lima is dedicated to bringing the same "filmmaker's first" festival experience to Peru!
FI-Lima embraces the work of filmmakers from diverse backgrounds and communities. It is our philosophy to honor their work as filmmakers and not place their work in separate categories based on race, sexual orientation, or gender identification. We have been proud to honor films from every community as Official Selections and Award Winners, honoring their work as filmmakers without being balkanized as "Black filmmakers" or "LGBTQ filmmakers" or "Women filmmakers." At FI-Lima, all of our filmmakers are filmmakers and we honor them equally.
The FI-Lima team is passionate about forming a community around the wonderful work discovered at the festival. We will invite alumni to return as jury members and we hold Filmmaker Mixers throughout the year to foster a creative community.
Podcast + TV Series
FI-LA/SOFF festival runner Jeff Howard established the "Discover Indie Film" podcast in 2017 and has had over 250 filmmakers sit for an in-depth interview. H intends to invite the great filmmakers discovered at FI-Lima onto the podcast as well! In 2019, the TV series "Discover Indie Film" premiered on Amazon Prime Video; DIF TV is an anthology of shorts handpicked from the festival circuit.
The shnit worldwide shortsfestival is a premier platform for the exhibition and promotion of short films. This festival is a unique transnational event held simultaneously in ten cities across five continents. The festival takes place from August 20 – September 20 2026 and consists of three main segments: [1] shnit PLAYGROUNDS* – Festival cities | [2] shnit EXPANDED | [3] shnit FINALE – Awards ceremony.
All winners of the WORLDWIDE COMPETITION & INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION will be eligible to enter the 2027 Oscars® [via Cinematic release | in accordance with the rules of the 99th Oscars®].
Over the past twenty-four years, shnit has evolved into a major international short film festival, continuously reinventing itself. Originally a local initiative, it is now a global event connecting and inspiring filmmakers and audiences from different cultural backgrounds. The festival promotes diversity, originality, and artistic exchange. With its high-quality cinematic selections, shnit attracts over 30,000 visitors, making it one of the leading short film festivals worldwide.
shnit is a non-profit organization, coordinated in collaboration with festival executives. The festival operates on principles of excellence and professionalism, fostering its international expansion.
* Planned PLAYGROUNDS for 2026
shnit worldwide shortsfestival takes place simultaneously in the several cities, the shnit PLAYGROUNDS, on five continents. The definitive setup will be announced by August 1 2026, the planned PLAYGROUNDS for this year are:
▪ Amsterdam [The Netherlands] – shnit FINALE
▪ Buenos Aires [Argentina]
▪ Cairo [Egypt]
▪ Cape Town [South Africa]
▪ Goa [India]
▪ Hong Kong [China]
▪ Moscow [Russia]
▪ Sydney [Australia]
▪ San José [Costa Rica]
▪ Toronto [Canada]
The Elipsis University Short Film Festival, part of the Guayaquil International Film Festival and produced by Kashu Artistic Vortex, LLC. (Vórtice Artístico Marañón, S.A.S.), is a platform dedicated to showcasing national and international student films. The festival highlights works created within academic and training environments and takes place across universities and cultural spaces in the cities of Esmeraldas, Guayaquil and Quito, with participating networks and screenings in Ecuador; additionally, this year’s edition includes countries like USA, Colombia, and Mexico.
15th Bangalore Shorts Film Festival-26 is a movement to recognize & popularize the work of young & experienced filmmakers from across the India & world. The humble journey of BSFF has began in year 2012 to mark the 100 years celebration of Indian cinema & to salute the contribution of the Kannada film industry towards the development of cinema in India. The festival provide platform to aspiring and professional filmmakers for showcasing their talent with networking & marketing opportunities in film industry.
The festival objective is to create short films culture in India, promotion of upcoming filmmakers, developing sources of revenue generation for short films and to make short film making a commercial enterprise. BSFF-12 to 25 were great success with huge participation of filmmakers from across the country & abroad.
BSFF-26 aim is to even bigger & better with the participation from filmmakers. This year festival will introduce more workshops & master classes. The Miniboxoffice Film Market will be the highlight for those filmmakers who want to venture into feature film production. The short film contest & festival programming will be the delight to treat.
Daejeon International Short Film Festival (DISFF) 2026
[Overview: Globalization of Local Stories]
Welcome to the 5th Daejeon International Short Film Festival (DISFF), hosted in Daejeon, the "Silicon Valley of Korea" and a global hub of science and technology. DISFF is a premier platform for filmmakers worldwide to explore the intersection of cutting-edge technology and the timeless art of storytelling. Our mission is to discover innovative voices and globalize local narratives through the power of short cinema.
[Why Submit to DISFF?]
A Hub for Innovation: Located in a city that leads AI and scientific research, we provide a unique stage for films that challenge the boundaries of traditional filmmaking.
Diverse Categories: From our specialized AI*SF Section to our Global Short Film and Student categories, we welcome a wide range of genres and formats, including vertical and short-form content.
Networking & Growth: DISFF isn't just a screening; it’s a vibrant networking hub connecting local artists with international creators and industry professionals.
Historical & Cultural Depth: We celebrate the "Daejeon Spirit," honoring local history while looking forward to a future shaped by digital transformation.
