Overview
The Kaohsiung Film Festival (KFF) is an annual film festival in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, and the largest film event in southern Taiwan. Founded in 2001, it ranks behind only the Golden Horse Film Festival and Taipei Film Festival in size and visibility within Taiwan. The 26th edition runs October 9 to 26, 2026. The 2025 edition set a record with NT$3.5 million in box office revenue and received 2,380 short film submissions from 100 countries.
KFF is the only festival in Taiwan that runs an international short film competition and a separate XR (extended reality) competition. The short film competition receives over 2,000 submissions annually and has built alliances with major short film festivals internationally, including a collaboration with Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia in Tokyo since 2011. The XR competition, now in its 8th year, is the largest XR immersive film festival in Asia.
For filmmakers submitting short films or XR works to Asian festivals, KFF offers free short film submission (only a Shortfilmdepot platform stamp is required) and a structured XR competition with tiered fees. The festival does not require premiere status for short films, though it prefers world, international, or Asian premieres for XR projects. KFF is for short filmmakers working in Asia and XR creators seeking a competitive Asian platform.
History
The first Kaohsiung Film Festival was held in 2001, organized by the Kaohsiung City Government's Information Bureau. The inaugural edition screened 37 films from Korea, Japan, India, and Thailand at the San Do Cinema, with tickets priced at NT$99 per screening. The Kaohsiung Film Archive was established in November 2002 along the Love River and took over festival organization in 2003.
In 2007, the festival introduced a themed annual program to differentiate its programming identity. In 2011, the festival launched its International Short Film Competition, inviting submissions of films under 25 minutes from worldwide, and began forming alliances with international short film festivals. The XR competition was added later, making KFF the only festival in Taiwan with a competitive immersive works section.
The festival is hosted by the Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government, and the Kaohsiung Film Archive. Over 25 editions, KFF has grown from a small city festival screening Asian films into Taiwan's primary platform for short film and XR competition, with over 2,000 annual short film submissions and a growing international profile.
Submission Details
Short Film Competition (International and Taiwan Sections)
- Submission platform: Shortfilmdepot only
- Submission fee: Free (the platform may charge its own fee for the stamp)
- Deadline: June 10, 2026
- Eligibility: Films completed after June 1, 2025; under 25 minutes including credits; any genre (fiction, documentary, experimental, animation)
- Premiere status: Not required
- Notification date: August 31, 2026
- Restrictions: Films submitted to previous editions are not accepted, even in a new version or title. Films cannot be submitted to more than one section. Taiwanese productions can only be submitted to the Taiwan Section. International co-productions with Taiwan can apply to either section.
XR Competition
- Submission platform: FilmFreeway (plus a required Google Form)
- Early deadline: April 1 to April 30, 2026 (GMT+8) - $30 USD
- Final deadline: May 1 to June 10, 2026 (GMT+8) - $80 USD
- Eligibility: Works completed between January 1, 2025 and June 10, 2026; must include a headset-based viewing experience
- Premiere status: Not required, but world, international, or Asian premieres receive priority
- Notification date: August 31, 2026
Feature Films (Non-Competition)
- Submission platform: FilmFreeway
- Eligibility: Narrative features 70 minutes or longer, completed after January 1, 2025, not previously premiered in Taiwan
- Submission period: Opens April 1, 2026
Submit via FilmFreeway for XR projects and features. Submit via Shortfilmdepot for short film competition entries. Full regulations are available on the KFF regulations page.
