International Kolkata Short Film Festival

1. Festival Overview

1.1 Festival Mission & Objective:
The International Kolkata Short Film Festival (IKSFF) returns for its sixth edition, scheduled from 20th January to 25th January 2026. IKSFF is committed to celebrating the art of short films by showcasing inspiring, thought-provoking, and diverse cinematic works. The festival warmly welcomes submissions from professional and non-professional filmmakers worldwide. All competition screenings and judgments will be held in Kolkata, India.

2. Key Dates
⦿ Call for Entry Opens: 15 April 2025
⦿ Early Bird Deadline: May 31, 2025
⦿ Regular Deadline: July 15, 2025
⦿ Extended Regular: August 15, 2025
⦿ Late Deadline: September 30, 2025
⦿ Final Deadline: November 15, 2025
⦿ Extended Final Deadline: December 5, 2025

Note: Entry fees are non-refundable. Submission does not guarantee selection.

3. About Eventizer

Eventizer is the official online platform supporting IKSFF. It helps promote, ticket, and host online and hybrid events. Filmmakers can also use Eventizer to showcase their films with ticketed access.

4. Festival Schedule

⦿ Online & Offline Festival: 20 January 2026 – 25 January 2026
⦿ Award Ceremony: Sunday, 25 January 2026 (Kolkata)

5. Eligibility Criteria

⦿ Open to Short Films, Long Short Films, Short Documentaries, Music Videos, Advertisements/Commercials, and Public Service Announcements.

⦿ All submitted films must be completed on or after 1 January 2015 to qualify for competition.

⦿ Films completed before 2015 will be accepted only in the Non-Competitive category.

⦿ Films can be in any language or genre. But non-English films must have English subtitles.

⦿ Songs directly taken from a feature film or short film (i.e., from Direct Cinema) are not considered as standalone music videos and will not be accepted in the Music Video category. However, if submitted, they must be presented and edited in an independent music video style, with visual storytelling that justifies the format. Title songs from films or promotional music videos, when submitted with original visual interpretations, are accepted in the Music Video category.

6. Entry Guidelines

⦿ Multiple submissions are allowed across all categories.

⦿ Categories include:

a) Short Film – Up to 30 minutes
b) Long Short Film – Up to 45 minutes
c) Short Documentary – Up to 30 minutes
d) Music Video – Up to 8 minutes
e) Advertisement/Commercial – Up to 6 minutes
f) Public Service Announcement (PSA) – Up to 6 minutes

⦿ Nomination and award eligibility require a minimum of 5 valid entries per category.

6.1. Entry Fee

IKSFF charges a nominal entry fee to the contest. For details kindly see the Categories & Fees section. Entry fees Non - Refundable.

6.2 Screening

Please note that an Official Selection does not guarantee that all selected entries will be screened. Only a curated selection, as determined by the Festival Selection Committee, will be screened. The decision of the committee will be final and binding.

7. Participation Terms

⦿ Entry implies full acceptance of festival rules and regulations by filmmakers, producers, and their agents.

⦿ No screening fees or travel reimbursements will be provided.

⦿ IKSFF holds the right to make all final decisions regarding film selection and awards.

8. Individual Screenings

Filmmakers interested in screening their work in the Non-Competitive category are welcome. Contact: +91 9748762007 for further details.

9. Submission Materials

⦿ High-resolution images (JPEG, TIFF, or EPS formats):

4 Production stills

2 Director photographs

Film poster

2 Movie stills

Press clippings, brochures, or pamphlets

20-second trailer

| Note: Submission materials will not be returned.

10. Selection & Notification

⦿ Selected films will be announced before the festival via the official website and Facebook page.

⦿ Notification will be sent to Filmmakers selected to participate via email or other available contact methods.​

11. For Selected Films

11.1 Obligations

⦿ Participation requires unconditional acceptance of all festival terms.

⦿ Selected competitive films must permit one-time exhibition of their film in a Partnering Satellite Channel.

⦿ All selected film representatives will receive a request for catalog materials once their participation in the festival is confirmed. Catalog material requests must be fulfilled promptly.

⦿ The Festival accepts no liability if its publications reproduce inaccuracies in submitted materials.

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11.2 Catalog Information

Must include:

⦿ Film title (original & English)

⦿ Country of production, year of production, premiere status, duration

⦿ Director, producer, screenplay, cinematography, format, editing, sound, music, principal cast, production company, sales company, print source, production design.

12. Publicity & Promotion

⦿ IKSFF may use excerpts (up to 3 minutes or 10% of the film’s runtime) for promotional purposes.

⦿ Photos and digital clips may be used globally across digital platforms without compensation.

⦿ A 20-second trailer is mandatory for all promotional activity.

13. Subtitling

⦿ All films will be screened in their original version.

⦿ English subtitles are mandatory for all non-English dialogues. Electronic subtitling is not permitted.

14. Usage of Submission Materials

⦿ Promotion: IKSFF/Eventizer will promote the festival and its awards by showcasing excerpts from submitted films across radio, television, and digital media worldwide. IKSFF reserves the right to use excerpts from all submissions for these promotional purposes.

⦿ Screening: Films may be screened both online and offline, during or after the festival, for commercial, non-commercial, or social purposes for an unlimited period of time.

⦿ Archiving: All submissions will be retained in the IKSFF World Film Library for educational and archival purposes without compensation.

⦿ Editing Rights: IKSFF reserves the right to edit provided materials for inclusion in festival publications.

15. Judging & Awards

There are three rounds of judging:

⦿ Round A: Preliminary screening by IKSFF Jury for guideline adherence. The top 100 films are shortlisted.

⦿ Round B: The Screening Committee determines nominations from the shortlisted entries.

⦿ Final Round: Award-winning films are selected by the final jury panel including the Festival Chairman, Director, and Chief Advisor.

The decision of the festival committee and jury is final and binding.