NDSF

National Documentary
Short Film Festival - 2026

Celebrating powerful stories and perspectives through documentary and short films.

ENTRIES ARE INVITED

Submit Your Entries Between
01 October 2026 – 25 October 2026

AWARD CATEGORIES

Best Short Film

:

₹20000

Best Documentary

:

₹20000

Best Director

:

₹10000

Best Cinematographer

:

₹5000

Best Editor

:

₹5000

About NDSF

The National Documentary Short Film Festival (NDSF) celebrates documentaries and short films as powerful alternative spaces of visual expression, critical thought, and storytelling. It explores their ability to move beyond the conventional, challenge dominant narratives, provoke dialogue, and reveal the textures of society, culture, politics, and human experience.

With a spirit of innovation, critical inquiry, creative resistance, and fearless expression, the 12th edition invites filmmakers and visual storytellers to bring forth their distinctive voices, bold visions, and compelling perspectives.

Entries are welcomed in two categories: Documentary Films and Short Films.

Rules and regulations

Films completed between January 2020 to October 2026 will only be accepted.

Films should have subtitles in English.

Films should not exceed the duration of 40 minutes.

The films should be submitted in .mp4/ .mkv/ .avi file format.

Registration fee for each entry is Rs.1000.

In the event of any legal dispute, the court of appeal is Thrissur, Kerala.

The decision of the Jury will be final.

Submission Period: 01 October 2026 to 25 October 2026

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Fill in the Registration Details

Enter all the required information, such as your name, contact details, email ID, and film details.

Make the Payment

Pay the applicable entry/registration fee using the provided payment option.

Click Here to Submit Entry

After completing the registration and payment, click the button/link to upload and submit your film entry and required documents.

Url Submission Guidelines : Submissions are only permitted through social platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo and cloud platforms such as Google Drive , iCloud etc. (When you use a cloud platform or a social media platform, the participants are supposed to grant the organisers the permission to access their submissions.)