Bengaluru International Short Film Festival will expand its 2026 edition to 10 competition areas, introducing categories for AI-made films and screendance. The Oscar-qualifying festival’s growth reflects both rising global interest in short films and a willingness to recognise emerging forms of filmmaking that combine technology, choreography and cinema.

Organisers received a record 3,340 submissions from more than 100 countries, including 1,726 international entries and 756 from India. The festival expects over 5,000 delegates and more than 1,000 filmmakers and artists; its International, Indian and Animation sections remain Oscar-qualifying, while the new AI category accepts films made wholly or partly with AI tools.