Festival start: 27 May 2021
Festival end: 01 June 2021
Vienna Shorts is the international short film festival in Vienna. The presentation of short films and the exchange about them are the main focus. The festival is organized by the association Independent Cinema and shows about 300 productions under 30 minutes. The competition is structured in four categories, for each of which separate entries can be submitted. Other sections include portraits and thematically curated programs.
Vienna Shorts 2021 will take place as a hybrid festival from May 27 to June 1, 2021. The focus is on the presentation of short film forms in the cinema in Vienna (subject to a non-hazardous implementation). The rights holders will be specially informed about online screenings of films.
Cash Prizes: 20,000€
Vienna Shorts is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards® (Oscars), the European Film Awards (EFA), the British BAFTA Awards as well as the Austrian Film Award and awards prize money of approximately EUR 20,000 annually.
SUBMISSION TERMS
VIENNA SHORTS 2021
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
II. FILM SUBMISSION
A. COMPETITIONS
B. NON-COMPETITIVE SECTION
C. SUBMISSION FEES & MATERIALS
D. PREMIERE RULE
III. SELECTION
IV. FESTIVAL PRESENTATION
V. RIGHTS & DATA PROTECTION
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
Vienna Shorts is the international short film festival in Vienna. The presentation of short films and the exchange about them are the main focus. The festival is organized by the association Independent Cinema and shows about 300 productions under 30 minutes. The competition is structured in four categories, for each of which separate entries can be submitted. Other sections include portraits and thematically curated programs.
Vienna Shorts 2021 will take place as a hybrid festival from May 27 to June 1, 2021. The focus is on the presentation of short film forms in the cinema in Vienna (subject to a non-hazardous implementation). The rights holders will be specially informed about online screenings of films.
Vienna Shorts is a qualifying festival for the Academy awards® (Oscars), the European Film awards (EFA), the British BAFTA awards as well as the Austrian Film Award and awards prize money of approximately EUR 20,000 annually.
The festival sees itself as a political and fair film festival, which is committed to responsible and transparent dealings with filmmakers and all those involved, as well as ecologically sustainable conduct. Details can be found in the festival’s compliance guidelines (https://www.viennashorts.com/en/downloads)
Should there be any changes at short notice regarding the organization or structure of the festival or regarding pricing, these will be communicated immediately through the festival’s channels.
II. FILM SUBMISSION
For the Vienna Shorts 2021 competitions, films of all genres and formats up to 30 minutes in length and with a completion date after January 1, 2020 can be submitted if they have not been submitted to the festival before. (A re-submission is only possible if the film has been substantially altered).
Films can be submitted via the festival’s own platform (via the website viennashorts.com) or via the submission platform Festhome.
If the submitted film contains non-english language dialog or text, english subtitles must be provided. This also applies to German language films.
For the submission of films, working or raw versions of films are accepted—however, the image editing process should already be completed at the time of submission (picture-lock).
The regular submission deadline for the 18th festival edition is January 5, 2021 for all submissions.
The deadline for late submissions to the competitions (II.A) is January 31, 2021. No films will be accepted after the end of the extended deadline.
A. COMPETITIONS
Entries can be submitted in four competition categories: Fiction & Documentary is devoted to international short fiction and short documentary films, Animation Avantgarde to international animation and experimental film. The Austrian Competition is dedicated to national productions, the Austrian Music Video Award is given to the best national music video. On the festival website you can find mission statements for all four categories.
International productions can be submitted for the two competitions Fiction & Documentary and Animation Avantgarde. For the Austrian Competition and the Austrian Music Video Award, only productions by Austrian directors or producers or works that were (partly) produced in Austria or were mainly financed by Austrian institutions are eligible. The festival reserves the right to assign films to a different category than the one for which they were originally submitted.
