Thessaloniki Free Short Festival

Thessaloniki Free Short Festival is a Free Short Film Festival for filmmakers all over the world with a Live Event every year.
The team of Thessaloniki Free Short Festival consists of graduates and students of Art schools from the area of ​​Thessaloniki. We work as a team. Our goal is to give filmmakers from all over the world (professionals and amateurs) the opportunity to participate in a short film festival at no cost, to showcase their work and to create a communication network between them.
It's Free to submit. We accept short films up to 40 minutes that were shot from 2021 onwards.
Our 1st Season (2021) was a success with 240 submissions from almost 40 Countries.

Summer Edition 2021 was also a success with 110 submissions from 35 Countries.

1st Thessaloniki Free Short Festival *Live Event* September 17th at the Rooftop of Eterotopia, Thessaloniki, Greece was a success. More than 100 people were in the open air cinema of Eterotopia to see the live screenings Event and Award Ceremony to some of the Directors of the Greek competition program. It was so important to us and the city of Thessaloniki that *Live Events* can still exist during these difficult times with covid-19 pandemic.

Season 2 (2022) was a huge success with 3200 submissions from 115 countries.

2nd Thessaloniki Free Short Festival *Live Screenings Event*, September 26th at WE (Thessaloniki) was a success. Over than 100 people was there to watch 10 Awarded Short Films of 2nd Thessaloniki Free Short Festival. Also, directors and actors of some short films (Greek Competition) also attended, where they were awarded.

3rd Season (2023): Thessaloniki Free Short Festival from its third season changes its characteristics and acquires an identity. It is becoming a festival that is mainly addressed to new filmmakers from all over the world, with a focus on Student Filmmakers, First-Time Filmmakers and Greek Filmmakers.
From this year, there are 7 main competitive categories at the festival

1. Best International Student Short Film (Student ID is required. Short Films from 2021 onwards)
2. Best International First-time Short Film (First Short Film for the Director of the submitted short film. Not a student Short Film. Short Films from 2021 onwards).
3. Best International Super-Short Film (Under 5 minutes short films of any kind. Not a student or first-time short film. Short FIlms from 2021 onwards)
4. Best Greek Short Film (Greek production short film from 2020 onwards)
5. Best Greek Student Short Film (Student ID is required. Short films from 2020 onwards)
6. Best International Youth Short Film (Short films made by under 18 years old filmmakers. Also school projects made by group of under 18 years old students are accepted short films from 2020 onwards).
7. Best International Special Short Film (Short Films that present issues about people who experience social racism on a daily basis, such as the lgbtq community, racial segregation, people with disabilities, mental health, bullying, immigration, women's "me too" movement etc. Short films from 2021 onwards)

20 to 40 Short Films in each category will be selected as an Official Selection.
10 of those Short Films in each category will be selected as Finalists.

50 Short Films will be selected as an Official Selection for Best International Student Short Film Category.
15 of those Short Films will be selected as Finalists.

Also, 15 Animated International Student Short Films and 15 Documentary International Student Shorts will be selected as an Official Selection. 8 of those (in each category) will be selected as Finalists.

3 Short Films in each category will be selected as Winners
(1st place, 2nd place, 3rd place).

Also there will be subcategories like: Best Student Director, Best Greek Director, Best Greek Actor, Best Greek Supporting Actress, Best First-Time Director etc.)

Honorable Mention may be given (Best Screenplay, Best Music Score, Best Cinematography, Best Editing etc.)

Only some of the Winning Short Films will be screened on Festival's annual Live Event.
Also there will be screenings online (only after the consent of the submitter) from the list of the Official Selected Short Films.

Winners, Nominees and Official Selections would be announced on our Instagram and Facebook page
ig: thessalonikifreeshortfestival
facebook: Thessaloniki Free Short Festival