1. The Festival
The Beijing International Short Film Festival (BISFF) is a beloved short film festival in China. During ten festival days, hundreds of filmmakers and artists present their work to a large audience. The festival is a hub where our visionary team organises and stimulates film-related activities to accompany a quality program—robust, eclectic, adventurous—and where emerging talent meets prestigious guests. This is what makes BISFF unique: every year it attracts distinct personalities from the field, who rediscover the magic of cinema at the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic cities.
BISFF 2020 will be held in Beijing at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art and other venues from December 4 to 14, 2020.
For more information about BISFF, please visit www.bisff.co.
* At BISFF, we represent the strength and impact of short films, filmmakers and film-related art, contributing to a culture built on foundations of mutual respect and dignity. BISFF aspires to create an environment where everyone has the freedom to express him or herself, without fear of harassment, intimidation, discrimination, sexism, or other disrespectful behaviors.
2. Vision
BISFF embraces short films, a vibrant film category that deserves more attention both from the industry and the audience in China.
We believe in the power of short films to encourage meaningful conversations and infuse positive social change. We welcome and motivate both emerging talents and established filmmakers from all backgrounds in their artistic endeavors. We collectively strive to expand the creative space for film citizenship and celebrate the diverse forms of cinema. We accept challenges head-on. We are BISFF!
3. Mission
We aim to provide a showcase for various genres of short films around the world every year and promote independent filmmaking of artistic merits, acknowledging and appreciating new perspectives and expressions, creating a space for inspiration to spark, a platform that stimulates cross-border conversations with contemporary art and technology worlds. Our programming tackles issues of contemporary social and aesthetic relevance, representing the strength and impact of independent cinema.
The Festival is composed of variant screening sections, consisting of respective requests for submission films.
Competitive Sections (open to online submissions):
Eligible for the competitive sections of BISFF 2020 are fiction (with evident narrative-driven structures and intention of portraying figures or events), non-fiction (depicting non-indirectly reality and beyond), and experimental (hybrid and limitless, representing the most up-to-date and daring in cinematic creativity), in live-action, animation and/or any other forms which explore innovative film languages. The Competitions embrace all genres, styles and subject matters that stretch the boundaries and lay down new tracks in the vast field of cinematic possibilities.
The maximum length of submission is 45 minutes (including credits).
International Competition:
Reflecting the Festival’s aim to cross and blur boundaries and encourage conversions, the International Competition presents a stimulating panorama of contemporary short film landscape.
Selected films compete for three equal International Short Film Awards.
Chinese Language Competition:
Dedicated to Chinese-language filmmakers from Chinese speaking regions, this section opens up various perspectives on the Sinophone cinema, showcasing various genres, styles and subject matters.
Selected films compete for two equal Chinese Language Short Film Awards.
Non-Competitive Sections (not open to submissions):
Echo is dedicated to the development process of moving-image. It offers works from historical filmmakers to whom the Festival pays special tributes, presents newly restored works in film history, also explores untraditional representation and multiplex context.
Astro is a selection of highlight works of one major filmmaker or group. This section is designed to honor auteurs who achieve heuristic influence on the modern moving-image, to enable the audience to (re)discover an important auteur and inspire academic discussion.
Neutron is a special program reserved for medium-length films from 46 minutes to 75 minutes. All genres are eligible. This section is dedicated to recent outstanding films, not yet released in China, all of which have received critical acclaim and/or awards at other international festivals.
Other ad hoc sections and special screenings.
* Out of curatorial or practical concerns, the submitted projects may be assigned to a different competition/screening section. The Selection Committee will seek the opinions and approval of the filmmakers and/or producers and distributors before making such adjustments.
5. Awards and Jury
The Jury will be invited by the Director of the Festival. Persons directly associated with the production or exploitation of a film in competition may not serve as jurors. A Jury composed of five personalities from the world of cinema, art and culture will award the following prizes:
International Short Film Award
All films selected in the International Competition are eligible to compete for three equal International Short Film Awards. The Jury may also award a maximum of two special mentions.
Chinese Language Short Film Award
All films selected in the Chinese Language Competition are eligible to compete for two equal Chinese Language Short Film Award. The Jury may also award a maximum of two special mentions.
Outstanding Artistic Contribution Award
BISFF Festival Directorship will award two Outstanding Artistic Contribution Award, for International Competition and Chinese Language Competition respectively, celebrating films that excel at acting, cinematography, set design, editing, music and other artistic aspects.
Partnership Awards
Separate sets of rules and regulations will be determined for different partnership awards. Independent juries might be involved in some cases. For further information, please follow the official announcements on BISFF website and social media accounts.
The decisions of the Jury and the Festival Directorship are final.