LIVE SCREENINGS August 14-16 2026

“Actors must act, writers must write, filmmakers must make films… directors, producers, and audiences will come. That’s Entertainment.”

Bistrița România International Film Festival is now open for submissions to its 4th edition in 2026.

BRIFF continues its collaboration with the ArtCast Teleki Festival – a celebration of music, exhibitions, workshops, and poetry held at the historic Teleki Castle – and remains dedicated to bringing cinema into vibrant, unconventional spaces.

Over the past three editions, the festival has provided a platform for filmmakers from around the world to showcase their work in unique and atmospheric venues. Beyond the main event, BRIFF has also hosted retrospective screenings of outstanding films from previous years in locations such as Gallery Garden, Soho Music Hall, the Courtyard of the Bistrița Museum, and Ivory Restaurant & Lounge.

In 2026, our commitment remains the same: to showcase distinctive voices and powerful stories, presented not only during the festival but also in year-round screenings.

All selected films will receive official laurels, and all category winners will be honored with a certificate of achievement following the live event.

Awards & Prizes

MAIN CATEGORIES:

BEST SHORT
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
BEST THRILLER SHORT
BEST HORROR SHORT
BEST DRAMA SHORT
BEST COMEDY SHORT
BEST Sci-Fi SHORT
BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT
BEST ANIMATION SHORT
BEST STUDENT SHORT
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
BEST ROMANIAN SHORT
BEST ROMANIAN AMATEUR SHORT
BEST AI SHORT
BEST SCREENPLAY SHORT

TECHNICAL & PERFORMANCES CATEGORIES:

BEST DIRECTOR
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST ACTOR
BEST ACTRESS

Rules & Terms


IF YOU SUBMIT YOUR FILM, YOU AGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING RULES:
•FILMS MUST BE FULLY COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE DATE THE PROJECT IS SUBMITTED.
•FILMS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH A PRIVATE LINK (VIMEO, YOUTUBE, FilmFreeway, SELF HOSTED). CURRENTLY, OTHER FORMAT IS NOT ACCEPTED.
•QUALITY STANDARDS MUST BE MET. BELOW 720P RESOLUTION, POOR AUDIO QUALITY, ETC WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.MINIMUM MINUTES 2. MAXIMUM MINUTES 30.
•FILMS CONTAINING ANY OTHER LANGUAGE THAN ENGLISH MUST HAVE ENGLISH SUBTITLES.
•HSF HAS NO PREMIERE STATUS REQUIREMENTS.
•ALL FEES ARE NON TRANSFERABLE AND NON REFUNDABLE.
•HSF MAY USE PORTIONS OF YOUR FILM (INCLUDING TRAILER/TEASER/STILL/POSTER) FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES.
•YOU MUST OWN THE RIGHTS ON YOUR FILM IN ORDER TO SUBMIT IT.
•FESTIVAL EVENT DATES AND TIMES MAY BE DELAYED OR CHANGED.
•A DCP COPY OF YOUR FILM MIGHT BE REQUESTED FOR THE LIVE EVENTS.

We are not liable for any copyright infringements or unauthorized usage and any conflict should be settled by the parties involved thereof.
You are responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity.
HSF can consider any film to be disqualified if the festival considers the content inappropriate. If you have any questions regarding this decision, feel free to contact us.

All submissions in personal categories required the name of the person and the category. You can easily send us this information in the cover letter at the FilmFreeway website.

Not all the submissions are selected for the official competition. Our Judges are free to make their own choices and no answers nor feedback will be given about not selected films.
39 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Marco Manolescu

    Nice festival with a dedicated and kind team. Had a pleasant experience and I'm looking forward to the next years of BRIFF :)

    September 2025
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  • Anne-Sophie Charon

    BRIFF Shorts Festival took a lot of care of the selected projects. All our shorts or music videos received a beautiful visibility online and on site. Communications with the organization team was amazing. I feel blessed for the selection and award! Long life to this festival! Thank you for everything :))))

    September 2025
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  • Xavier MESME

    Having both Impure and La Bouteille awarded at BRIFF this year was an honor. The team’s kindness and professionalism made the whole experience outstanding. With such dedication, I’m convinced this festival has a bright future and I warmly recommend it to all filmmakers.

    August 2025
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  • Arca Lui Scora

    It was a real joy and a highly emotional moment when we were announced that JOANNA's KITCHEN had been awarded for Best Experimental Short. The whole team says Thank You, BRIFF!, and wishes a long, happy and eventful life to your festival. Kudos for the organisation and for the high artistic standards!

    August 2025
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  • Ádám Vidovics

    Thank you for including my music video in your program!

    August 2025
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