Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF)

Overview

The Bergen International Film Festival (BIFF) is Norway's second largest film festival, held over nine days each October in Bergen. The 2026 edition runs October 14 to 22. BIFF screens approximately 120 feature-length films per edition, with roughly half being documentaries, making it one of the largest documentary festivals in the Nordic region. Annual admissions are around 60,000.

BIFF is a programming-driven festival with a documentary focus. The festival accepts open submissions for feature films (documentaries, fiction, and hybrid) free of charge - there is no submission fee. The deadline for 2026 is July 15, with notification by September 1. International short films are not accepted through open submission; only Norwegian short films and music videos are eligible for submission. Feature film submissions go through an Airtable form on the BIFF website.

The festival does not operate a film market. Its industry value is regional: BIFF provides Scandinavian audience exposure for international films and a Western Norway platform for Norwegian productions. The festival's Checkpoints section, focused on human rights documentaries in collaboration with the Rafto Foundation, is one of the most respected human rights film programs in Northern Europe.

Submission Details

BIFF accepts open submissions with no entry fee. Key details for the 2026 festival:

Films must have been produced between July 15, 2025 and July 15, 2026 to be eligible. The festival only accepts streamable video links (Vimeo or similar) as screener format. Exhibition copies must be DCP with English subtitles unless otherwise agreed. For the Norwegian competition programs, the film must have a Norwegian/Norwegian-based director or a Norwegian main producer.

Submission for the 2027 festival opens in spring 2026. All submissions go through the BIFF website.

Key Sections

BIFF programs films across the following sections:

• Cinema Extraordinaire - the main international competition for fiction films
• Documentaire Extraordinaire - the main international competition for documentary films
• Checkpoints - human rights documentary competition in collaboration with the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, consisting of 20 films with 8 in competition
• Gulluglen (The Golden Owl) - science and research documentary competition in collaboration with the University of Bergen, with a 25,000 NOK prize
• Norwegian Documentary Program - competition for best Norwegian documentary and best Norwegian short documentary
• Norwegian Short Film Competition - competition for best Norwegian short fiction film
• Norwegian Music Video Competition - competition for best Norwegian music video
• BIFF Ung - films for young audiences, selected by the program council
• Klimafestivalen - climate-focused film program

Past Winners

2025

• Cinema Extraordinaire (Best International Fiction): If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, dir. Mary Bronstein (USA) - starring Rose Byrne, Conan O'Brien, and A$AP Rocky. Premiered at Sundance 2025, then played in Berlin Competition where Byrne won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. US distribution by A24 with October 2025 theatrical release. The jury described it as "intense, uncomfortable, and painfully fascinating."

• Documentaire Extraordinaire (Best International Documentary): Memory, dir. Vladlena Sandu - a poetic documentary about childhood experiences in war. Honorable mention went to The Tale of Silyan, dir. Tamara Kotevska.
• Checkpoints Award (Best Human Rights Documentary): Writing Hawa
• Gulluglen (Golden Owl, Best Science/Research Documentary): The Shadow Scholars
• Best Norwegian Documentary: Flophouse America

2024 (25th Anniversary Edition)

• Cinema Extraordinaire (Best International Fiction): On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, dir. Rungano Nyoni (Zambia/UK) - premiered at Cannes 2024 Un Certain Regard where Nyoni won Best Director. US distribution by A24 with March 2025 theatrical release. The jury called it "a bold, important and beautiful movie."

• Documentaire Extraordinaire (Best International Documentary): Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat, dir. Johan Grimonprez (Belgium) - premiered at Sundance 2024, then played Cannes, BIFF, and Toronto. US distribution by Kino Lorber with November 2024 theatrical release. UK distribution by Modern Films. The film examines the intersection of jazz and decolonization in 1960s Congo.

• Honorable Mention (Documentaire Extraordinaire): Motherboard, dir. Victoria Mapplebeck

Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up

• If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (Mary Bronstein, 2025 Cinema Extraordinaire winner): Premiered at Sundance 2025, then Berlin Competition 2025 (Silver Bear for Best Actress - Rose Byrne). US distribution by A24, theatrical release October 2025. Also played Karlovy Vary and Melbourne festivals.
• On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (Rungano Nyoni, 2024 Cinema Extraordinaire winner): Premiered at Cannes 2024 Un Certain Regard (Best Director award). US distribution by A24, theatrical release March 2025. Also played Toronto and New York Film Festival. Nyoni's previous film I Am Not a Witch won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut.
• Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (Johan Grimonprez, 2024 Documentaire Extraordinaire winner): Premiered at Sundance 2024, then Cannes, BIFF, and Toronto. US distribution by Kino Lorber (November 2024), UK distribution by Modern Films (November 2024), German distribution by Grandfilm (February 2025). The film was a critical success on the documentary festival circuit.
• The Act of Killing (Joshua Oppenheimer, 2013 Checkpoints winner): Went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Distributed by Drafthouse Films in the US. Widely regarded as one of the most important documentaries of the decade.
• For Sama (Waad Al-Khateab and Edward Watts, 2019 Checkpoints winner): Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Won the BAFTA for Best Documentary. US distribution by PBS Distribution.
• Writing With Fire (Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Gosh, 2021 Checkpoints winner): Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The first Indian film nominated in this category. Distributed by Music Box Films in the US.
• Welcome to Chechnya (David France, 2020 Checkpoints winner): Premiered at Sundance 2020 before BIFF. Shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Distributed by HBO Documentary Films.

Submission Tips Specific to This Festival

BIFF's free submission policy is unusual for a festival of its size. There is no financial barrier to submitting a feature-length documentary or fiction film. The lack of a submission fee does not indicate low selectivity: the festival programs approximately 120 films from a larger pool, and the main competitions (Cinema Extraordinaire and Documentaire Extraordinaire) select films that stand out formally and content-wise from the international festival circuit.

