29-09-2026

Winners of Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival 2026

By
    Chronovisor by Jack Auen and Kevin Walker Chronovisor by Jack Auen and Kevin Walker source: BIEFF 2026

    BUCHAREST: For the first time in the history of the Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival (BIEFF), two films shared the award for best feature film at the 16th edition of the festival, held 25 – 30 September 2026.

    Also for the first time, the festival gave an award for best sound concept for a film in the International Short Film Competition.

    This year, the festival was held under the motto “Vanishing Futures”.

    BIEFF is part of the European Network for Film Discourse (THE END) alongside FeKK Ljubljana Short Film Festival (Slovenia), Vilnius Short Film Festival (Lithuania), Filmfest Dresden (Germany), Vienna Shorts (Austria), Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival (Portugal), and Kortfilmfestival Leuven (Belgium).

    The festival is organised by the Manekino Cultural Association, whose board is composed by director Adina Pintilie, producer Bianca Oana, and photographer/director Dragos Hanciu. It is co-financed by Administrația Fondului Cultural Național (AFCN), the Bucharest City Hall through ArCuB, and Creative Europe – MEDIA. 

    FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

    International Feature Film Competition:

    Best Film (shared):

    Chronovisor (USA)
    Directed by Jack Auen and Kevin Walker

    and

    At Night (UK, France)
    Directed by Beatrice Gibson

    International Short Film Competition:

    Best Short Film:
    Equal Dust (Finland)
    Directed by Jani Peltonen

    Best Director:
    Vika Kirchenbauer for The Suffocating Now (Germany)

    Best Visual Concept:
    Language Models (Peru, USA)
    Directed by Sidney Mandros and Giancarlo M. Sandoval

    Best Sound Concept:
    How to Listen to Fountains (Slovakia)
    Directed by Eva Sajanová

    Special Mention:
    The Recce (UK, Germany)
    Directed by Daniel Mann

    Romanian Short Film Competition:

    Best Romanian Short Film:
    Three Goodnight Stories / Trei povești de noapte bună (Romania)
    Directed by Andreea Chiper

    Best Visual Concept in a Romanian Short Film:
    In My Dreams, Or in Ours (Romania)
    Directed by Alma Buhagiar

    Click HERE for a press release.