The Vienna Shorts awards are awarded as main prizes in the four competition categories of the festival and are endowed with EUR 1,000 to 5,000 each. The additional three prizes of the jury are endowed with
EUR 1,000 to 3,000 each. In addition, special prizes (e.g. for the best female director) as well as audience prizes are awarded.
prizes are awarded in all categories by expert juries. The juries consist of three film industry professionals, are international and diverse by category and gender. Their expertise is brought in upon invitation. All films are made available to the jury members for viewing in the best possible quality.
B. NON-COMPETITIVE SECTION
Entries are also possible for non-competitive festival sections. (All films that have already been submitted for a competition will be previewed for all festival categories and do not have to be additionally submitted in this category). Films are eligible for this category if they either do not meet the conditions of the competition categories, are not intended for a competition presentation and can be assigned to one of the following categories:
– Trash film
– Horror film
– Music and/or dance film
– International music video
– Films for children and young people
– Longer than 30 minutes
Films of all genres and formats up to a length of 45 minutes and with a completion date after January 1, 2019 are accepted.
C. SUBMISSION FEES & MATERIALS
In order to guarantee a high-quality selection process and a professional handling, Vienna Shorts charges an entry fee. This fee is EUR 15 (USD 17) for short live action films and short documentaries (Fiction & Documentary) and EUR 10 (USD 12) for animation and experimental films (Animation Avantgarde) during the regular submission period. For non-competitive films (Non-competitive Section) EUR 7 (USD 8) will be charged.
During the extended submission period (January 6 to January 31, 2021) the entry fee for all competition categories—including the Austrian Competition and the Austrian Music Video Award—will be increased by EUR 10 (USD 12) respectively.
The festival reserves the right to change the entry fee. Please note that the entry platform Festhome as well as the payment platform PayPal may charge additional handling fees. A refund of the entry fees is not possible.
In addition to a preview copy and a film still, only the key data of the film will be requested during the submission process. In the case of an invitation to Vienna Shorts 2021, in a second step the completion of the data for the catalog, the website and—in case of an online presentation—the streaming platform will be requested.
D. PREMIERE RULE
There is no strict rule for premieres. In order to guarantee the highest possible relevance of the competition entries for the audience and the guests, preference is given in all competition categories to those films that were neither shown in a Viennese cinema nor available online before Vienna Shorts in Austria. The festival reserves the right to show films otherwise not at all or only out of competition.
For public screenings in Vienna, an exclusivity clause also applies: If films are shown between January 1, 2021 and the end of the festival in front of an audience in Vienna, they can only run out of competition at Vienna Shorts. (The only exception are competition screenings at the Vienna Animation Film Festival Tricky Women).
III. SELECTION
All submitted films will be viewed and evaluated by professional programmers and viewers. This process can partly be done outside of Austria and does not have to be done via the submission platforms.
By April 30, 2021 at the latest, all submitted films will receive a notification by email. Notification of the selection for the Vienna Shorts 2021 program will be sent out by March 31, 2021 at the latest. Please be patient, as the program selection will be carried out step by step due to the high number of submissions and will only be completed by this date.
A notification will be sent by email in any case. (Should the email not arrive due to technical reasons, e.g. spam filters, the status of the film can also be checked via the submission platforms from the beginning of May).
Should the submitted film be selected for Vienna Shorts 2021, the festival will communicate immediately thereafter the deadline for receiving the screening copy, request further data for catalog, website and/or streaming platform and contact the director/s regarding a visit to the festival. If a film is not selected, please understand that no further feedback is possible.
Once the film has been selected, the logo of Vienna Shorts and the text “Official Selection Vienna Shorts 2021” can be used for advertising purposes. This logo and the text will be transmitted in digital form.
IV. FESTIVAL PRESENTATION
The festival aims to present each selected film in the best possible form, in its original format and in the presence of the directors and film teams. Up to five accreditations (two of which are free of charge) will be provided for each film in competition (subject to availability) and up to two (one of which is free of charge) for each film outside the competition.
