Berlinale Shorts Regulations

1. Eligibility

Eligible for the Berlinale Shorts competition are fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid films, which

• do not exceed the maximum running time of 30 minutes.
• are available as world or international premieres. The submitted films must not have been presented publicly outside their country of origin, participated in any international film festival, exhibition or similar outside their country of origin, or have been theatrically released outside their country of origin. World premieres are prioritised (see General Information on Premiere Status). The film’s country of origin is determined by the registered office address of the production company. In case of international co-productions the main country of production will be considered as country of origin.
• have not been presented publicly in Germany. Accordingly, German films must be world premieres.
• have neither been broadcast on television nor presented on the internet/VOD.
• were completed within the 12 months prior to the start of the festival.
• have never been submitted to the Berlinale for selection.

For all applications the General Guidelines for Film Submission and Participation apply. The Festival Director reserves the right to decide on any eventuality not foreseen in these guidelines.

2. Selection and Programming

The Festival Director and the head of Berlinale Shorts invite films to participate in Berlinale Shorts. The section head is advised by an international selection committee.

The selected films compete for the Golden Bear for Best Short Film and the Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) as well as the Berlinale Shorts CUPRA Filmmaker Award endowed with 20,000 euros.

3. Format, Language Version and Subtitles

All films invited to participate in Berlinale Shorts must be made available in the formats DCP or QuickTime ProRes – 35mm or other formats only upon request.

The films will be presented in their original version with English subtitles. The original version is the version (to be) shown in the country of origin. The film’s producer is responsible for meeting the costs of subtitling and providing the subtitled version on time.

To improve the festival’s accessibility services, an additional version with German subtitles and/or an HI/SDH version with open captions in German or English is desirable but not mandatory.