South Asian Short Film Festival is the biggest Short Fiction and Documentary Film Festival in Eastern India. The festival is organized by the Eastern Region of the Federation of Film Societies of India (Estd. 1959) every year without any break. Like previous years, the 9th edition of the festival will also take place at Nandan, the film center of West Bengal in Kolkata from 8-14 June, 2026 physically. The first eight editions of the festival had witnessed a great enthusiasm and appreciation from Film Makers, Critics and Audiences. Every year we showcase more than 100 films in the following sections:
(A) South Asian Films
1. Short Fiction: Competition [max. 40 mins]
2. Short Fiction: Panorama (Out of Competition) [max. 40 mins]
3. Documentary: Competition [max. 60 mins]
4. Documentary: Panorama (Out of Competition) [max. 60 mins]
(B) International Window
5. Short Fiction (Out of Competition) [max. 40 mins]
6. Documentary: (Out of Competition) [max. 60 mins]

Awards & Prizes

1. Satyajit Ray Golden Award for the Best Documentary
2. Satyajit Ray Silver Award for the 2nd Best Documentary
3. Satyajit Ray Bronze Award for the 3rd Best Documentary
4. Ritwik Ghatak Golden Award for the Best Short Fiction
5. Ritwik Ghatak Silver Award for the 2nd Best Short Fiction
6. Ritwik Ghatak Bronze Award for the 3rd Best Short Fiction

Rules & Terms

Eligibility:
* Short Fiction (maximum 40 minutes) and Documentary (maximum 60 minutes) made after 1st January 2023 in any country are eligible.
* Films from the South Asian countries - India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives are eligible for Competition and Panorama (out of competition) sections.
* Films from All Other Countries are eligible for the International Window (non-competitive) section.
* Festival Committee will decide in which section a film will be selected.
* Films must be subtitled in English.
* Submission of detailed story of the film (minimum 200 words or more) is mandatory.
* Download permission of a high resolution file should be given through FilmFreeway on request as final screener for the selected films.
* One can submit more than one Entry, but separate submission forms should be submitted for each Entry with separate Entry Fee.
* Films already available in any platform are also eligible, no condition of premiere.
* Films submitted already in any previous edition of the SASFF are not eligible.
* Decision for selection of any film for competitive or non-competitive section or rejection of any film is the sole prerogative of the festival committee. No negotiation will be entertained in this respect.
* Any individual or organization holding the due ownership rights of the films can submit any number of entries.
* Films already shown in any previous edition of the International Sports Film Festival of India, World Film Festival Kolkata or South Asian Short Film Festival organised by the Federation of Film Societies of India are not eligible.
* Festival authorities will have the right to screen any selected film (max. 10 screenings) in different cities of India on non-commercial basis after it is screened in the main festival in Kolkata.
* For promotional/publicity purposes, excerpts from any film (max. 60 secs) may be used on non-commercial basis.
* Film submitted can not be withdrawn after decision is notified trough FilmFreeway.
* Final screening of the film is subject to the approval of the Government.
* Legal jurisdiction: Calcutta High Court.
35 Reviews
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  • SOMNATH MONDAL

    Excellent Festival. Its a great platform for the individual Filmmakers.

    August 2025
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  • Karamati Paudha

    Great experience in my life to enjoy the festival

    August 2025
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  • Seerkatchi Packil Pandian Bhaskaran

    Thank you so much for paying attention to our short Film Kaikuttai Rani!
    It's a great honour to be chosen and screened in the heart of Kolkata in the cinema 🎥
    Millions of thanks!
    Highly recommend to participate 💘

    July 2025
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  • Saikat Adhikary

    Very Good Platform for Independent Film Makers to showcase their works. 👍

    July 2025
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  • Kushal Sinharoy

    Good Festival. My documentary film "Bipanna" was screened with housefull audience.

    July 2025
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