For all competition films, individual texts will be written and published in the catalog, on the website and/or on the streaming platform. The texts can also be used further with reference to the authorship (first name last name, Vienna Shorts).
The guest service will contact the director (or another representative of the creative team) in order to enable a personal presence at the screening in Vienna. The festival supports an environmentally friendly journey to Vienna.
The festival actively seeks to connect filmmakers with industry representatives, programmers and each other by organizing its own industry program, holding receptions and meetings, and providing guest lists with contact information (with the consent of the respective persons).
The festival pays a screening fee for the presentation of films outside the competition. Vienna Shorts cannot pay license fees for screenings within the competition. If the film has been submitted for a competition and is presented outside of the competition, screening or license fees will also be paid.
If the submitted film contains non-english language dialog or text, english subtitles must be provided for the presentation. This also applies to German language productions.
DCP, 35mm film and 16mm film are possible for cinema screenings. DCP (unencrypted, Interop, SMPTE, 2k, 24 fps/25 fps/30 fps) must have been tested in a cinema in advance. The festival does not accept files as screening copies in the cinema. The film copy will be insured for the duration of the festival.
The screening copy can be provided to the festival by mail, courier or via a download link. All deliveries from outside the European Union must be marked with the note “no commercial value—for cultural purposes only”. The festival will not accept any deliveries that are subject to customs duties, taxes or shipping charges. In the case of an analog film copy, the Festival will return the film (including shipping charges) to the original shipping address or to an address previously provided by the submitter.
For presenting the film in the video library for accredited professionals and in case of a screening on the festival’s own streaming platform, the festival requires a Vimeo-based file upload with recommended resolution 1920x1080, a recommended bit rate of 10-20 and the possible codecs H264, Apple ProRes 422 as well as H.265 HEVC. The complete guidelines can be found here: https://vimeo.com/help/compression
The festival vehemently pursues the goal of protecting the films from any external access or abuse in case of presentation on the streaming platform. In case of a public presentation on the streaming platform, all competition films will be regionally blocked (“geoblocking”) and can only be viewed after registration on the platform. Only accredited persons can access the platform without geoblocking.
V. RIGHTS & DATA PROTECTION
By submitting a film, the submitter guarantees that he/she owns all rights to the film (especially intellectual property) or is authorized to make the submission on behalf of the rights holder(s), and that no rights of third parties will be infringed upon by a screening or other use for the purposes of the festival. Should the rights of third parties nevertheless be violated, the festival will indemnify the submitter.
In the event of a selection, the submitted film may be shown several times (including reruns) during the festival period. If the film wins an award at Vienna Shorts 2021, the film may also be shown twice in the cinema in the framework of best-of programs following the festival. In this case the submitter will be informed in advance.
With the submission of the film, the festival is allowed to use the film title, credits and the name of the director as well as film stills and film excerpts (max. 40 seconds) for general promotion in the context of reporting on the festival (incl. TV, web, cinema, showreel). The festival also reserves the right to grant representatives of the press or selected industry visitors password-protected access to the film.
All selected competition entries are automatically part of the video library, which is offered on the streaming platform for all accredited industry visitors from the beginning of the festival until June 30, 2021. The video library is password-protected.
The video library is also available to accredited professionals of the European Short Film Network (ESFN) festivals. The ESFN includes the festivals Go Short (NL), Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen (DE), Vienna Shorts (AT) and Short Waves Festival (PL).
With the submission for Vienna Shorts the festival is allowed to process the given data for the purpose of handling the festival and its archive. This consent is the legal basis for the data processing (according to the GDPR—General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union). The data will only be stored as long as necessary for the above mentioned purpose and will not be passed on to third parties. Further information on data protection and rights according to the GDPR can be found here: https://viennashorts.filmchief.com/shop/privacy-policy
The regulations for submissions to Vienna Shorts are published in German and english. In case of doubt, the German version will be decisive.
