We warmly invite you to participate in Bergen Unstable Film Festival (BUFF) 2024, a newly established international, independent film festival in which art is seamlessly entangled and all borders questioned.

Focused on alternative approaches to filmmaking, BUFF aspires to open a unique platform to highlight the importance of non-traditional approaches to cinema, in which art and free expression are audaciously unfolded.

We aim to create a new space for those looking for renewed ways of storytelling, a platform for non-conform filmmaking beyond the specific standards and narratives built within mainstream cinema.
We believe in the balance between comfort and progression as a necessary step for a culture to develop in a rich and inclusive society, and by fostering an independent platform we encourage the submission of short and medium length films (up to 25 min) of independent, art house and experimental nature, creating new stories that re-invent, re-shape, and otherwise allow for untested methods to be explored.

BUFF will run across a span of three days in September 2024 at the venue Østre in Bergen, Norway, and will showcase international films alongside performances, artist talks, and multidisciplinary installations. The festival will be a safe space for free expression; an extravagant event aimed to stimulate community building, inclusivity, and cultural dissemination.
We intend to transform and curate the venue into an intertwining space of fluid borders, with site-specific, unconventional decorations, using our backgrounds in multidisciplinary fine art.

We warmly welcome you to submit your film to BUFF 2024.

Awards & Prizes

Three winners will be selected by the audience and announced on the final day.

Each winner will be given an artwork as trophy, crafted by a local artist.

As an ending gesture, we will showcase the final film as a honourable mention based upon the verdict of the panel of judges.

All officially selected films will have a live screening at the end of each edition.

All the winners will be invited to a Q&A interview session on our website and posted along our social media.

Accepted entries are promoted through our social media and website.

All the winners of each edition will receive a certificate.

All officially selected projects of each edition will receive the BUFF laurel.

As we believe that good films should be watched many times, all the winning films in each edition of the festival may be selected for special screening in the following editions.

Rules & Terms

All submitted films should have English subtitles unless the films are in English.

Entries for BUFF must provide stills, synopsis and screening information, contact details, and information they wish to be included in a film profile. Director statements are also welcomed.

By submitting a film, the filmmaker guarantees full copyright ownership and clearance, and guarantees that if selected, a high quality screening copy will be provided.

We welcome film works produced in any year, as films are not milk and don’t go bad.

All genres are accepted with a maximum length of 25 minutes.

Submissions must be made online and through Film Freeway by 15th August 2024.

The festival accepts works in progress provided that the filmmakers guarantee the completion of the films by August 2024.

By submitting to BUFF, you give us the right to screen your film in front of a live audience.

Filmmakers own all the rights to their films.

BUFF has the right to promote clips from your film on social media, based on the press kits you provide us with and excerpts of the original movie.

BUFF retains the right to change the date and venue of the festival under special circumstances. All filmmakers will be informed about any changes through our online platforms or email.

Entry fees are non-refundable.

By submitting your projects to the festival you agree to our terms and conditions and you are giving consent to receiving potential newsletters and discounts about the festival in the form of emails. We will never sell your information to third parties.

The Festival reserves the right to refuse or cancel the screening of any film if advised by authorized technicians that the film is not of sufficient quality to ensure satisfactory public screening.

We reserve the right to update our terms and conditions.
2 Reviews
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  • Jostein Leland

    A very fun festival in the heart of Bergen. Thank you for a unique and challenging international short film program, with the added bonus of a cultural experience outside of the screenings. And free fruit.

    September 2024
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    Response from festival:

    Dear Jostein,
    While we mysteriously missed each other at the festival, unfortunately, we are thrilled you enjoyed it, and once again congratulations with the award! It was a pleasure to show Conundrum. Hopefully we'll meet in the future. We are glad you enjoyed the free fruit.

  • Paul L. Carr

    Very hospitable and friendly festival in a cool venue. Bergen is a great city to explore. I appreciated the friends I made and the overall experience.

    September 2024
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    Response from festival:

    It was a pleasure to show your film Hitchhiking to Mars at our festival, and we were thrilled you came all the way from the US to our tiny festival and stayed for the full duration. It was a pleasure meeting you, Paul, hopefully it won't be the last time!