The festival requires a Norway premiere for competition films, and competition films must not have ordinary Norwegian cinema distribution. This means BIFF is often the first and only place Norwegian audiences can see these films. If your film has Norwegian distribution already arranged, it may not be eligible for the main competitions.

For human rights documentaries, the Checkpoints section is the most valuable program. Submit to Checkpoints if your film addresses political freedom, social justice, human rights violations, or activist movements. The Checkpoints Award is given to the organization or cause depicted in the winning film rather than to the filmmaker, which means the prize has direct real-world impact.

International short filmmakers cannot submit to BIFF through open submissions. Only Norwegian short films and music videos are accepted. International features (60+ minutes) in documentary, fiction, or hybrid form are eligible. Submit through the Airtable form on the BIFF website, not through FilmFreeway.

Industry Reputation Notes

BIFF is Norway's second largest film festival (after Tromso International Film Festival in terms of admissions for a single-location festival) and one of the most important documentary festivals in the Nordic region. Roughly half of its 120-film program is documentary, giving it a stronger documentary focus than most general festivals.

The festival does not operate a film market. Its industry value is regional rather than global: BIFF provides Scandinavian audience exposure for international films and a Western Norway platform for Norwegian productions. Compared to peer Scandinavian festivals like Tromso (January) and Gothenburg (January/February), BIFF has the strongest documentary program and the most respected human rights film section (Checkpoints). However, Gothenburg has a larger industry component with its Nordic Film Market, and Tromso has stronger audience attendance numbers.

For international filmmakers, BIFF is best understood as an audience festival rather than an industry festival. The Checkpoints section has international credibility due to its collaboration with the Rafto Foundation and its track record of films that go on to Oscar nominations (The Act of Killing, For Sama, Writing With Fire, Welcome to Chechnya). But the festival itself is not a major acquisitions destination.

Awards / Accreditation

BIFF presents jury prizes across its competition sections:

• Best International Film (Cinema Extraordinaire) - jury prize for fiction
• Best International Documentary (Documentaire Extraordinaire) - jury prize for documentary
• Checkpoints Award - selected by a jury from the human rights competition program, awarded since 2010. The prize is awarded to the organization or cause depicted in the winning film
• Gulluglen (Golden Owl) - 25,000 NOK, awarded by a jury of University of Bergen academics to the best science/research documentary
• Best Norwegian Documentary
• Best Norwegian Short Documentary
• Best Norwegian Short Fiction Film
• Best Norwegian Music Video
• Audience Award

Notable past Checkpoints winners include "The Act of Killing" (2013, dir. Joshua Oppenheimer), "For Sama" (2019, dir. Waad Al-Khateab and Edward Watts), "Welcome to Chechnya" (2020, dir. David France), and "Writing With Fire" (2021, dir. Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Gosh).

BIFF is not FIAPF-accredited and is not an Academy Award-qualifying festival. Its industry standing comes from the quality of its documentary programming and the international reputation of the Checkpoints human rights section.

Checkpoints Human Rights Program

The Checkpoints section is BIFF's most internationally recognized program. Founded in 2007 in collaboration with the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, Checkpoints screens 20 films focused on human rights issues, with 8 selected for competition. The Checkpoints Award has been presented since 2010 and is one of the main prizes at BIFF.

The Rafto Foundation, based in Bergen, awards the Rafto Prize for Human Rights annually. The Checkpoints program at BIFF extends this mission into documentary cinema, programming films that address political freedom, social justice, human rights violations, and activist movements. The prize is awarded to the organization or cause depicted in the winning film rather than to the filmmaker directly.

Gulluglen (Golden Owl)

The Gulluglen competition, presented in collaboration with the University of Bergen, awards 25,000 NOK to the best documentary that demonstrates outstanding research communication. Five films compete each year, with the winner selected by a jury of University of Bergen academics. The program has been running since 2014. The 2025 winner was "Blame," a documentary about COVID-19 conspiracy theories and research. Past editions have featured filmmaker Ian Cheney multiple times, including "The Most Unknown" (2018), "Picture a Scientist" (2020), and "The Arc of Oblivion" (2023).

Festival History

BIFF was founded in 2000 and has grown into one of Norway's most significant cultural events. The festival takes place at Bergen kino and partner venues across Bergen, Norway's second-largest city. Bergen is known for its fjords, surrounding mountains, and creative community of artists and musicians.

The festival runs annually in October, positioned alongside Tromso International Film Festival (January) and the Gothenburg Film Festival (January/February) on the Scandinavian festival calendar. BIFF is the largest of these in terms of documentary programming. The 2025 edition ran October 15 to 23, and the 2026 edition runs October 14 to 22.

What Filmmakers Should Know

BIFF's free submission policy is unusual for a festival of its size. If you have a feature-length documentary or fiction film completed within the eligibility window, there is no financial barrier to submitting. The lack of a submission fee does not indicate low selectivity - the festival programs approximately 120 films from a larger pool of submissions.

For Norwegian filmmakers, BIFF is the most important festival in Western Norway. The Norwegian competition programs (documentary, short fiction, music video) provide domestic exposure and jury recognition. For international filmmakers, BIFF offers Scandinavian audience exposure but limited industry market activity. The Checkpoints section is the most valuable program for human rights documentaries seeking Nordic audience engagement.

International short filmmakers cannot submit to BIFF through open submissions. Only Norwegian short films and music videos are accepted. International features (60+ minutes) in documentary, fiction, or hybrid form are eligible.

Watch

See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For international film market strategies, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. Submit through the BIFF submission page.