Bamberg Short Film Festival

Bavaria's oldest short film festival

Since 1991, the Bamberg Short Film Festival has been a fixture in the German-speaking festival calendar and is Bavaria's oldest short film festival. Organised by Bamberger Kurzfilmtage e.V., it takes place annually at the end of January in the Upper Franconian World Heritage city of Bamberg, located in the state of Bavaria in the independent city of Bamberg.

Competition and Awards

The focus is on the competition, which offers a platform for short films from Germany, Austria, German-speaking Switzerland, South Tyrol, and Luxembourg. Submitted films must be a maximum of 30 minutes long and originate from the two preceding years. At the end of the festival week, prizes are awarded in seven categories: in the sections short feature film, animated film, documentary film, experimental film, and children's film, as well as a regional prize for Franconian films. The winners are decided by the audience, a professional jury, a regional jury, and a youth jury. Six prizes are endowed with 1,000 euros each, and the youth jury prize with 500 euros. The Golden Centaur is awarded in the competition.

Venues

The main venues of the festival are the traditional Odeon Kino and the Kesselhaus am Leinritt. Further programme items take place in the Alten E-Werk and at various locations in the city. Following the cinema week in January, parts of the programme will also be available online.

Programme and Atmosphere

With over 150 films, competition blocks, thematic special programmes, its own children's programme, and retrospective series, the Short Film Festival offers a packed schedule. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Bamberg's old town, it combines cinematic discoveries with the special charm of the UNESCO World Heritage city and attracts several thousand visitors each year.