Octopus Film Festival – Short Film Conference

festival

Octopus Film Festival is the largest event in Poland dedicated to genre cinema, held annually in Gdańsk since 2018. In a short time, the festival has become one of the fastest-growing film events in the country, attracting an expanding audience as well as international guests including filmmakers, actors and industry professionals. The festival focuses on bold and unconventional genre cinema – from horror, science fiction and fantasy to cult, experimental and hybrid forms of filmmaking. Its mission is to present the most exciting genre films from around the world while celebrating cinema as a collective, immersive experience. Octopus Film Festival organizer: Velvet Spoon Association

Event date

11.08.2026 ⟶ 16.08.2026

The festival’s core section is the Main Competition, presenting international feature films that combine genre inspirations with strong authorial vision.

The Main Competition Award is decided by audience vote.

The festival also hosts Octopus Shorts – International Short Film Competition, launched in 2023.
The competition is divided into two categories: MAIN – short films;
LAB – experimental films, short animations and unconventional audiovisual works.
Winners in both sections are selected by an international jury, and two awards are granted within the short film competition

https://octopusfilmfestival.com/

Event Adress
Various venues in Gdańsk, Poland

Admin Adress
Velvet Spoon Association Obrońców Wybrzeża 4B/7
80-398 Gdańsk
Poland

Entry fee:

Short films can be submitted to Octopus Shorts – International Short Film Competition via FilmFreeway. Entry fees follow the standard FilmFreeway submission structure.

Agata Myga – producer and curator responsible for the festival’s two sections: one dedicated to young audiences and another focused on documentary films about cinema history. A graduate of Film and Audiovisual Culture Studies and Cultural Studies at the University of Gdańsk. For many years she has been associated with cultural institutions in Gdańsk, where she has organized cultural events, film screenings, festivals, and pop-culture workshops. She has been involved with Octopus Film Festival since its beginning in 2018.

Jarek Tokarski – Short Film Competition Coordinator. Screenwriter and director, graduate of Film Studies at Jagiellonian University and Cultural Studies at SWPS University. His work explores the boundaries between dream and reality, and good and evil. He is the author of short films, music videos, and commercials.

Event date

Agata Myga and Jarek Tokarski