Overview
Dance On Screen FilmFestival is Austria's first screendance festival. The 10th edition takes place October 30 to November 1, 2026, at the Kunsthaus Graz (Museum of Contemporary Arts), curated by Valentina Moar. The festival programs short dance films and dance animations from international filmmakers, with a maximum duration of 25 minutes per film. Graz is a UNESCO City of Design and was Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003.
The festival accepts fiction and experimental films related to dance, choreography, movement, or performance. Dance documentaries and simple dance or stage recordings are explicitly not accepted. The festival focuses on work where the common language is dance and movement combined with cinematic expression - camera movement, framing, editing, and post-production must form an integral relationship with the choreography, not merely record it.
Dance On Screen operates an On Tour program that extends selected films to partner festivals across Europe. Tour destinations have included the Internationales Solo-Tanz-Theater Festival Stuttgart (Germany, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025), ULTRA Screendance Festival Udine (Italy, 2023), tanzhafen Festival Linz (Austria, 2022), Tanz Karlsruhe Festival (Germany, 2021), Athens Video Dance Project (Greece, 2019), Szerpentin Tanzfilm-Festival Budapest (Hungary, 2018), and Screendance Landscapes at IUAV University Venice (Italy, 2018).
Since 2018, Dance On Screen has built cooperation partnerships with festivals across Europe to create an international screendance festival network. Since 2023, an ongoing partnership with the Internationales Solo-Tanz-Theater Festival Stuttgart presents a curated selection of short films from Dance On Screen as part of that festival's program.
Submission Details
Dance On Screen accepts submissions through FilmFreeway. Key details:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Festival Dates (2026) | October 30 to November 1, 2026 |
| Festival Location | Kunsthaus Graz, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Graz, Austria |
| Submission Deadline (2025 edition) | August 8, 2025 (23:59 MEZ) |
| Submission Platform | FilmFreeway |
| Maximum Duration | 25 minutes |
| Submissions Per Filmmaker | 1 film only |
Submission fees are published on the Dance On Screen FilmFreeway page. The festival does not pay screening fees to selected filmmakers. Selected films become part of the festival library and are not returned.
Eligibility Requirements
- Open to national and international filmmakers, dance companies, and collectives.
- Only one dance film submission per participant.
- Films must be short dance films or dance animations where the common language is dance, movement, and broadly defined physical expression.
- Maximum duration: 25 minutes. Longer films may be considered for a special screening but not for the competition.
- Dance documentaries, simple dance recordings, and stage recordings are not accepted and will not be selected.
- Films must be original works with all rights held by the authors. The submitter confirms they hold distribution rights for the submitted work.
- Music used in the film must be cleared for copyright. The festival is not accountable for additional presentation costs related to music rights.
- Films that were "not selected" in previous editions of the festival are excluded from submission.
- If spoken language is present, English or German subtitles are recommended.
- By participating, applicants cede the right to reproduce extracts and images for promotional purposes (festival trailers, press releases).
Competition and Awards
Films selected for the festival participate in the Dance On Screen Award competition. Award winners are selected by an international jury. The festival also offers a Screendance Workshop program - the 2025 edition featured a workshop with Douglas Rosenberg (USA).
Selected films may also be chosen for the On Tour program, where the curator selects films for screening at partner festivals across Europe. Filmmakers of On Tour selections are notified separately and agree to the touring screening terms.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Dance On Screen is one of a small number of festivals worldwide dedicated exclusively to screendance - the intersection of dance and cinema. If your film treats dance as cinematic material rather than performance documentation, this festival is a targeted submission opportunity.
The 25-minute maximum and single-submission rule mean you should submit your strongest work. The festival's explicit exclusion of dance documentaries and stage recordings narrows the eligible field significantly. Your film must demonstrate a relationship between choreography and cinematic form - camera movement, framing, editing, and post-production integrated with dance, not merely capturing it.
The On Tour program provides additional screening opportunities beyond the Graz festival. If your film is selected for On Tour, it will be presented at partner festivals in Germany, Italy, Austria, and potentially other European countries. This extends the visibility of your work without requiring separate submissions to each festival.
The festival does not pay screening fees. If your distribution strategy requires per-screening fees, factor this into your submission decision. The festival also requires that selected films be delivered in HD format with 2 photos/film stills in JPG at 300dpi within two weeks of notification.
The Kunsthaus Graz, known as the "Friendly Alien," is a contemporary art museum with distinctive architecture. The festival's venue gives it a gallery-context audience that may differ from traditional cinema festival audiences.
Festival History
Dance On Screen FilmFestival was founded in 2016 in Graz, Austria, as the first screendance festival in the country. Graz is a UNESCO City of Design and was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003. The festival has run annually since its founding, reaching its 10th edition in 2026.
The festival was originally curated and organized as a standalone event. Since 2018, it has built an international cooperation network with partner festivals across Europe, creating a circulation system for screendance films. The On Tour program has expanded the festival's reach to venues in Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Greece.
Valentina Moar serves as the festival's curator. The 10th edition in 2026 continues the festival's focus on the relationship between dance and cinematic expression, maintaining its position as Austria's primary platform for screendance.
Related Festivals
Two other significant screendance platforms operate in Europe:
- Cinedans (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - the largest screendance festival in Europe, partnered with Dance On Screen. Cinedans 2026 runs March 25 to 29, with a short film competition (submission fee EUR 20, max 25 minutes) and a short docs competition (no fee). Cinedans also accepts out-of-competition features, documentaries, installations, and VR projects.
