Regulations

General Section Eligibility

• Films must be completed after June 1st, 2025. Works in progress will not be accepted.
• Any type of film (fiction, documentary, experimental, animation, etc.) can be submitted to the selection committee. Film length should be under 25 minutes (include 25 minutes 0 second), including all credits. Films already submitted to previous editions are not accepted, even in a new version or title.
• No premiere status is required.
• To be eligible for Taiwan Section, submitted works should be directed by Taiwanese national or ARC holders, or be produced in Taiwan.
• To be eligible for Taiwan Student Award, the film must be completed while the director is enrolled in school.
• To be eligible for Asian New Wave Award, the film should be directed by an Asian national or be primarily produced in Asian countries.
• To be eligible for Children’s Jury Award, the film should be suitable for children aged 9–12.
• Films cannot be submitted to more than one section. Taiwanese productions can only be submitted to Taiwan Section. International co-productions with Taiwan can be applied to either International Section or Taiwan Section depending on the participants’ decision.
• Once the submission is completed, withdrawal is not permitted for any reason.

Registration

• No submission fee is required; only 1 Shortfilmdepot Stamp is required via the submission platform.
• Submission period: April 1st to June 10th, 2026, UTC+0

General Section Eligibility

• Only works completed between January 1st 2025 and June 31st 2026（the registration deadline） are eligible for submission.
• Regardless of genre or length, we encourage works in which innovative narratives and immersive technologies are used in conjunction to enrich each other and the overall experience.
  Technologies applied (include but are not limited to)： Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), VR360, multimedia devices and other pre- existing or innovative technologies. The work must include a viewing experience using a XR headset. 
• There are no specific restrictions on premiere status in this competition. However, works that are eligible for world premiere, international premiere and Asia premiere status at the 2026 Kaohsiung Film Festival will be given priority.

Registration

• Early Submission: Registration Fee: $30 USD, April 1–April 30, 2026, GMT+8
• Final Submission: Registration Fee: $80 USD, May 1–June 10, 2026, GMT+8
• Submissions must be completed via FilmFreeway, with the required registration fee paid.
• Applicants must also fill out the Google Form to provide project details. Failure to do so will result in an invalid submission.