SHORT FILM BREAKS is the only film festival taking place within private companies, public and non-profit organizations, in a bid to offer smart break opportunities while promoting the independent movie industry around the world.
Find out moreAt Short Film Breaks, our mission is to bridge the gap between hard-to-distribute films - especially independent shorts - and hard-to-reach audiences, including employees and beneficiaries of our partner companies and NGOs, as well as people living in remote villages around the world. As a festival founded by filmmakers and human resources professionals, we believe in the transformative power of cinema to inspire and connect people across cultures and borders.
Over the past 12 years, we've screened over 900 films to audiences in seven countries, reaching a total of 96,000 people, and offered cash prizes of more than $30.000. Our goal is to continue expanding our reach and impact, bringing more diverse and innovative voices to audiences who might not otherwise have access to them. Thank you for joining us on this journey!
We started back in 2013 and weâve kept ourselves busy, trying to improve with each hosted edition. During the years weâve managed to:
â° screen films in 19 communities from 7 countries (Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Romania, Senegal and Guatemala)
â° multiply the total value of cash prizes weâre awarding winning filmmakers, awarding more than $30.000 in all our editions
â° organize screenings in Bucharest and BraÈov, over a three months periods, for more than a thousand corporate employees of Ipsos
â° create special events and Q&A sessions with guests from the Romanian filmmaking industry, such as Tudor Giurgiu, Florin Piersic JR, Adrian Sitaru, Vivi Dragan Vasile, Ioana Flora, Dana Bunescu, and Gabi Suciu or Tom Wilson
â° partner with the biggest local short-movie festival, NexT IFF, in order to expand the audiences we were targeting and bring to them a larger number of films
â° add multiple competitive sections to the festival
â° organize public white night screenings in Bucharest, partnering with Jâai Bistrot
â° partner with Alter-Native, the most important Hungarian language film festival in Romania, for adding a new layer to the type of offered content
â° start a collaboration with Onion Films (KatmandĂș), which lead to setting up our first edition of KatmandĂș Short Film Breaks
â° expand the list of companies that wanted to offer smart film breaks to their employees with Zitec (Bucharest and BraÈov), Estuar Foundation (Bucharest), UBIS Club (Bucharest and IaÈi), DXC Technology, Casa Pariurilor and eFortuna
â° offer an online component to our film festival, which proved very beneficial, especially during the pandemic period, involving the audience even more in the process
â° increase our total number of received submissions (with a record of 3850 films in 2018)
â° organize an event for the Romanian Mental Health community, in front of a full house, in partnership with the Estuar Foundation and Mental Health Europe, at ARCUB Bucharest
â° host a film screening event at 2.544 meters, on the Moldoveanu Peak in Romania, and at 5.364 meters, in the Everest Base Camp
â° partner with Eforie Colorat to bring our festival to the Black Sea community on Eforie Sud, both to residents and tourists visiting the coast
â° set in place a national program through which local libraries from villages and small cities become cinemas for their audiences, through recurring screenings that take place in each venue, accompanied by debates and encounters with industry representatives
đ We can't wait to discover new gems and fall in love with your films. Submit your films now and join us in celebrating the magic of cinema!
Your short and feature films will compete in the following categories:
Short films, of any genre, under 30 minutes, from all around the world, except Romania.
Short films of any genre, under 30 minutes, produced in Romania or all around the world but having Romanian as the single (or main) dialogue language.
Our audience will vote, during our main events, for the film they like the most, in all categories.
Documentary films, under 20 minutes, from all around the world.
Animation films, under 20 minutes, from all around the world.
Music videos, under 20 minutes, from all around the world.
Short films of any genre, under 20 minutes, created all around the world, with a theme or story related to human rights, environment & ecology, activism, citizenship and community mobilization, local development, the rights of minorities, migration, global justice etc.
Short films of any genre, under 20 minutes, created all around the world, with a theme or story related to mental health.
