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Film Talent Academy SCHOLARSHIP

July 24, 2026

Open to Female or Non-binary Filmmakers in Linz

The Linz Women’s Office and FilmTalent Academy Linz ISFF are offering a scholarship for one female or non-binary filmmaker from Linz. Don’t miss this opportunity to develop your new film project and pitch it to industry professionals at the Linz Festival and in Festival de Cannes. The Talent Academy will be in Festival de Cannes. 2027, with all selected talents, to provide them access to world cinema and the most important film market.


SHORT FILM LAB

Presented by the Film Talent Academy – in collaboration with Festival de Cannes – SFC Rendez-vous Industry

The Short Film LAB is a dynamic two-phase development and industry-access program for promising emerging filmmakers developing their next short film. Designed to sharpen creative concepts, build professional networks, and elevate international visibility, the LAB helps filmmakers position their projects for success.

PHASE 1 – Online Masterclasses & Linz ISFF Residency

From August to October 2026, participants will join online masterclasses focused on pitching strategies and project presentation.
In October, filmmakers will attend a 4-day residency during the Linz International Short Film Festival, where they’ll pitch their short film projects in front of a selection committee.
All participants will receive a certificate of participation. Around 10 projects will be selected to continue to Phase 2.

PHASE 2 – Mentoring & Cannes Pitch Event

From December 2026 to May 2027, selected filmmakers will receive focused mentorship, script guidance, and project refinement.
The program concludes with a high-level pitch session at the Marché du Film during Festival de Cannes 2027, offering direct access to international co-producers, curators, and industry professionals.

Projects and participants will be featured on the Talent page of the Linz ISFF website, and final short films will be screened at future editions of the festival.

ELIGIBILITY

Participants: Up to 25 filmmakers will be selected for Phase 1.

Role of the Applicant: The writer and director must be the same person.

Previous Experience: Applicants must have completed at least one short film.

Project Requirement: Projects must be for a short film currently in development.

Commitment: Full availability for both phases of the program is required.

Language: English proficiency is necessary.




If you are interested in participating in this Lab, please complete the form below carefully no later than August 30, 2026.


TALENT Academy LINZ ISFF 2024 (Call for female filmmakers in Linz)
Name of writer and director
Name of writer and director
First
Last
I agree with the evaluation of my film project by the Talent Commission of the Linz International Short Film Festival.
I Am a Female or Non-binary Filmmaker in Linz
WinnerScreen2020

Winners

November 14, 2020

Now we can announce the winners of this year’s LINZ INERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL in the ten categories Best Austrian Film, Best Animation, Best Fiction, Best Documentary, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Editing, Best Sound-Design, Best Directing and Best Acting: Winners 2020.

NominatedScreen2020

Nominations

November 12, 2020

The nominations in the ten categories Best Austrian Film, Best Animation, Best Fiction, Best Documentary, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Best Editing, Best Sound-Design, Best Directing and Best Acting now have been made. They can be accessed here: Nominations 2020.

Master class

Masterclass with Hayedeh Safiyari

November 4, 2020

We would like to use the opportunity of the situation and show once again the master class held by Mrs Hayedeh Safiyari at the Linz ISFF in 2018, who shared valuable experience as an editor with the audience.

Hayedeh Safiyari is an Iranian film editor and a member of the Oscar Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is best known for the Oscar-winning film A Separation and The Salesman, both have been awarded in Oscar Academy as the best foreign-language films.


She has edited over 80 feature fiction films and several documentaries over the thirty years, which have been Selected, Nominated & Awarded by many well-known film festivals including Cannes Film Festival, BFI, Berlin International film festival, Venice International Film Festival, Golden Globe, Locarno International Film festival, Fajr Film Festival Iran, Iranian Cinema House Award, Asian Film Award, Iran’s Film Critics & Writers Association, Cinema Writers Circle Award and Goya International Cinephile Society Award.

Limbo

Opening Film

November 4, 2020

Limbo 2016 FRANCE,GREECE 29ʼ 40

A film by Konstantina Kotzamani

The short film Limbo will be released a week before the festival free for everyone to watch!

Limbo was nominated and awarded in the renowned festivals, as well as in many many other festivals.