Key Sections
- International Short Film Competition - open to Asian directors or films produced mainly in Asian countries; films under 25 minutes; no premiere requirement; submitted via Shortfilmdepot
- Taiwan Short Film Competition - open to Taiwanese directors or films produced in Taiwan; includes a Taiwan Student Award and a Children's Jury Award
- XR Competition - VR, AR, MR, VR360, and multimedia works; submitted via FilmFreeway; the largest XR immersive film festival in Asia
- Feature Film Program (Non-Competition) - narrative features 70 minutes or longer, completed after January 1, 2025, not previously premiered in Taiwan
- Special Programs - retrospectives, tributes, and themed selections
- Kaohsiung Shorts - local Kaohsiung filmmaker section
- Youth Creation Art Exhibition - creative reinterpretations of selected short films by young artists
Past Winners
2025 International Short Film Competition
- Golden Fireball Award: God is Shy, dir. Jocelyn Charles (France). The jury praised the film for using animation to explore unpredictable narratives and existential questions
- International Section Jury Award: When the Cold Weather Arrives, dir. Maria Salgado Gispert (Spain)
- International Section Special Mention: We Were the Scenery, dir. Christopher Radcliff (USA)
2025 Taiwan Short Film Competition
- Golden Fireball Award: Little Mirage, dir. Liu Ren-feng. The jury praised the film's diverse techniques and materials, noting its profound and natural significance as a microcosm of contemporary Taiwanese family life
- Taiwan Section Jury Award: After the Cat, dir. Chu Hoi-ying
- Taiwan Section Special Mention: Vor, dir. Huang Ping-an
2025 XR Competition
- XR Golden Fireball Award: The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up
2024 International Short Film Competition
- Golden Fireball Award: Clear Sky (Ukraine/Poland). Depicts the chaotic life of a Ukrainian boy amid war
- XR Golden Fireball Award: All I Know About Teacher Li (interactive VR experience)
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- God is Shy, dir. Jocelyn Charles. Won the 2025 International Golden Fireball Award. An animated short from France praised for its imagination and tension within the short film format
- Little Mirage, dir. Liu Ren-feng. Won the 2025 Taiwan Golden Fireball Award. Recognized as a microcosm of contemporary Taiwanese family life with emotions that transcend borders
- Clear Sky (Ukraine/Poland). Won the 2024 International Golden Fireball Award. Depicts the chaotic life of a Ukrainian boy amid war, capturing the bittersweet realities of conflict
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
The free submission for shorts makes KFF a low-cost addition to any Asian festival strategy. You only pay the Shortfilmdepot platform fee. The 25-minute maximum runtime is stricter than many festivals. Verify your runtime including all credits before submitting.
The XR competition requires both a FilmFreeway submission and a Google Form submission. Failing to complete the Google Form invalidates the entry. This is a common mistake that disqualifies otherwise eligible submissions. The $30 early bird fee is reasonable compared to major European XR competitions.
The International Short Film Competition is open to Asian directors or films produced mainly in Asian countries. If your film does not have an Asian connection, it is not eligible for the International Section. Taiwanese productions can only be submitted to the Taiwan Section. International co-productions with Taiwan can apply to either section.
Films submitted to previous editions are not accepted, even in a new version or under a new title. Do not resubmit a film that was rejected in a prior year. The festival enforces this rule strictly.
Industry Reputation Notes
KFF is Taiwan's primary platform for short film and XR competition. No other festival in Taiwan runs an international short film competition or a competitive XR section. The XR DREAMLAND program is the largest XR immersive film festival in Asia, now in its 8th year.
Compared to the Golden Horse Film Festival, KFF is smaller in overall scale and industry weight. Golden Horse is the most significant Chinese-language film festival globally, with FIAPF-competitive status for its main competition. KFF's advantage is its dedicated short film and XR focus, which Golden Horse does not offer at the same competitive level.
Compared to Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia in Tokyo, KFF has a similar short film focus but a stronger XR component. KFF's collaboration with Short Shorts since 2011 creates a circuit between the two festivals. Compared to Busan's Wide Angle short film section, KFF offers a standalone short film competition with its own awards rather than a sidebar within a larger festival.
Awards / Accreditation
KFF is not FIAPF-accredited. The festival is not an Academy Award-qualifying festival in any category.
International Short Film Competition Awards
- Golden Fireball Award - top prize
- International Section Jury Award
- Asian New Wave Award - for films directed by Asian nationality holders or produced mainly in Asian countries
- International Section Special Mention
Taiwan Short Film Competition Awards
- Golden Fireball Award (Taiwan Section)
- Taiwan Section Jury Award
- Taiwan Student Award
- Children's Jury Award
- Taiwan Section Special Mention
XR Competition Awards
- XR Golden Fireball Award - top prize
- XR Immersive Experience Award
- VR360 Narrative Award
- Special Jury Mention
What Filmmakers Should Know
KFF is a practical submission target for short filmmakers working in Asia or producing films in Asian countries. The free submission for shorts makes it a low-cost addition to a festival strategy. The 25-minute maximum runtime is standard for short film festivals, and the lack of a premiere requirement means you can submit even if your film has screened elsewhere.
For XR and VR creators, KFF is one of the few festivals in Asia with a dedicated competitive XR section. The $30 early bird fee is reasonable compared to major European XR competitions. The festival requires both a FilmFreeway submission and a Google Form submission, and failing to complete the Google Form invalidates the entry.
The feature film program is non-competitive and curated. If you have a feature that has not premiered in Taiwan, KFF offers a platform to reach southern Taiwanese audiences. It does not offer the market access or industry networking of larger Asian festivals like Busan or Hong Kong.
Watch
See Also
For festival submission strategy and budgeting, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For understanding Taiwanese and Asian cinema markets, see International Film Markets. For general festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For the Golden Horse Film Festival, see Golden Horse Film Festival.