- DANCE ON SCREEN (Zurich, Switzerland) - Switzerland's leading screendance platform, founded in 2019 by BOLLWERKFILM. Screens at Arthouse Kinos Zurich and tours to multiple Swiss cities. Accepts very shorts (under 10 minutes) and shorts (10 to 20 minutes) in international and Swiss categories.
Past Winners
2025 (10th Anniversary Edition) - Jury Awards:
- Best Film: West (dir. Thomas Bos, Netherlands)
- Best Cinematography: Winterreise (dir. Xiaoming and Dameng, China)
- Best Choreography for Film: Naval Ode (dir. Fu Le, France/Portugal)
- Best Student Film: UMMA (dir. Young-Ju Yoo, Netherlands)
- Audience Award: YES! (dir. Madli Lääne, Estonia)
2024 (9th edition) - Jury Awards:
- Best Film: UWD (dirs. Myriam Verreault and Brigitte Poupart, Canada)
- Best Choreography for Film and Audience Award: Somber Tides (dir. Chantal Caron, Canada)
- Best Student Film: Where Do Ants Sleep at Night (dir. Dean Wei)
2023 (8th edition) - Jury Awards:
- Best Film: In the Same Boat (dir. Mervi Junkkonen)
- Best Choreography for Film: Endurance (dir. Imre van Opstal, Netherlands/Israel)
- Best Student Film: Pendulum (dir. Anna Boekelder)
- Audience Award: Incognitum (dir. Sara Angius)
2022 (7th edition) - Jury Awards:
- Best Film: In Velvet (dirs. Jessica Kennedy and Megan Kennedy, Ireland)
- Best Choreography for Film: SHE (dir. Emil Dam Seidel, Sweden)
- Audience Award: Why I Dance (dir. Andreas Strand Renberg, Norway)
2018 (3rd edition) - Jury Awards:
- Best Film: Intangout (dir. Vito Alfarano, Italy)
- Special Mention: Amauros (dir. Nicole Seiler, Switzerland)
- Audience Award (shared): Mourning (dir. Reka Szabo, Hungary) and Gogi (dir. Viviane Frehner, Australia)
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- In Velvet (2021) - Won Best Film at Dance On Screen 2022. Directed by Junk Ensemble (Jessica and Megan Kennedy). Also screened at Cinedance Amsterdam, Cork International Film Festival, and RIFF Festival Norway. The Kennedy twins are among Ireland's leading dance filmmakers.
- SHE (2022) - Won Best Choreography for Film at Dance On Screen 2022. Directed by Emil Dam Seidel, choreographed by Dorotea Saykaly. Screened at 25 festivals globally. Saykaly later premiered an immersive work at the Venice Biennale.
- Somber Tides (2024) - Won Best Choreography for Film and Audience Award at Dance On Screen 2024. Directed by Chantal Caron, a Member of the Order of Canada. Won 18 international awards and inspired a public art installation in Montreal.
- Endurance (2023) - Won Best Choreography for Film at Dance On Screen 2023. Directed by Imre van Opstal, featuring dancers from Batsheva Dance Company. The jury praised the camera as "a dance partner" in the film.
- Naval Ode (2024) - Won Best Choreography for Film at Dance On Screen 2025. Directed by Fu Le, inspired by Fernando Pessoa's poem "Ode Maritima." Screened at Leeds Screendance, Light Moves, and LA Dance Film Festival.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
Dance On Screen explicitly rejects dance documentaries and stage recordings. Your film must treat dance as cinematic material, not performance documentation. Camera movement, framing, editing, and post-production must form an integral relationship with the choreography.
The 25-minute maximum is strictly enforced. Films longer than 25 minutes may be considered for a special screening but cannot compete for awards. Submit your strongest work, as only one film per filmmaker is allowed.
The festival's no-resubmission rule is permanent. If your film is rejected, it cannot be submitted again in future editions. Wait until your film is fully polished before submitting. Rushing to meet the deadline with an unfinished cut is a mistake you cannot undo.
Music rights must be cleared. The festival is not accountable for additional costs related to music rights. If your film uses copyrighted music without clearance, it will be disqualified. Budget for music licensing before submitting.
The On Tour program extends selected films to partner festivals across Europe. If your film is chosen for On Tour, it screens at festivals in Germany, Italy, Austria, and other countries without requiring separate submissions. This extends your film's visibility significantly.
Industry Reputation Notes
Dance On Screen is the only screendance festival in Austria. Its closest European peer is Cinedans in Amsterdam, which is larger and accepts a broader range of work including documentaries and VR. Dance On Screen's narrower focus on pure screendance gives it a more specialized curatorial identity.
Compared to Cinedans, Dance On Screen offers a more intimate setting at the Kunsthaus Graz. The museum venue attracts a gallery-context audience rather than a traditional cinema crowd. This creates a different screening atmosphere that favors experimental and visually driven work.
The festival's partnership network with Stuttgart, Udine, Linz, and other European festivals gives it a touring footprint that extends beyond Austria. This network is unusual for a festival of its size and provides selected films with ongoing European exposure.
The 2025 jury included Douglas Rosenberg, author of the Oxford Handbook of Screendance Studies. This caliber of jury reflects the festival's academic and artistic credibility within the screendance field. The festival is supported by the City of Graz, the State of Styria, and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts and Culture.
Watch
See Also
Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. For experimental filmmaking, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. For documentary filmmaking, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For festival circuit strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. Submit through the Dance On Screen FilmFreeway page.
