The Busan International Short Film Festival (Korea) is accepting international shorts until January 5 (2026), and Korean shorts until January 15, 2026.
About the Festival
The Busan International Short Film Festival (BISFF) has firmly established itself as the Hub of Asian Shorts, showcasing a diverse selection of innovative short films from around the world while championing Korean short cinema on the global stage.
Each year, BISFF serves as a launchpad for emerging filmmakers and a discovery ground for new voices in storytelling. Its mission is twofold: to spotlight exceptional short films from across the globe and to introduce hidden cinematic gems that might otherwise go unseen.
Over the years, BISFF has featured several works that went on to gain international acclaim, including “Sprout” by Yoon Ga-eun, which later screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, and “A Gentle Night” by Qiu Yang, which went on to win the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film at Cannes. These successes reinforce BISFF’s reputation not just as a festival, but as a proving ground for the next generation of global filmmakers.
BISFF is a qualifying festival for:
– Academy Awards – Oscars® (Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences)
– Premios Goya (Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España)
– Canadian Screen Awards / Prix É crans Canadiens (Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television /Académie Canadienne du Cinéma et de la Télévision)
– British Academy Film Awards – BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts)
Eligibility:
– Films must have been completed after January 1, 2025.
– Films must not exceed the 30-minute mark (including ending credits).
– The festival accepts all kind of genres (fiction, animation, documentary, experimental).
– Films must be Korean Premiere.
– There is no limitation on the number of films per entrant.
– Films must be submitted via Shorfilmdeport, Festhome or FilmFreeway.
– All non-English speaking films must have English subtitles.
Deadline and submission fees:
* Submission platforms add their own fee (ShortFilmDepot $ 3 Euros | FestHome $ 2 Euros | FilmFreeway 5%)
– Notification Date: March 5, 2026
Rules and Regulations here: https://www.bisff.org/down/BISFF_2026_Submission_Regulations.pdf