Please send all questions regarding the submission to the following email address: film@viennashorts.com
Fiction & Documentary – International Competition
Short Films 30'< (2020+)
Fee-8%
Standard15€13.8€
05 Jan 21
Late25€23€
31 Jan 21
Submissions deadline
31 Jan 21
Save up
1.2€
Submit
The international competition Fiction & Documentary shows smart and powerful films that — using the magic of cinema — explore the world in unusual and expressive ways. From several thousand submissions, we select those live action and documentary shorts that challenge and fascinate us in terms of their form and content. We want to invite our audience to take a first-rate cinephile journey around the world and to discover the present and future of cinema together.
Austrian Music Video Award – National Competition
Short Films 30'< (2020+)
Fee-8%
Standard0€0€
05 Jan 21
Late10€9.2€
31 Jan 21
Submissions deadline
31 Jan 21
Save up
0€
Submit
Only films with Austria as at least one country of production, or with an Austrian director or producer are eligible. Every year, a large number of Austrian music videos find their way to websites such as YouTube or Vimeo. In the competition program for the Austrian Music Video Award we show a concentrated selection of those clips which are aware of the interplay of image and music level, show a high degree of fantasy or a great joy in experimenting and which are capable of fascinating us, touching us or breaking new ground. With the Austrian Music Video Award we form the sophisticated framework for the often neglected perception of the audiovisual miniature as a cinematic art form. The times in which music videos were primarily seen as an advertising medium for a song are long gone. Instead, today we are looking for technical innovations, a sense of aesthetic immediacy and unconventional cinematic & musical approaches.
Austrian Competition – National Competition
Short Films 30'< (2020+)
Fee-8%
Standard0€0€
05 Jan 21
Late10€9.2€
31 Jan 21
Submissions deadline
31 Jan 21
Save up
0€
Submit
Only for films with Austria as at least one country of production, or with an Austrian director or producer.
We are looking for films of any genre that are open to the world, yet self-contained. Exploratory or reflective approaches to topics in culture, society and politics are as important to us as a certain inner tension that arouses our curiosity and plays with our expectations. The films should touch and inspire us; they may criticize or provoke, and they should challenge us to further engage with the presented images. Content and form should be chosen deliberately and be coherent. Depending on the relevance, script, acting, visual design, sound, editing and the courage to take risks will be taken into account. Finally, the competition program should be representative of the quality and diversity of the Austrian short film.
Animation Avantgarde – International Competition
Short Films 30'< (2020+)
Fee-8%
Standard10€9.2€
05 Jan 21
Late20€18.4€
31 Jan 21
Submissions deadline
31 Jan 21
Save up
0.8€
Submit
Since 2010, the international competition Animation Avantgarde has been pursuing the idea of placing experimental works and animation films in dialog with each other, thereby focusing on works that avoid the beaten path. We seek formal and narrative innovation and aspire to achieve the greatest possible diversity in terms of content and technology. We also pay attention to a good mix: in addition to the emphasis on animated experiments, there are also narrative formats, works of socio-political relevance and refreshingly entertaining music videos.
Non-competitive Section
Short Films 45'< (2019+)
Standard Fee7€ -8% 6.44€
Submissions deadline
05 Jan 21
Save up
0.56€
Submit
Entries are also possible for non-competitive festival sections. (All films that have already been submitted for a competition will be previewed for all festival categories and do not have to be additionally submitted in this category). Films are eligible for this category if they either do not meet the conditions of the competition categories, are not intended for a competition presentation and can be assigned to one of the following categories:
trash film
horror film
music and/or dance film
international music video
films for children and young people
longer than 30 minutes
Films of all genres and formats up to a length of 45 minutes and with a completion date after January 1, 2019 are accepted.
Festhome holds accountable fees festivals by holding the payment of the fees of most newer festivals until they have viewed the submissions, held their festivals and other methods.
-8%
Festhome holds accountable fees festivals by holding the payment of the fees of most newer festivals until they have viewed the submissions, held their festivals and other methods. 