Now celebrating its 13th year, the Berlin Short Film Festival aims to be one of Europe's leading film festivals for international film-makers. It is a unique platform for new talent and a celebration of cinematic creativity and innovation.

The Festival attracts a broad selection of shorts by film-makers working in every genre and format, and offers film fans an extraordinary chance to glimpse the future of cinema.

The 2025 Berlin Short Film Festival will show dozens of short films at the Babylon cinema in downtown Berlin. Screenings and networking events provide ample opportunities for selected film-makers to showcase their achievements, learn from their fellows and build contacts for future collaborations. The Festival also benefits from the vibrant Berlin film-making community and the cinema's proximity to the media hub of the metropolis.

The festival is open to any film in any genre under 50 minutes in length, and especially prioritises low-budget films of independent spirit and exciting new talent.

Awards & Prizes

Berlin Short will recognise the year's best shorts working in their genres:
- Best Short Film
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Sci-Fi Short
- Best Horror Short
- Best LGBT Short
- Best Experimental Short
- Best Student Short
- Best Short Feature
- Best Animated Short
- Best Short Short
- Best Music Video

Rules & Terms

All films in all genres under 50 minutes will be considered. We consider a short short to be under 5 minutes. Filmmakers certify they have the rights to music used in their films. Please upload a digital screener to FilmFreeway or email a private Vimeo link to info@berlinshort.com.

66 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Carolin Karnuth

    Thank you, I was happy that our film "Parrot" (Papagei) was selected to your festival and had a screening in Babylon Berlin. Thank you also for the good communication.

    August 2024
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  • Marek Deja

    It was my first film festival as a filmmaker and I am disappointed. In the screening room was really hot as in sauna. After two films the sound broke down and next two films were screened without sound, including mine. There was nobody from the festival to fix the problem and play those films again with sound. The cinema operator fixed the sound but said it is technically not possible to watch films again.

    Anyway, I am glad that my film was selected for the festival. I appreciate the effort that organizers took to create such an event and I hope next time there will be someone to control what is going on with the screening.

    August 2024
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  • Ryan Paige

    A brilliant event - very well organised, clear and thorough communication. Whilst we couldn't attend in person we were thrilled to be selected and honoured to have been awarded. Thank you!

    April 2024
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  • Fumiko Kikuchi

    I am honored that my work "Me I See in You" was selected for the Best Experimental Short Film. And I am grateful to the festival staff for their support! Thank you so much.

    February 2024
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  • Svitlana Telbukh

    My sand animation film has been selected for screening at the Berlin Short Film Festival and won in Best Animation category! It’s a huge honor and an opportunity to see my work on the big screen at the Babylon cinema in the heart of Berlin. I want to thank the festival organizers for this amazing opportunity!

    February 2024
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