Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

Overview

The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival is the world's largest short film festival. The 48th edition ran January 30 to February 7, 2026, screening approximately 500 films across its competitive and non-competitive programs. The 47th edition (2025) set new attendance records with over 173,000 admissions and approximately 4,100 accredited industry professionals. The festival is FIAPF-accredited and qualifies for the Academy Awards (Oscars), BAFTA Awards, British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), European Film Awards, and the Cesar Awards.

The festival operates the Short Film Market alongside the competitive screenings. The market is the largest in the world dedicated to short film distribution, bringing together nearly 90 nationalities and approximately 800 distribution professionals (TV buyers, distributors, festival programmers, platforms, and media libraries). For short filmmakers, Clermont-Ferrand is the single most important festival on the calendar: it is where careers are launched, distribution deals are made, and the short film landscape is defined each year.

The 2026 International Grand Prix went to Blue Heart by Samuel Suffren (Haiti/France). The National (French) Grand Prix went to Intersecting Memory by Shayma' Awawdeh. The Lab Competition Grand Prix went to God is Shy by Jocelyn Charles. Each Grand Prix winner receives EUR 5,000 and the Vercingetorix trophy, plus a residency at the Agora Short Film Lab during the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

Key Sections

• International Competition - short films from around the world (maximum 40 minutes on DCP) competing for the International Grand Prix (EUR 5,000, Academy Award-qualifying, BAFTA-qualifying)
• National Competition - French short films competing for the National Grand Prix (EUR 5,000, Academy Award-qualifying, BAFTA-qualifying)
• Lab Competition - experimental and formally innovative short work (maximum 60 minutes) competing for the Lab Grand Prix (EUR 5,000)
• Panorama - non-competitive international shorts
• Short Film Market - the world's largest marketplace for short film content, held at the Jean-and-Honore-Fleury gymnasium
• Industry Program - pitching sessions, workshops, co-production meetings, and professional development

Submission Details

Submissions are made via Shortfilmdepot.com, not FilmFreeway. The submission fee is EUR 13 plus delivery costs (1 Shortfilmdepot stamp). Waivers are not available, but a 50% discount is offered to film schools, distribution companies, or film promotion institutions submitting more than one film by different directors.

Eligibility requirements:

• Films completed after October 1, 2024 (for the 2026 edition)
• International and National competitions: films on DCP not exceeding 40 minutes
• Lab Competition: films on DCP not exceeding 60 minutes
• Films must be submitted via the online form at Shortfilmdepot.com

Submission deadlines (2026 edition):

• July 10, 2025: for films completed between October 1 and December 31, 2024
• September 25, 2025: for films produced in 2025

Accreditation: Right-holders who submit a film can request up to 2 accreditations worth EUR 55 each. Accreditation requests open at the end of November via the festival's digital hub, Shortfilmwire.com. Free accreditation is provided for the director and producer of films selected for competition.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Academy Award and BAFTA qualification: Winning the Grand Prix in either the International or National Competition qualifies a short film for Oscar and BAFTA consideration, subject to eligibility rules. Clermont-Ferrand is one of the most reliable Oscar-qualifying festivals for short films, with multiple past winners going on to receive Academy Award nominations or wins. Curfew, which won the 2012 International Audience Award, went on to win the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 85th Academy Awards. Logorama, which won at Clermont-Ferrand, won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 82nd Academy Awards.

The Short Film Market: The market is the commercial engine of the festival. All films submitted to the national or international competitions, whether selected or not, are automatically listed in the Short Film Market digital catalogue. This means that even if your film is not selected for competition, it is still visible to the 4,100-plus industry professionals who access the market's video library. The video library is open to accredited professionals from January 31 to February 5, 2026 on-site, with extended online access through Shortfilmwire+ until November 15, 2026.

Shortfilmwire+ subscription: The digital hub Shortfilmwire.com provides year-round access to the festival's catalogue. A Shortfilmwire+ subscription costs EUR 72 (including VAT) and is reserved for film and audiovisual industry professionals. It includes access to the messaging system, viewing access to the Short Film Market catalogue films (February 6 to 13, 2026), and one year of access to the platform.

Submission volume and selection odds: The festival receives approximately 9,500 submissions from around 90 countries annually and programs approximately 500 films. This means the overall selection rate is roughly 5%. The International Competition is the most competitive section. However, the automatic inclusion in the Short Film Market catalogue means that submission has value beyond competition selection: your film becomes visible to buyers and programmers even if it does not make the official selection.

