Bucharest International Dance Film Festival

About the Open Call

Bucharest International Dance Film Festival is a platform for exquisite films that use movement as their primary language or the body as their main subject. Faced with the camera lenses, the body becomes the primary focus of cutting-edge arthouse films that challenge the audience to a lively exchange of stances on challenging politics, extreme emotions, concealed interpretations, and oddly beautiful aesthetics. BIDFF encourages syncretism and dialogue between movement and diverse forms of cinema, from the more traditional ones to experimental or futuristic hybrid works. Besides film screenings, BIDFF organizes a VR showcase, lectures, public presentations, and intensive short film workshops. Each year in September, the festival takes place in multiple locations from Bucharest, Romania. The 11th edition of BIDFF, “Keep Calm and Keep on Moving”, aims to create a space for dialogue by bringing to the forefront the affective and emotional crisis in which today’s society finds itself, and by trying to capture the spirit of resilience and reinvention, proving that even in times of uncertainty, movement remains a transformative force. Contemporary dance is created in the present time, with means of the present. It infuses other art forms with new meanings, it has a major potential to transform our relationship with the body and it enriches the way we communicate and express ourselves. Over the four festival days, dancers, choreographers, visual artists, directors, virtual reality creators, theoreticians and producers are engaged in more than 20 events structured in five sections (Films, VR, Expand, Exchange, Community) characterised by diversity, multiplicity and openness. Bucharest International Dance Film Festival invites filmmakers, choreographers and animators to submit their short films for the 11th edition of the festival, which will take place from September 11 to September 14, 2025, in Bucharest, Romania. For the first time, BIDFF is also looking for VR experiences that use movement as their main language or the body as their main subject. The competitional section is dedicated to short films only. The board will take into consideration fiction, documentary and animation films that either use movement to explore an idea or speak about issues related to the body and the world of dance and performance. We also highly encourage you to apply if you have a short film that explores the future of art, questioning issues related to the ethics of collaboration, communication, and co-existence. We are looking for: films that don’t exceed 20 minutes in length, produced in the last two years; films in the genres of dance film, screendance, dance for camera, musical, animation, fiction or documentary about the body or the world of dance, experimental shorts conceptually oriented around the idea of movement; films with a minimum quality of Full HD (1920 x 1080). Each director can submit a maximum of two films. We are NOT looking for: music videos, trailers or recordings of performances, films already submitted in the previous years to BIDFF, one-minute films, commercials, or home-made videos.

What is Offered

BIDFF awards excellence, novelty and courage in filmmaking with a prize pool of 1500 euros, including awards for Best International Film (1000 Euros) and Jury Prize (500 Euros), along with special mentions. Selected participants also receive free entry to all festival events, excluding workshops that require separate application.

Requirements

Films must not exceed 20 minutes in length and be produced in the last two years. Accepted genres include dance film, screendance, dance for camera, musical, animation, fiction or documentary about the body or dance world, and experimental shorts conceptually oriented around movement. Films must have a minimum quality of Full HD (1920 x 1080). Each director can submit a maximum of two films. VR experiences must not exceed 60 minutes. The festival does not accept music videos, trailers, recordings of performances, previously submitted BIDFF films, one-minute films, commercials, or home-made videos.

How to Apply

Filmmakers, choreographers, and animators are invited to submit their short films and VR experiences for consideration through the festival's platform, adhering to the specified length, genre, and quality requirements. Submissions should focus on movement as primary language or the body as main subject. Each director may submit a maximum of two films.