Oscar Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – Nomination
Grand Jury Prize in AFI Fest – Nomination
Discovery Award in Cannes Film Festival – Nomination
The best Short Film in European Film Award – Nomination
Bajina Basta International Short Fiction Film Festival – Winner
Aix-en-Provence International Short Film Festival – Special Mention
Athens International Film Festival – Winner/ Best Cinematography
ZubrOFFka Film Festival – Winner/ Best Cinematography
Budapest International Short Film Festival – Winner/ Best Cinematography

More information about it’s awards can be found under www.limboshortfilm.com

Collage Jury

The official jury 2020

November 1, 2020

Afsaneh Salari:

Afsaneh Salari, an Iranian director, editor, producer, and co-founder of the collective Docmaniacs in Tehran, who lives and works in Paris.
She had the opportunity to realise her documentary film “The Silhouettes” as a Berlinale Talent at Doc Station in 2016 and won a special mention for best documentary film at Vision du Reel 2020. She is also a scholarship holder of the Sundance Institute, the Doha Film Institute, the IDFA Bertha Fund, the Asian Cinema Fund and the Vision Sud Est Fund.The Forbidden Strings is the first feature documentary she produced which premiered at IDFA 2019.

Through her films, Afsaneh explores human condition in societies’ peripheries within different forms and meanings.

Björn Perborg:

Björn Perborg is a Swedish contemporary artist and filmmaker, best known for his playful sculptures and animations, lined with humour and astonishment before what is taken for granted or considered normality.

The swedish artist was born in Västerås, Sweden. He currently lives and works on the island of Orust. After music studies in Örebro and Moscow, he switched to fine art and graduated from the Valand art academy in Gothenburg in 2003. Björn has also studied filmmaking at EICTV on Cuba and at Wits School of Art in Johannesburg.

Björn’s short films and video installations depart either from his own experiences, observations or from found stories. Larger solo shows include »Geschichten aus dem Koffer« at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin and the retrospective »Being Björn Perborg« at Konstnärshuset in Stockholm.

Mara Tamkovich:

Mara Tamkovich, journalist, publicist, director and writer born in Minsk, Belarus. Her short films have been shown and awarded at festivals around the world (Florida, Tel Aviv, Linz, New York, Moscow, London). Laureate of “She’s Mercedes” award and is also the winner of the Best International Film and Cinematography award of the Taratsa IFF Greece and won Best Script at the LINZ ISFF 2018, as well as numerous other awards.
In her work she devotes special attention to social topics and human rights issues, but as a viewer appreciates quality genre movies as well.

Opening and award ceremony hosted by Claudia Novak

November 1, 2020

Claudia Novak’s passion is to accompany women on their way to more visibility and presence on the different stages of their professional and private everyday life.
With her company WOMEN ON STAGE!, seminars, lectures and individual coaching, she supports women in expressing their competencies and perspectives in the best possible way and in communicating authentically and effectively. With a doctorate in law, she draws from a multifaceted pool of perspectives – as an expert in strategic communication and rhetoric, an NLP coach, a yoga and meditation instructor, and a curator and speaker coach of the renowned international lecture format TEDx.

 

Official film selection 2020

October 30, 2020

The official film selection of the Linz International Short Film Festival 2020 is now available: 131 short films from 70 countries!

Watch our video to hear Parisa Ghasemi and Marlies Hajnal talking about this year’s film selection, to give you a little insight into how things work around the festival and generally chat about everything to do with short film.

We are looking forward to sharing the screen with you!

LINZ ISFF / OFFICIAL FILM SELECTION 2020 from CLOSEfilm on Vimeo.

 

 

Logo 2020

Linz International Short Film Festival is back as online edition!

October 30, 2020

In 2020 the organization of film festivals sets new challenges for festival directors all over the world. The Linz International Short Film Festival feels itself responsible for providing a platform for filmmakers and supporting them on their way to professionalism despite the difficult situation.

Due to the current circumstances the Linz ISFF takes a step forward towards an online edition. From 12 – 15 November 2020 a curated program in its usual quality and depth with over 100 short films will be shown on the net. The entire film program will be available internationally via streaming. The streaming platform and its multifaceted and interactive supporting program will be accessible with a festival pass. We would like to convey a certain festival feeling to the audience and enable an important exchange between viewers and professionals. There will be Q&As with the filmmakers in the competition, workshops, panel discussions and a master class available for all festival audience to ensure exchange and dialogue.