Bold and edgy short films of any genre, under 30 minutes, that touch on any subjects related to the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
Short films of any genre, having the length of under or exactly 3 minutes.
Short films, of any genre, under 30 minutes, from all around the world, except Romania.
Short films of any genre, under 30 minutes, produced in Romania or all around the world but having Romanian as the single (or main) dialogue language.
Our audience will vote, during our main events, for the film they like the most, in all categories.
Feature films, of any genre and length, from all around the world.
Documentary films, under 20 minutes, from all around the world.
Animation films, under 20 minutes, from all around the world.
Experimental films, under 20 minutes, from all around the world.
Music videos, under 20 minutes, from all around the world.
Short films of any genre, under 30 minutes, with no dialogue or spoken words, from all around the world.
Short films of any genre, under 20 minutes, created all around the world, with a theme or story related to human rights, environment & ecology, activism, citizenship and community mobilization, local development, the rights of minorities, migration, global justice etc.
Short films of any genre, under 20 minutes, created all around the world, with a theme or story related to mental health.
Short comedies, feel-good movies, rom-coms, ha-ha films, parodies, mockumentaries under 30 minutes, that are just the right thing to bring a smile on someoneâs face. Letâs bring some laughter to this world full of sorrow!
Short horror films, under 30 minutes, from all around the world.
Short films of any genre, having the length of under or exactly 3 minutes.
ĂRTĂN
written and directed by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson
NADA S.A.
written and directed by Caye Casas and Albert PintĂł
L'AUTOSTOPPEUR
written and directed by Julien Paolini
HALF SHAVED
written and directed by Bogdan Muresanu
TWO DOLLARS
directed by Emmanuel Tenenbaum
IâLL QUIT TOMORROW!
directed by Jean-Pierre Michaël
DARREL
written and directed by Marc Briones and Alan Carabantes
SLACKER
written and directed by Max Lowe
BLACK SQUARE
directed by Timo Zhalnin
THE PROJECTIONIST
directed by Norbert Fodor
THE STORY OF 90 COINS
directed by Michael Wong
FUCKING DRAMA
directed by Michael Podogil
DATE NIGHT
directed by Stela Pelin
ABOUT THE BIRDS AND THE BEES
directed by J.J. Vanhanen
DAD IS PRETTY
directed by Soo-min Park, Seung-Hyeob Kim
WATER PATH FOR A FISH
directed by Mercedes Marro
33 MICROLITER
directed by Manuel Zimmer
SOULCASH
directed by Elina Maligina
NADIA SCHILLING â KITE
directed by JoĂŁo Pombeiro
RAHA
directed by Yeganeh Balouchi
NIK SUMMER
directed by Oscar Aubry, Tom Goyon, Elie Martens, Heloise Solt
BREASTS
directed by Eva Contis
HIPPOPOTAMUS & CROCODILE HUNT
directed by Germain Kanda
INMATURE
directed by Jorge Ponce Betti
HAWAII
directed by JesĂșs del Cerro
THE BEST CUSTOMER
directed by Serghei Chiviriga
NOBODY DIES HERE
directed by Simon Panay
MONSTERS ARE SUCH INTERESTING PEOPLE
directed by Blazej Kujawa
SINGLE SHOT - WE WANNA MAKE MOVIES
directed by Ieva VeiverytÄ
COLLEGE OF GIRLS
directed by Hassan Alizadeh
DIFFERENCE
directed by Ali Asadollahi
BRINGING SCHOOLS WHERE THERE ARE NONE!
