Sorry, but we have to put this at the top now, as it keeps getting ignored: PLEASE READ THE RULES AND TERMS! PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS!

Underdog Film Festival is an annual competitive festival dedicated to the often unheard voices in motion pictures.

Focussed on films that were realised on a low or even micro budget, it is a festival that highlights the projects of filmmakers who are struggling to get their work seen. We are looking for a unique blend of arthouse narrative films and non-fiction projects and want to see courageous and innovative stories that deserve to be experienced, discussed and promoted.
On that note we would like to kindly ask filmmakers to refrain from submitting experimental films. We simply don't have the capacity to include these (yet).

The festival has an annual structure and will include different types of film competitions as well as additional special events. First, the judges will privately review the submitted materials, then shortlisted films will be screened as part of our live screening schedule. Ultimately, judges will vote on the shortlisted films and the audience gets to vote via on-site ballots. Winners will be announced during our awards ceremony.

But above all the Underdog Film Festival is a place that wants to bring people together and give them a place where they can discuss the things they are passionate about. On that note, we hope to entertain you!

Awards & Prizes

For our 1st year running we made the conscious choice not to have a feature competition, but to focus on the short form instead.
In our second year we did include feature length films, but have subsequently decided that shorts are simply better-suited for our kind of venue and audience.
Screenings will be separated into German screening blocks and international screening blocks. The jury will ultimately decide what category your film will be nominated in. This could be several categories, even if you enter your film in one category only.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ENTER YOUR FILM INTO MORE THAN ONE CATEGORY! WE WILL CONSIDER YOUR PROJECT FOR ANY CATEGORY WHERE ALL CRITERIA IS MET.
There will be other crew and cast awards. To keep things simple and affordable we have only listed a small select list of categories here.

Rules & Terms

1- In order to submit a film, you must own the rights or have power of attorney from the owner.

2- All fees are non-refundable.

3- The Festival relationship will exclusively be related to the film submitter.

4- Maximum length allowed for shorts is 20 minutes. This does include opening and closing titles.

5- Any foreign film that is not in German or English must have English subtitles. All German films will need to have English subtitles.

6- UNDERDOG FILM FESTIVAL and its affiliates will not be responsible for damaged copies.

7- We do require your SRT files, if your film is selected, as we will be creating German subs for all non-German films.

8- A screening copy will be requested for the live Events. H.264 is fine, as long as it is no smaller than HD.

9- Students must present a valid Student ID in order to receive our student waiver.

10- Not all the submissions are selected for the Official Competition.

11- UNDERDOG FILM FESTIVAL can consider any film to be disqualified if the festival considers the content inappropriate or if the film exceeds the allowed maximum length.

12- Filmmakers must submit their project in any of the Official Competitions. All films submitted in any OFFICIAL COMPETITION will be considered in all Technical & Performance Categories with no extra cost.

13- A fee is required for the official Competitions Submission. For our payment structure visit FILMFREEWAY.COM

14- Submitting your film, you authorize UNDERDOG FILM FESTIVAL to use, distribute and share the film poster, trailer, synopsis and movie stills in our social media.

15- The applicants (submitters) must accept UNDERDOG FILM FESTIVAL’s Rules and Terms.
11 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Christine Jezior

    Das Filmfestival macht insgesamt einen sehr guten Eindruck, vor allem durch seine vielfältige Filmauswahl. Man merkt, dass viel Wert auf Qualität und Abwechslung gelegt wurde. Auch die Atmosphäre wirkt besonders und hebt das Ganze von gewöhnlichen Kinoerlebnissen ab. Die Organisation scheint gut durchdacht und sorgt für einen reibungslosen Ablauf. Insgesamt wirkt das Festival wie eine wirklich sehenswerte Veranstaltung, die man sich nicht entgehen lassen sollte.

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Vielen Dank für die Bewertung, die eigentlich positiv klingt. Falls wir etwas verbessern können, damit es nicht bei dem einen Stern bleibt, freuen wir uns natürlich über konkretes Feedback und hoffen, dass Euer Team trotz der negativen Bewertung im kommenden Jahr noch einmal mit dabei sein möchte, aber vielleicht war der eine Stern ja auch ein Versehen. Der Text klingt doch eigentlich sehr zufrieden. Herzliche Grüße, das Underdog Team

  • Igor Poptsov

    Thank you so much for my film was selected! Everything was great!

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much for your kind words and sorry again for posting the list of shortlisted films so late. We posted them on social media and simply forgot to update the website. We made sure to publish the list of the winning films right after the festival, though. Looking forward to seeing more of your work, the Underdog Team

  • Farah Nosshi

    Thank you for the wonderful festival and for all the effort that went into organizing it.
    It was truly a pleasure to be part of such an inspiring selection of films, and I am especially honored to have received the award for Best International Short.

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much for coming in person. Small festivals like ours can only grow, if filmmakers drop by, as it shows the local community that something is happening. And what a beautiful and very personal story 'Basima' was. It was very well-received, even if it was unexpected for you. A well-deserved audience award ;)

  • Patrick Haderer

    Thank you, great festival. Unfortunately, I couldn't be there, but two actors and co-producers attended.
    Great communication and explanation.

    November 2025
    Helpful
  • Filip Šperl

    Couldn't attend in person but thanks for screening our short film:)

    April 2025
    Helpful