ARTISTIC DIRECTION AND THEME OF THE FESTIVAL: KEEP CALM AND KEEP ON MOVING

Submissions for the 11th edition of Bucharest International Dance Film Festival are now open! Filmmakers, dance artists, animators, visual artists and digital art makers are invited to submit their works for the International Short Film Competition of the festival set to take place between September 11–14, 2025, under the theme “Keep Calm and Keep On Moving”. For the first time, BIDFF is also looking for VR experiences that use movement as their main language or the body as their main subject.

The 11th edition of BIDFF, “Keep Calm and Keep on Moving”, aims to create a space for dialogue by bringing to the forefront the affective and emotional crisis in which today’s society finds itself, and by trying to capture the spirit of resilience and reinvention, proving that even in times of uncertainty, movement remains a transformative force. Contemporary dance is created in the present time, with means of the present. It infuses other art forms with new meanings, it has a major potential to transform our relationship with the body and it enriches the way we communicate and express ourselves.

Over the four festival days, dancers, choreographers, visual artists, directors, virtual reality creators, theoreticians and producers are engaged in more than 20 events structured in five sections (Films, VR, Expand, Exchange, Community) characterised by diversity, multiplicity and openness.

Bucharest International Dance Film Festival is a platform for exquisite films that use movement as their primary language or the body as their main subject. Faced with the camera lenses, the body becomes the primary focus of cutting-edge arthouse films that challenge the audience to a lively exchange of stances on challenging politics, extreme emotions, concealed interpretations, and oddly beautiful aesthetics.

BIDFF encourages syncretism and dialogue between movement and diverse forms of cinema, from the more traditional ones to experimental or futuristic hybrid works. Besides film screenings, BIDFF organizes a VR showcase, lectures, public presentations, and intensive short film workshops. Each year in September, the festival takes place in multiple locations from Bucharest, Romania.

HOW TO APPLY

• The call opens on May 12. The deadlines for submissions are June 22 (regular) and July 12 (late).

• Each director can submit a maximum of two films in the competition.

• The films must be submitted through FilmFreeway. Before submitting, please check all the fees related to your category and deadline.

All applicants will be informed about the outcome of their submission by August 1, 2025.

RULES & TERMS

The competitional section is dedicated to short films only. The board will take into consideration fiction, documentary and animation films that either use movement to explore an idea or speak about issues related to the body and the world of dance and performance. We also highly encourage you to apply if you have a short film that explores the future of art, questioning issues related to the ethics of collaboration, communication, and co-existence. For the first time, BIDFF is also looking for VR experiences that use movement as their main language or the body as their main subject.

we are looking for:

• Short dance films produced in the last two years that do not exceed 20 minutes in length and have a minimum quality of Full HD (1080p), that can be either live action or animation in genres of fiction, documentary or experimental.

we are not looking for:

• Music videos, trailers or recordings of performances, films already submitted to previous editions of BIDFF, one-minute films, commercials.

WE offer:

• Money awards for Best International Film (1000 Euros) and Jury Prize (500 Euros).

• Free entry to all the events of the festival, excluding workshops that require a previous application.

IT ALL STARTED IN…

2015, when choreographer Simona Deaconescu and film producer Anamaria Antoci gathered resources to develop the only festival in Romania dedicated to dance films.

BIDFF was founded out of love for the dance film genre, with the scope of promoting artists that work across genres and presenting cinematographic works in which the language of the body explores strong narratives. Each year, the festival has a different theme that reflects upon contemporary realities and questions the future of the body.

The program of the festival consists of film screenings, visual art exhibitions and installations, a VR exhibition, performances, concerts, lectures, workshops, and masterclasses. BIDFF takes place in the most popular sites in Bucharest, combining art house cinemas, open-air screenings (rooftop or urban gardens), performance venues, galleries, and museums. Influential artists join the festival as guests and mentors, while a wide range of scholars, film producers, and distributors, both local and international, connect through the BIDFF network of activities.

Regionally, BIDFF is a meeting point between artistic visions and cultural organizations, promoting a new collaboration prototype. We want to envision a realistic perspective regarding the means of production of a dance film and present the most active creative hot spots around the world, doubled by resourceful collaborations between artistic sectors. Since 2017, under the umbrella of BIDFF, we have developed EXPAND. This platform crisscrosses the festival by supporting cinematographic projects in development and networking between the dance and film industries.

In 2020 BIDFF won the AFCN Award ex aequo for “Promoting Romanian Culture around the World”, and in 2016 choreographer Simona Deaconescu received The National Center for Dance Award for “the contribution brought to the Romanian dance scene by organizing BIDFF”.

BIDFF is funded through annual applications with the Administration of the National Cultural Fund and the Romanian Cinema Centre. Two editions of BIDFF have been sponsored through ARCUB - The Center for Cultural Projects of Bucharest. Other financial supporters of the festival have been: The Romanian Cultural Institute, Expo Arte Cultural Center, and different embassies and consulates in Bucharest (The Austrian Cultural Forum, The Israeli Embassy in Bucharest, Cervantes Institute, Balassi Institute, The Sweden Embassy in Bucharest, The Icelandic Consulate, British Council, The French Institute).

BIDFF has received sponsorship from Conceptual Lab by Theo Nissim and in-kind services by Tiriac Auto, Crama Histria, Allira, and DHL.

Our main hosts are Cinema Elvira Popescu, The National Center for Dance Bucharest, Gastropub Factory (Rooftop Cinema), The National Peasant Museum Cinema, and LINOTIP - Independent Choreographic Center. Depending on the needs of every edition, we have successfully collaborated with CINETIC, The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Galateca Gallery, POINT Theatre, Apollo Theatre, Qreator, The National University of Music, and Union Cinema.

BIDFF is produced by the Tangaj Collective Association.

E-mail: 
contact@bidff.ro