Astra Film Festival has officially opened submissions for its 2025 edition. Organizers have announced the introduction of a new competitive section this year: Short Film. Filmmakers from around the world can submit their documentaries for the 2025 edition until April 1, competing in five categories: Emerging Voices of Documentary, Central & Eastern Europe, Romania, DocSchool, and Short Film. This year, the festival will take place in Sibiu, Romania, from October 19 to 26.  

Documentaries submitted for the official selection of AFF2025 must belong to the documentary genre. The festival particularly values strong cinematic qualities, honesty, courage in tackling challenging topics, originality, and creativity. In addition to the competitive sections, the official Astra Film Festival program will feature curated selections, thematic sections, and special programs.  

For the five competitive sections, films must have been completed after January 1, 2024, as follows:  

Emerging Voices of Documentary. Eligible films are feature-length documentaries (over 60 minutes) by directors presenting their first, second, or at most third film.  

Central & Eastern Europe. Open to feature-length documentaries (over 60 minutes) addressing issues specific to the former Eastern Bloc region.  

Romania. A section dedicated to documentaries produced or co-produced in Romania and/or international productions or co-productions that explore topics relevant to Romania, regardless of their duration.  

Short Film. The new competitive section introduced by AFF welcomes documentaries with a maximum duration of 40 minutes. Only European productions or co-productions will be considered.  

DocSchool. Open to documentaries produced or co-produced by universities, film institutes, or within postgraduate film specialization programs, regardless of their duration.  

For more details and to submit your film, visit: [https://www.astrafilm.ro/formular](https://www.astrafilm.ro/formular). The official selection will be published on the festival’s website. Stay updated on Astra Film Festival activities via the website and social media channels.