Bangalore Shorts Film Festival traces its origins to 2012, marking the centenary of Indian cinema and recognizing the contribution of the Kannada film industry. Organized by Miniboxoffice in Bangalore, India, it accepts work from student and professional filmmakers worldwide. Its competition covers short fiction, documentaries, animation, music videos, advertising films and web series, with separate awards for production, craft, performance and music.
Alongside screenings, the festival offers masterclasses, audience discussions and opportunities for filmmakers to present their work through interviews and film pitches. Its industry activities connect short filmmaking with distribution and feature film development. The dates for the 16th edition are 13 June 2027 in Bangalore.
Awards and prizes
Production awards recognize Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Music Video, Best Web Series and Best Ad Film, alongside Best Film Jury, Best Director, Honorable Jury Mention and a Special Festival Mention Certificate. Creative awards cover Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best VFX. Performance awards recognize Best Actor and Best Actress. Music awards cover Best Music and Best Background Music.
The regulations provide a participation certificate for submitted films, an Official Selection Certificate of Excellence for selected films, and an Award Certificate of Excellence and trophy for award winners.
Festival rules
2027 edition: Films of all genres and languages are accepted. Films in languages other than English or Hindi require English subtitles. Eligible productions date from January 2025 onwards; films entered in earlier editions of Bangalore Shorts Film Festival are not eligible. Short films, short documentaries and short animations must run no longer than 60 minutes; music videos and advertising films no longer than 10 minutes. The regulations list web series without a running-time limit. Student and professional entries are accepted.
Complete the entry form, pay the applicable non-refundable category fee and send the payment receipt. Submit the synopsis, cast and crew list, director biography and filmography, director photograph, JPEG stills and posters, and a preview link to info.bangalore@miniboxoffice.com. Submission is not considered complete until the entry fee is paid. The published late deadline is 1 June 2027.
Entrants are responsible for copyright clearance of music, scripts and other creative and technical material. Submitted films cannot be withdrawn; the festival director reserves the right to disqualify entries, and jury decisions are final. Filmmakers bear their travel, accommodation, hospitality and any postage costs for awards they cannot collect. Screenings, workshops and the award ceremony are dated 13 June 2027 in Bangalore.
