International Short Film Competition (Switzerland)

Award Information

• Grand Prize of the International Competition, CHF 12 000.
• Promotional Award of the International Competition, CHF 10 000.
• Prix George for the Best Documentary Form, CHF 10 000.
• Award for the Best Swiss Film, CHF 10 000.
• ZKB Audience Award, CHF 10 000.
• Award for the Best Film in the Section Sparks, CHF 2000.

Nominations

• The winners of the Grand Prize and Promotional Award in the International Competition, and the winners of the Award for the Best Swiss Film are eligible to be nominated for the Oscar (Academy Award) for Best Short Film. This applies to all genres.
• All British films selected for the International Competition are eligible to be nominated for the British Academy Film Award BAFTA.
• All Swiss short films selected for the Swiss or International Competition are eligible to be nominated for the Swiss Film Award. Further eligibility criteria are defined by the respective provisions of the Federal Department of Home Affairs. It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit an application for the Swiss Film Award.
• Under certain conditions, European films of the International Competition (incl. Swiss short films) qualify for nomination consideration for the European Film Award (EFA).

Eligibility Criteria

• Films submitted for the Swiss Competition can either be made by Swiss nationals or by non Swiss national residing in Switzerland.

Conditions

• The films must have been completed in 2023 or 2024, and their runtime must not exceed 30 minutes. Commissioned works made for advertising or PR purposes are not eligible.
• Films submitted for the Swiss Competition can either be made by Swiss nationals or by nonSwiss nationals residing in Switzerland. The films must have been completed in 2022 or 2023, and their runtime must not exceed 40 minutes. The selection committee of the Swiss Competition can nominate films to also participate in the International Competition, which can win prizes in both Competitions.
• Films that were previously shown at Kurzfilmtage or films previously rejected cannot be submitted again.
• Films submitted for the Swiss Competition must be world premieres. Exceptions are films screened in the main competition at any of the following festivals:
  • Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Berlinale)
  • Festival de Cannes
  • Festival International du Court Métrage Clermont-Ferrand
  • Locarno Film Festival
  • Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen
  • International Film Festival Rotterdam
  • Sundance Film Festival
  • TIFF – Toronto Film Festival
  • Mostra del Cinema – La Biennale di Venezia
  • Visions du Réel (Nyon)
• Films submitted for the International Competition must be Swiss premieres. This rule does not apply to filmmakers, who are explicitly invited by Kurzfilmtage to submit a film even if their work has been screened at another Swiss festival.

For more information, visit Kurzfilmtage.