The 16th edition of the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) returns from August 6–16, 2026 (online) and August 14–16, 2026 (on-ground) across multiple venues in Bengaluru, including SUCHITRA, Jain Knowledge Academy, Indian Heritage Academy, and Alliance Française de Bangalore.
India’s only Oscar-accredited short film festival, BISFF continues to be a global platform for independent cinema, with its Indian, International, and Animation sections serving as Oscar-qualifying categories. This year, the festival received a record 3,340 submissions from over 100 countries, bringing together over 5,000 delegates and 1,000+ filmmakers and artists.
The 2026 edition presents BISFF’s strongest competition line-up yet, with over 35 films selected in both the Indian and International Competition sections, the highest in the festival’s history. Audiences can also look forward to nearly 28 India premieres in the International Competition and over 20 first public screenings in the Indian Competition.
Among the standout international titles are LA LIGNE DE VIE (The Lifeline) by Hugo Becke (France), Close Your Eyes Hind by Amir Zaza (Netherlands), I Gaze at the Sky by Alexandra Strunin (Poland), The Written Hour by Coke Arijo (Spain), and Round and Round by Hayato Otogi (Japan).
The Indian Competition features acclaimed films including Small Clouds by Shubham Sumit, Aasmani by Sayani Gupta, Bandini by Deepti Chawla, and Mehta & Co. by Rohit Sen.
A still from AasmaniAdding to this year’s line-up, the festival will also host the world premieres of Hudke Ki Pyaang Pyaang, Dhol Ki Ghamaika by Arun N. Fulara, JATI by Sarthwik Bollu, Journey by Manoj Bhumananda, The Photograph by Priya Sridhar, and Tulsi by Om Chaphekar, Swimmer Girl by Anil Güldoğan (Türkiye) and The Final Appeal by Arthur Dupont De La Motte (France).
Expanding the boundaries of storytelling, BISFF introduces two new sections this year: AI-Machine Made Movies and Dancing Lens, offering audiences a fresh perspective on the future of cinematic expression.
Online Festival: August 6–16, 2026
On-ground Festival: August 14–16, 2026
Where: SUCHITRA, Jain Knowledge Academy, Indian Heritage Academy, Alliance Française de Bangalore, and other festival venues across Bengaluru.
