The 56th edition of the Tampere Film Festival, one of Europe’s most important short film festivals, will take place from March 4th to 8th, 2026 at the Finnkino Cine Atlas and the Arthouse Cinema Niagara. For five days, the festival offers a diverse program of short films, premieres, and special events for industry professionals and festivalgoers alike.
Image avobe: Opening_Ceremony_05032025 ©Jeffrey_Mayeda_16
The 56th edition of the Tampere Film Festival, one of Europe’s most important short film festivals, begins on Wednesday, March 4th at Finnkino Cine Atlas and Arthouse Cinema Niagara. For five days, short films and special events will be offered for industry professionals and festivalgoers.
With over 100 screenings, the festival presents short films on topics such as the realities of life in Southeast Asia, perspectives on Christianity, archival films, student films, as well as current European award winners and nominees (EFA, ESFAA). The opening series begins at 3:00 PM, and the official opening screening takes place at 6:00 PM at the Finnkino Cine Atlas.
Guests of honor and retrospectives
Guests include Finnish director Ulla Heikkilä, who is on the jury for the National Competition and will present a retrospective of her short films, and Icelandic director Rúnar Rúnarsson, whose work also includes the feature film Echo (2019). Rúnarsson will also offer a free masterclass on his career and work.
Premieres and special programs
The festival will screen several feature films, including the world premiere of Vastavirta Documentary (Finland, 2026). Special screenings will be offered for International Women’s Day, such as The Day Iceland Stood Still (Iceland/USA, 2024) about the historic 1975 women’s strike in Iceland, and Force of Habit (Finland, 2019), a collaborative project by seven Finnish female directors in cooperation with Yle.
Wettbewerbe und Preise
This year, 8,127 films were submitted worldwide, of which 121 films from 49 countries were selected for the National, International, and Generation XYZ competitions. The winners will be announced on Saturday, March 7, at 6:00 p.m. at the Comedy Theatre Palace. The Sylvi Screenplay Awards for the best Finnish screenplays for film and television will also be presented there. On Sunday, March 8, all the award-winning films will be screened again.
Free screenings and events
The festival also offers free events, including a screening of the classic silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) in Tampere Cathedral, accompanied by organist Esa Toivola. Other free programs include Böhle Studios: Animations, featuring all three of the studio’s short films, and Witness: Arctic Indigenous Voices III, a documentary program by filmmakers from Indigenous Arctic communities. For younger viewers, there are free screenings of Mini Cinema 1 and Mini Cinema 2 for children aged 3 and 7, respectively.
Further information about the program and free events can be found on the festival website under the headings Screenings, Competitions and Free Screenings and Events.
WHEN?
Exhibition: Wednesday, 4. March – Sunday, 8. March 2026
WHERE?
Finnkino Plevna
Itäinenkatu 4
33210 Tampere
