Berlinale Shorts Regulations
Festival film entries are currently not possible.
Please note that all information currently given on these pages refers to the 2024 Berlinale and is supposed to offer a general insight into film entry procedures.
For all applications the General Guidelines for Film Submission and Participation apply.
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.
- have neither participated in any international film festival nor been presented in the context of an international exhibition or similar. A presentation in the country of origin will be tolerated. A presentation at an online festival is permitted if the streamings were only accessible in the country of origin (geoblocking).
- have neither been presented on television nor on the internet/VOD.
- were completed within the 12 months prior to the start of the festival. Re-submissions are not eligible.
- are available in the formats DCP or QuickTime ProRes. 35mm or other formats only upon request.
- German films have to be World Premieres to be eligible for Berlinale Shorts.
In case of international co-productions the main country of production will be considered as country of origin.
- World premieres are preferred (general information on premiere status).
The Artistic Director of the festival reserves the right to rule on any cases not provided for in these guidelines.
2. Selection and Programming
The Artistic Director of the festival and the head of Berlinale Shorts invite films to participate in Berlinale Shorts. The section head is advised by an international selection committee.
3. Language Version and Subtitles
All films, including German-language films, are shown in their original version with English subtitles. The producer is required to meet the costs of subtitling.
The original version is the version shown (or which will be shown) in the country of origin.