Vilnius Short Film Festival is the only Oscar® and European Film Awards qualifying festival in Lithuania and one of the largest international short film festivals in the Baltic countries. Every January, it presents the newest and most significant short films from all around the world, while also gathering together filmmakers, industry representatives, and cinema enthusiasts.
Established in 2006, the Festival has become a unique platform in Lithuania, screening global short films made by both emerging and established talents. Each year, the Vilnius Short Film Festival holds the International Competition, which features approximately 30-40 short films from the past two years. In addition to the International Competition, the Festival hosts a National Competition showcasing up to 15 of the newest Lithuanian short films. Moreover, the Festival features special non-competition programs such as retrospectives, programs for kids, youth, and seniors, as well as theme or country-based short film selections.
Complementing the Festival screenings, there are numerous events for both the public and film industry professionals. Every year, the Festival offers a tailored Industry Days program for filmmakers and other industry professionals, which includes networking opportunities, workshops, and seminars. Moreover, the Festival invites its fans to various music and interactive events, as well as workshops for families and late-night screenings.
The Festival is a member of the Short Film Conference, the European Film Festival Network “Young4Film!”, the European Network for Film Discourse “The END”, the Nordic-Baltic Short Film Festivals Network and two Lithuanian associations – Cinema Culture Association and National Association of Creative and Culture Industries.
In 2024, the Vilnius Short Film Festival received prestigious recognition from the Vilnius City Municipality, being granted the esteemed status of Vilnius City Festival. This honour was bestowed upon the Festival in acknowledgement of its active representation of the city on an international stage through cinema.
Also in 2024, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars, revealed its list of film festivals whose winners can qualify for Oscar consideration. For the first time, a Lithuanian film festival has been included on this list – the Vilnius Short Film Festival. As a result, the winner of the festival’s Grand Prix will now be eligible to compete for an Oscar.
In 2025, European Film Academy’s Board decided to expand its Short Film Network by adding a new member – Vilnius Short Film Festival, making it the first-ever European Film Awards’ qualifying film festival in Lithuania. As a result, one of the films from the festival’s competition programmes will be eligible for candidacy in the European Film Awards’ European Short Film category.
The 19th edition of the Vilnius Short Film Festival will take place from 21 to 27 January 2026 as a hybrid event – having both on-site screenings and short film programmes on the local VoD platform. The Festival is hosted in multiple venues across Vilnius Old Town and other Lithuanian cities such as Kaunas, Klaipėda, and Šiauliai.
Since 2013, Vilnius Short Film Festival has been organized by the Lithuanian Short Film Agency LITHUANIAN SHORTS.