directed by Gianmarco D'Agostino
COVER
directed by Vahid Alvandifar
COVER UP
directed by Marie-AmeÌlie Steul
THE TOWER OF PISA
directed by Bogdan Iliesiu
MISSION LIFELINE
directed by Markus Weinberg, Luise Baumgarten
DEEP ROOTS
directed by Luc Godonou Dossou
FIGHTING PABLO
directed by Robbe Vervaeke
TWIST AGAIN
directed by Andy Guérif
SANSARA â MIAMI
directed by Ivan Sosnin
EDITH AND HENRY
directed by Clémence Lebatteux
TERROR
directed by Yonatan Shehoah
CHATTER
directed by Natasha K Lewin
HEAD OVER HEELS
directed by Leonid Grigurko
MOTHER MARIAM
directed by Mustafa GĂŒrbĂŒz
THE TREATMENT
directed by Ălvaro Carmona
THE FUNERAL
directed by Paul Berenstain
I DON'T WANT TO BE WITHOUT YOU
directed by Mauro Mauad
PEOPLE OF THE WASTELAND
directed by Heba Khaled
RAIN
directed by Piotr Milczarek
THE MATHS TEACHER
directed by Nadia Barbu
BREAKLINES
directed by Matu Harvey, Trevor Cone
THE BEDS OF OTHERS
directed by Jonay GarcĂa
WELCOME TO THE WORLD
directed by Albert M. Chan, Anthony Grasso
THE KISS
directed by Nia Syazwani
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
directed by Pablo Alen and Breixo Corral
TRUST FRANK
directed by Penny Moore
NO SINGING AFTER EIGHT
directed by Alex PinticÄ
GENERATION 328
directed by Veranika Nikanava
ROBERTO
directed by Carmen CĂłrdoba GonzĂĄlez
1941
directed by Asim Abdulaziz Abdullah Ahmed
ARAMIS - YEUX CLAIRS
directed by Jay Hughes
HERMIT
directed by Omid Mirzaei
HEART OF KENYA
directed by Patryk Majchrzak
THE SECRET LIFE OF TOM LIGHTFOOT
directed by Ray Jacobs
SCARS
directed by Alex Anna
DADDY'S SHOES
directed by Naomi Amarger
BROTHER TROLL
directed by Gudmund Helmsdal from Faroe Islands
KAIMOS
directed by Sarra Tsorakidis
EL CONQUISTADOR
directed by Mathilde Bayle from France
ANIMA ANIMAE ANIMAM
directed by JosĂ© (Putxa) Puchades MartĂnez, Julieta Gasroc from Spain
THE HOUSE OF LOSS
directed by Jinkyu Jeon from Japan
BACK IN 5 MINUTES
directed by Felipe Garrido Archanco from Spain
REMINISCENCE
directed by Jia Zhao from China
WHERE THE WINDS DIE
directed by Pejman Alipour from Iran
CONSUMED
directed by Karen Lamond from United Kingdom
THE AMAZING VACCINE OF DOCTOR DICKINSON
directed by Alex Rey from Spain
A REAL MAN
directed by Aurélien Mathieu from France
Looking forward to receiving your films and movies on our partner platform, FilmFreeway. Can't wait to watch your works of art and discover new gems! Good luck!
We started our Short Film Breaks screenings in Ipsos, back in 2013, for the 1000+ employees in Bucharest and Brasov and the SFB Elephant is gaining ground every year!
We are continuously looking to innovate the way the independent cinematography can be promoted, around the world. If you want to become our partner, send us an email to ask@shortfilmbreaks.com and letâs do amazing things together!
Here are our main screening locations:
Any questions you might have, about the festival, the films, locations or screenings, drop us a line below, or as a Facebook message on our Facebook page, and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible. Our email address is ask@shortfilmbreaks.com
Did you miss one of our screenings, but would still like to watch the films? If you're an employee or beneficiary of one of our partners, you can!
Follow these steps and enjoy the Short Film Breaks amazing films!
1. Register here.
2. Send us an email at shortfilmbreaks@gmail.com, with your username and the name of our partner you are an employee or beneficiary at.
3. We will get back to you once your account is validated.
4. Watch the Short Film Breaks selection.
If you already have an account...
Enjoy the films
