International Short Film Festival

The International Short Film Festival Hamburg has its roots in the independent filmmaking scene. Today, IKFF Hamburg is one of the world's most important and successful short film festivals for the industry and audiences alike. The 42nd Short Film Festival Hamburg will take place from 2 to 7 June 2026.

The Short Film Festival is one of the most renowned and important short film festivals in Europe. Since 1986, more than 400 films have been shown at the festival every year. The festival programme features films that could not be more different: from loud and sparkling to wild and thoughtful to quiet and poetic. Filmmakers, industry professionals and audiences celebrate the short form together at the Hamburg Short Film Festival.

Varied programme

By presenting an enormous range of international short film productions, the festival offers its visitors a diverse forum and serves as a widely popular meeting place for short film makers from Germany and abroad. The diversity of the festival is fuelled on the one hand by the numerous film submissions for the various competitions and on the other hand by the diverse, carefully curated special programmes.

Competitions

The annual national and international competitions do not differentiate between individual genres; all film forms are invited to participate. In addition to the competitions, various special programmes are presented that take a closer look at selected topics. They range from social observations to retrospectives of individual filmmakers or film groups to country or regional focuses. In addition, technical, aesthetic or formal developments are examined at irregular intervals.

Beyond the film programmes, the festival also offers seminars, workshops and information events that give filmmakers the opportunity to gain helpful insights into film production.