[Key Highlights for 2026]
Special AI*SF Section: Dedicated to films utilizing AI technology or exploring sci-fi themes.
Global Networking Events: Workshops and talk sessions with renowned directors and tech experts.
Inclusive Celebration: A festival for everyone, supporting cultural enjoyment for the socially vulnerable and fostering the next generation of filmmakers.
Rueda Libre (Freewheel) is the official call of shortFilms to Cine Libre FilmFestival, we take for symbol THE WHEEL that evokes the hills of Fredonia where children running down with wheels and tires. Now cinema is taken Fredonia and the concept of roll changes cinematically .
International Folk-Themed Short Film Competition
CARDÓS FILM FESTIVAL 2026
The Vall de Cardós City Council, in collaboration with the Cultural, Civic, and Sports Association of the Valls de Cardós, is once again committed to cinema, literature, and popular culture by organizing the second edition of the CARDÓS FILM FESTIVAL. The event will take place from September 25th to 27th, 2026, in Vall de Cardós (Pallars Sobirà region). The heart of the festival will be the historic "Espai Sociocultural La Boïga" in Ribera de Cardós, with additional activities held throughout the municipality.
As part of the Cardós Film Festival, we announce this year's International Folk-Themed Short Film Competition with the following RULES:
Resistance International Film Festival (RIFF) is a major international cinematic event dedicated to storytelling about human dignity, justice, freedom, and resilience.
With nearly four decades of history, the festival was held biennially for many years and has now become an annual international film festival.
The 19th edition highlights themes such as resilience, courage and dedication, hope, social progress, and collective awareness, while embracing new creative technologies including artificial intelligence and multimedia storytelling. RIFF welcomes feature films, documentaries, short films, animation, screenplays, AI-based works, and research projects, and aims to connect filmmakers worldwide through cinema, dialogue, and cultural exchange.
Ànima Jove, Festival Internacional de Curtmetratges d’Animació d’Altafulla is a festival dedicated to contemporary animation cinema, connecting international audiovisual creation with its local cultural context.
The festival showcases a selection of national and international animated short films that reflect the narrative, aesthetic and thematic diversity of contemporary animation.
Beyond film screenings, the festival creates a meeting space for audiences, filmmakers and industry professionals, and promotes activities related to education, cultural reflection and digital culture.
The festival takes place in Altafulla (Catalonia – Spain) and is part of a broader cultural project aimed at bringing contemporary animation to new audiences while strengthening the local creative ecosystem.
The 4th edition of the festival will take place from November 27 to November 29, 2026.
THE FESTIVAL
Miradas del Mundo is a film festival aimed at independent filmmakers from around the world, which receives and awards feature films, fiction short films and documentaries. A cultural and artistic event where filmmakers can exchange experiences and connect with colleagues and audiences from different cultures around the world.The Festival provides a unique opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their innovative artistic and narrative proposal, which also represents a commitment to their environment and a passion for cinema.
Diversity of views, heterogeneity of thought and creative risk are welcome at our Festival. Every look is political. Every look is moral. And there's nothing like cinema to express it. Views of the World is looking for films that raise more questions than answers. Let them excite. That they call for reflection. Let them be unsettling. That awaken fantasies. Let them make you dream. Don't settle. Let them take risks. That they are passionate and propose different views of the world and cinema. We are proud to host an event designed to bring audiences and filmmakers together in an environment where enthusiastic discussions, collaboration and solidarity can flourish in a fraternal and creative environment.
Because culture unites us and stories tell us.
The purpose of this call is to promote, on a competitive basis, an open contest to encourage cultural creation, helping to increase the quality of productions by creators in the audiovisual sector.
At the festival, called “Torrerífico,” the short films must have a horror theme, and the works selected as finalists will be screened, with the winners being announced. In this regard, the audience attending the event will vote for the audience award.
To this end, the Vice-Rectorate for Culture, Sport, and University Extension at the University of Alicante is organizing the Short Film Competition through the Torrevieja University Campus, in collaboration with the Torrevieja City Council's Youth Department and the Torrevieja Alternative Leisure Association.
The Rural Galician Short Film Festival is celebrating its fourth edition, consolidating itself as a small-scale cultural initiative in rural Galicia, held in the town of Entrimo (Ourense), in the heart of the Xurés Natural Park. The festival is dedicated to promoting cinema, encouraging community participation, and highlighting the value of the local territory.
Throughout its previous editions, the festival has demonstrated a strong ability to attract audiences and generate a positive impact on local cultural life, becoming a meeting point for audiences, creators, and the region itself.
The festival was awarded the 3rd Prize for Cultural Management 2025 “Adolfo Prada,” granted by the Department of Culture of the Provincial Council of Ourense.
The fourth edition of the festival will focus on comedy and territory in a rural context, placing special emphasis on animation. It will pay particular attention to the Galician rural environment—its landscapes, cultural identity, and ways of life—approached from a humorous and contemporary perspective. At the same time, it will remain open to works from other contexts that align with the project’s theme.
The festival will maintain its open and international spirit, allowing the participation of short films from other regions and encouraging exchange, as it has done in previous editions.
