Your Story is Ready to Be Seen.

Welcome to the Call for Entries for the inaugural edition of the Berlin International Underground Film Festival (BIUFF). We are looking for fearless voices, independent filmmakers, low-budget productions, unique visions, and authentic stories that dare to be different. BIUFF is your platform to show your work to the world.

The BIUFF Value: One Submission, All Opportunities

We respect the value of your work. Unlike others, we do not require you to pay multiple fees for different categories. At BIUFF, the process is simple: with a single submission of your project in one of our main categories, it will automatically be considered for all relevant awards, from craft and performance awards to thematic and special honors.

Title: From Online Competition to the Berlin Big Screen

BIUFF is a hybrid festival. The initial judging process is conducted online by our international jury. But that's not the end of the journey. Selected and finalist works will get the chance to be screened on the big screen at our annual physical event in the heart of Berlin. This event will include film screenings, panel discussions, and the Awards Ceremony—a unique opportunity for networking and recognition in the cultural capital of Europe.

Where Does Your Work Belong?

  • Narrative Feature Film (all genres) , Narrative Short Film (all genres) , Documentary Feature , Documentary Short , Animation Feature , Animation Short , Music Video , Mobile Film , One-Minute Film , AI-Generated Short Film , Screenplay (Feature & Short) , Photography (Series & Single)

Submission Deadlines

  • Earlybird Deadline: October 30, 2025

  • Regular Deadline: November 25, 2025

  • Late Deadline: December 15, 2025

Note: Our submission fees are designed to be supportive, starting from €10. For a detailed breakdown of fees, please visit our official FilmFreeway page.

Our Rules & Terms

Our Fees Philosophy: Supportive & Transparent At BIUFF, we are deeply committed to supporting independent cinema and its active artists. Our goal is to create a platform where every independent voice has a chance to be heard. Therefore, we keep our submission fees as low as possible to remove financial barriers for filmmakers. The fee collected is used solely to cover the operational costs of our thorough and professional judging process, ensuring that every submitted work is reviewed with the care and respect it deserves.

1. General Eligibility

  • Completion Date: All submitted projects (films, screenplays, photographs) must have been completed after January 1, 2020.

  • Premiere Status: For our initial online competition, there are no premiere status requirements. Projects that have previously screened at other festivals or have been made available online are eligible.

  • Genre & Style: We welcome all genres, styles, and forms of expression.

2. Submission Process

  • Platform: All submissions must be made exclusively through the FilmFreeway platform.

  • Entry Fees: Entry fees are non-refundable under any circumstances.

  • Multiple Entries: You may submit multiple different projects to the festival. However, for each individual project, only one submission in its primary category is required to be considered for all relevant awards.

3. Technical Specifications

  • Language & Subtitles: All non-English language films must have accurate, embedded/hardcoded English subtitles.

  • Files: It is the responsibility of the submitter to provide a high-quality, fully functional screener file.

4. Rights & Clearances

  • The submitter (filmmaker, writer, or photographer) guarantees that they own all rights and clearances for the submitted work, including all copyrighted elements (such as music, archival footage, etc.). All legal responsibilities for any copyright infringement lie solely with the submitter.

5. Festival Rights

  • Promotional Use: BIUFF reserves the right to use short excerpts from selected projects (including clips, trailers, posters, and film stills) for promotional purposes on our official website, social media channels, and in media campaigns.

6. Judging & Selection Process

  • Jury Decisions: All decisions made by the jury are final and cannot be disputed.

  • Feedback: Due to the high volume of submissions, the festival is not obligated to provide feedback or comments on non-selected projects.

  • Selection Guarantee: Adherence to all rules does not guarantee selection. The final selection is based on artistic merit and the jury's decision.

7. Screening & Awards

  • Notification Date: December 30, 2025

  • Event Date: December 30, 2025

  • Online Screening: Our competition is held online, and judging is conducted privately. To protect your film's premiere status for other festivals, no films will be screened publicly online unless explicitly agreed upon in writing with the filmmaker.

  • Notification: Winners will be notified via email. The full list of winners will be announced on our official website and social media platforms.

Purple gradient background with white text saying 'Submit on FilmFreeway' and the FilmFreeway logo.