About Us
The International Usak Short Film Festival is a pioneering cultural platform bringing together Turkey's rich heritage and independent cinema with global audiences. Since its inaugural edition, the festival has aimed to foster short film production, create opportunities for emerging filmmakers, and present high-caliber cinematic works to viewers.
Our festival embraces a rights-based model for short film: it pays a screening fee to every film selected for the National Short Film and National Student Film competitions, and to international competition films whose makers request one. Respect for the intellectual property and labor of cinema professionals remains one of our foundational institutional values.
Held annually across three primary competitive categories — International Short Film Competition, National Short Film Competition, and National Student Film Competition — the winning films are honored with the prestigious Winged Seahorse Awards.
12th Edition · 14–18 December 2026
Organised for the twelfth time by the Faculty of Communication of Uşak University, the festival is held under the honorary chairmanship of the Governor of Uşak, Dr. Serdar Kartal, and the Rector of Uşak University, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Demir. The 12th edition received 3,645 submissions from 121 countries; 152 films (85 international, 67 Turkish) representing 45 countries were selected. 29 films will premiere in Uşak: 3 world, 1 international, 10 Asian and 15 Turkish premieres.
A total of 26 Winged Seahorse Awards will be presented across three competitions: 10 in the International Short Film Competition, 12 in the National Short Film Competition (including special effects, film music and make-up) and 4 in the National Student Film Competition. A three-tier selection structure — Pre-Jury (13), Intermediate Jury (11) and Main Jury (13) — brings together 37 jurors; the Main Jury watches the 46 finalist films (10 international, 22 national, 14 student) together with the audience during festival week. The out-of-competition Palestinian Films Selection features 7 films. This year's Honorary Award goes to Ediz Hun, one of the masters of Turkish cinema.
The opening ceremony takes place on 14 December at Uşak University Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Congress and Culture Centre. Screenings, masterclasses, workshops and panels are held at Uşak University Mustafa Kemal Paşa Amphitheatre, Şehit Erol Olçok Cinema Hall and Uşak Municipality Atatürk Cultural Centre, Hall 1; the Winged Seahorse Awards Ceremony takes place on 18 December at 19:00 at the Atatürk Cultural Centre. See the Festival Programme for the full schedule.