38 FILMFEST DRESDEN: Record Number of Submissions and Global Reach

The 38th edition of FILMFEST DRESDEN is off to a strong start: a total of 3,803 short films were submitted for the 2025 festival year – more than ever before. Compared to the previous edition, this represents an increase of nearly 13 per cent, underlining the festival’s growing international profile as an important platform for short film.

The majority of submissions were entered for the International Competition, with over 2,383 films available for selection. The National Competition received more than 481 entries. Once again, the submissions reflect the full spectrum of short filmmaking: fiction films make up the largest share with 2,474 entries, followed by animation (720), experimental films (822) and documentary films (707).

The festival’s international scope is equally striking. Filmmakers from 112 countries submitted their work, with particularly strong representation from Germany (718 films) and France (636 films). At the same time, submissions from regions less frequently represented on the festival circuit add further depth to the selection process, including films from Sri Lanka, Haiti, Cambodia, Martinique and Nepal.

As in previous years, all films were submitted via Shortfilmdepot. In the coming weeks, several selection committees and the festival team will review the entries to compile the programmes for the competitions and special sections.

All participants will be informed of the final selection by early March 2026 at the latest.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all filmmakers for the outstanding response and the remarkable diversity of submitted works, and look forward to a vibrant and inspiring 38th festival edition.