Prize money: The Grand Prix in each competition carries a EUR 5,000 cash prize. The Special Jury Prize is EUR 4,000 (International) or EUR 3,500 (National). The Audience Award is EUR 4,000 (International) or EUR 1,500 (National). Additional prizes include the SACD Prize for best first or second fiction work, the SACEM Prize for best original music, the Canal+ Prize, the Queer Metrage Prize, and the Procirep Producer Prize. Total awards exceed EUR 70,000.

Tax considerations for international winners: Directors whose tax residence is outside France must provide CERFA forms to process the withholding tax. In the absence of these forms, a 3.33% withholding will be applied to the prize money.

Festival scale and logistics: The festival takes place across multiple venues in Clermont-Ferrand, a city in central France. The Short Film Market is held at the Jean-and-Honore-Fleury gymnasium, behind the Maison de la Culture. The festival draws 173,000-plus admissions over its 8-day run, making it one of the most attended film festivals in France alongside Cannes. Book accommodation early; the city fills up during the festival.

Career impact: Clermont-Ferrand has launched the careers of numerous filmmakers who went on to direct features. Cedric Klapisch won the Special Jury Prize in 1987 for his graduation film In Transit and again in 1990 for I Am Moving. Jean-Pierre Jeunet won the Audience Award and Press Award in 1990. Jan Kounen won the research prize in 1994 for Vibroboy. Erick Zonca won the Grand Prix in 1995 for Eternal. The festival is widely recognized as the premier career-launching platform for short filmmakers.

Major Awards

International Competition:

• Grand Prix - EUR 5,000, Academy Award and BAFTA qualification (2026: Blue Heart by Samuel Suffren, Haiti/France)
• Special Jury Prize - EUR 4,000
• Audience Award - EUR 4,000

National (French) Competition:

• Grand Prix - EUR 5,000, Academy Award and BAFTA qualification (2026: Intersecting Memory by Shayma' Awawdeh)
• Special Jury Prize - EUR 3,500
• Audience Award - EUR 1,500

Lab Competition:

• Grand Prix - EUR 5,000 (2026: God is Shy by Jocelyn Charles)
• Special Jury Prize - EUR 3,500

Additional prizes:

• SACD Prize for best first or second fiction work
• SACD Prize for best Francophone animation
• SACEM Prize for best original music
• Canal+ Prize
• Queer Metrage Prize
• Fernand Raynaud Humor Prize
• Student Jury Prizes (National and International)
• Special Effects Prize
• Procirep Producer Prize
• Festivals Connexion Prize

Festival History

Clermont-Ferrand was founded in 1979 by a group of short film enthusiasts in Clermont-Ferrand, a city in the Auvergne region of central France. The festival began as a modest regional event called the "Festival du Court Metrage" and grew over four decades into the undisputed capital of the global short film world.

The festival's growth paralleled the increasing recognition of short film as a legitimate and commercially viable format. The Short Film Market was added to provide a commercial infrastructure for short films that did not exist at most other festivals. Today, the market is the primary global marketplace for short film acquisitions and licensing.

The festival is organized by La Jetee (6 place Michel-de-l'Hospital, 63058 Clermont-Ferrand Cedex 1, France) and is accredited by FIAPF (the International Federation of Film Producers Associations). It is a qualifying festival for the Oscars, BAFTA Awards, BIFA, European Film Awards, and Cesar Awards, making it the most broadly qualifying short film festival in the world.

The 47th edition (January 31 to February 8, 2025) awarded the International Grand Prix to Unspoken by Damian Howling (Australia) and set new attendance records with 173,000-plus admissions and 4,100-plus industry professionals. The 48th edition (January 30 to February 7, 2026) awarded the International Grand Prix to Blue Heart by Samuel Suffren (Haiti/France).

Past Winners (Grand Prix / International Competition)

Recent Grand Prix winners and where the films landed after Clermont-Ferrand:

• 2024: *An Orange From Jaffa*, dir. Mohammed Almughanni. A Poland, France, and Palestine co-production about a Palestinian trying to cross an Israeli checkpoint.

Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up

Clermont-Ferrand has launched many short films that went on to Oscar nominations and major careers. Selected premieres and their outcomes:

• Just Before Losing Everything (Avant que de tout perdre, 2013) - Won the Grand Prix (International Competition, 2013). Oscar-nominated for Best Live Action Short Film (2014). Director Xavier Legrand expanded the short into the feature film Custody (2017), which won the Silver Lion for Best Director at Venice and four Cesar Awards.
• Nefta Football Club (2018) - Won the Audience Award (National Competition, 2019). Oscar-nominated for Best Live Action Short Film (2020). Cesar-nominated (2020). Director Yves Piat developed feature film projects.
• Memorable (Memoire, 2019) - Won the Audience Award and VFX Award (2020). Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Short Film (2020). Won the Cristal for Best Short at Annecy (2019). Director Bruno Collet gained international recognition.
• Enemies Within (Ennemis interieurs, 2016) - Won the National Audience Award and Youth Jury Prize (2016). Oscar-nominated for Best Live Action Short Film (2017). Director Selim Azzazi's debut short led to a feature career.
• Garden Party (2017) - Won the Special Jury Mention (2017). Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Short Film (2018). A graduation film by MoPA students. Directors Victor Caire and Gabriel Grapperon launched their careers.
• Forbach (2008) - Award winner at Clermont-Ferrand. Co-writer Marie Amachoukeli went on to co-direct Party Girl (2014), which won the Camera d'Or at Cannes. She later opened Critics' Week at Cannes 2023 with Ama Gloria.

Submission Tips Specific to Clermont-Ferrand

1. No premiere requirement, but unshown films preferred. Clermont-Ferrand does not require world or international premieres, unlike many top-tier festivals. However, particular attention is paid to films that have not yet been shown. You must list all previous festivals and awards when submitting. A strategic approach is to build festival circuit momentum first, then bring the film to Clermont-Ferrand for industry exposure.
2. Runtime limit is 40 minutes maximum. All films must not exceed 40 minutes in length. Any production type is accepted: fiction, documentary, experimental live action, or animation. Industrial or commercial films are not accepted.
3. Competition placement is determined by funding. For international co-productions with France, the main country of production (50 percent or more of funding) determines whether the film enters National or International competition. Organizers reserve the right to switch films between competitions if the funding structure is not respected.
4. Four competition tracks with distinct programming focuses. International Competition features diverse global horizons including animated masterpieces, documentaries, comedies, contemporary realities, genre films, and graduation works. National Competition features the best of French production. Lab Competition features out-of-the-ordinary works with original approaches and risk-taking. XR Competition features immersive films using VR, AR, and MR technologies.
5. AI transparency required. You must disclose any use of generative AI for image or sound creation (characters, sets, animation, voices, music) and AI-assisted tools for writing, production, or post-production. Submissions will not be accepted if they reproduce or simulate real persons without explicit consent.

Industry Reputation Notes

• World's largest short film festival and market. Clermont-Ferrand is the largest cinematic event in the world dedicated exclusively to short films. It is the second-largest film festival in France after Cannes in terms of audience and professional attendance. The 2025 edition recorded 173,522 admissions. The Short Film Market is the leading industry event for short films globally, with 3,500-plus accredited professionals on-site and 700-plus online across 92 nationalities.
• Oscar qualifying and awards gateway. Clermont-Ferrand is a nominating festival for the Academy Awards, the Cesar Awards, BAFTA, and the European Short Film Audience Award. Grand Prix winners qualify for Academy Award entry. Multiple alumni have gone on to Oscar nominations including Nefta Football Club, Memorable, Enemies Within, Garden Party, and Just Before Losing Everything.
• Unparalleled market reach. The Short Film Market video library hosts 8,000-plus titles, representing 80 to 90 percent of annual short film productions. It is the main marketplace for sales, acquisitions, and licensing of short films on French, European, and international markets. Accredited participants include international distributors, broadcasters, Netflix executives, and festival programmers from Cannes, Toronto, SXSW, and Locarno.
• Comparison to Palm Springs ShortFest and Tampere. Clermont-Ferrand is the global heavyweight. Palm Springs ShortFest is North America's most important short-film-only festival. Both are Oscar-qualifying, but Clermont-Ferrand has a larger market component and more extensive global industry presence. Clermont-Ferrand has significantly larger scale than Tampere (9,400-plus submissions versus roughly 3,000) and a dedicated market component. Entry requirements are less strict than many top festivals (allows prior screenings, no premiere requirement), making it more accessible while maintaining high curation standards.

See Also

Use the Festival ROI Calculator to model the total cost of submitting to and attending Clermont-Ferrand, including the EUR 13 submission fee, travel to central France, accommodation (book early), and accreditation costs (EUR 55 per accreditation, up to 2 per film). Use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator to assess your likelihood of selection based on film type, runtime, and premiere status. For short film production planning, use the Production Budget Calculator. For broader festival strategy, read Film Festival Strategy.