International Short Film Festival Winterthur

What International Short Film Festival Winterthur does

The International Short Film Festival Winterthur (Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur) is a Swiss non-profit association founded in 1997 and headquartered at Turnerstrasse 1 in Winterthur. It produces Switzerland's largest short film festival, held annually over six days in early November — the 29th edition ran 4–9 November 2025 and the 30th is scheduled 3–8 November 2026 — screening 200+ films from approximately 58 countries and drawing over 17,000 admissions. The festival operates as the central platform in a multi-product portfolio: the annual festival, the Kurzfilm-Archiv (Europe's largest digital short film archive with 95,000+ titles for industry professionals), the Kurzfilmnacht touring programme reaching 27 Swiss cities, school programmes (expert visits, classroom screenings, teaching materials at CHF 100–250 per class), industry events (Industry Lab, Swiss Film School Day, Creators' Room), and the Residency @ Villa Sträuli for filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe in cooperation with the Locarno Film Festival and DEZA/SDC.

The organisation is structured as a Swiss association (Verein) with approximately 60 active members, 8 permanent employees (plus interns and a civil-service worker), and ~60 festival-period volunteers. Revenue is assembled from five streams: ticket and pass sales (Festival Pass, Day Pass), public subsidies from the City of Winterthur, Canton of Zurich, Swiss Federal Office of Culture (BAK), DEZA/SDC, and nine additional cantons, corporate sponsorship (SRG SSR as main media partner; SUISSIMAGE, SSA, Jingle Jungle Tonstudios, and historically Zürcher Kantonalbank which announced its 2025 departure as main sponsor), a Friends-of-the-Festival membership programme (Patron CHF 250, Sponsor CHF 600), and donations processed via RaiseNow, PayPal, and TWINT. Ticketing runs on Ticketack; the archive is hosted on dedicated infrastructure with iway.ch support.

The festival has been OSCAR-qualifying since 2014 and holds additional eligibility pathways for BAFTA, the European Film Award, and the Swiss Film Award Quartz (since 2003). Total annual prize value stands at CHF 57,000. Strategic positioning is anchored on three competitive advantages: content scale (the archive), regulatory designations (OSCAR/BAFTA/EFA/Swiss Quartz), and community depth (650+ annual industry guests, recurring Grand Prize winners 2021–2025 from Nigeria, Netherlands, France/Japan, France, and Canada).

Name

International Short Film Festival Winterthur

Legal name

Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur

Website

https://kurzfilmtage.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Short Film Festival Winterthur is a Swiss non-profit association that operates an annual six-day short film festival in Winterthur, the Kurzfilm-Archiv (Europe's largest digital short film archive with 95,000+ titles), and a touring programme reaching 27 Swiss cities, serving filmmakers, industry professionals, general audiences, and schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Short-Form Documentaries (MPADADAC)

Keywords

• Short film festival
• Film competition awards
• Filmmaker networking events
• Film archive services
• Media education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Winterthur

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket and Pass Sales: Festival passes, day passes, and single screening tickets sold to general public, with special pricing for schools and youth programs.
2. Public Funding and Sponsorship: Support from public institutions including city of Winterthur, canton of Zurich, Swiss Federal Office of Culture, DEZA/SDC, and private foundations. Major media partnership with SRG SSR.
3. Membership and Donation Programs: Friends of the Festival (Freundeskreis) membership program with annual contributions from CHF 250 (Patrons) and CHF 600 (Sponsors), plus general donations. The association is tax-exempt.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The International Short Film Festival Winterthur operates an annual six-day short film festival held each November in Winterthur, Switzerland, screening 200+ films from approximately 58 countries across international and Swiss competitions, focus programs, and industry events. It maintains Europe's largest digital short film archive with over 95,000 titles available year-round to industry professionals, a Kurzfilmnacht touring program reaching 27 Swiss cities, school educational programs, and a filmmaker residency program in cooperation with Villa Sträuli and Locarno Film Festival.

Product overview

The International Short Film Festival Winterthur operates as an annual film festival organization with a multi-product portfolio centered on short film promotion. The core product is the annual six-day festival (November 3–8, 2026 for the 30th edition), complemented by the Short Film Archive (Europe's largest digital short film archive with 95,000+ titles) and the Kurzfilmnacht touring program (27 Swiss cities). The festival also offers Film Submissions via FilmFreeway/Shortfilmdepot, School Programs for educational outreach, Industry Events for professional networking, Residency @ Villa Sträuli for international filmmakers, and a Newsletter. Total prize value across competitions reaches CHF 57,000. The organization is structured as a non-profit association with approximately 60 members, 8 permanent employees, and is based in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kurzfilm-Archiv (Short Film Archive): The largest digital short film archive in Europe with over 95,000 titles, providing professionals year-round access to submitted and screened short films.
• Kurzfilmnacht Tour
• Residency @ Villa Sträuli

Products and services

• International Short Film Festival Winterthur (Annual Festival) Switzerland's largest short film festival, held annually over six days in November in Winterthur. Features international and Swiss competitions, focus programs, industry events, and audience screenings. Showcases 200+ films from approximately 58 countries with total prize value of CHF 57,000.
• Short Film Archive (Kurzfilm-Archiv) Digital archive containing over 95,000 short film titles, Europe's largest digital short film archive. Offers industry professionals year-round access to view submitted and screened films with password-protected access, watermarking, and reduced-quality streaming (no downloads).
• Kurzfilmnacht (Short Film Night Tour) Year-round touring program bringing curated short film programs to 27 cities across Switzerland in spring and autumn. Operated by the festival office in collaboration with local venues.
• School Programs (Angebote für Schulen) Educational offerings for schools including expert visits to classes (CHF 200/class), school festival visits (CHF 100/class), and combined expert visit plus festival visit packages (CHF 250/class). Targeted at primary through secondary level II (Sek I/II), with teaching materials and streams.
• Film Submissions Platform Online platform accepting short film submissions for festival competitions via FilmFreeway and Shortfilmdepot. Films must not exceed 30 minutes for International Competition or 40 minutes for Swiss Competition, produced in 2025 or 2026. Submission deadline is July 12, 2026 for the 30th edition.
• Industry Events Professional networking events during the festival including Swiss Film School Day, Industry Lab, Creators' Room, Writers' Room, and Digital Industry Hub. Offers discussions, information, and networking opportunities for short film industry representatives.
• Residency @ Villa Sträuli Two-month studio residency for filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, or Eastern Europe, conducted in cooperation with Kulturhaus Villa Sträuli, DEZA, and Locarno Film Festival. Residents work and research at Villa Sträuli during October and November with networking opportunities at the festival.
• Project Development Programs Industry programs including FOCAL Script Coaching for screenwriters (6-8 Swiss filmmakers per cycle), The Pitch for project presentations, Postproduction Prize (CHF 10,000 in services from Jingle Jungle Tonstudios), Would You Buy This? market potential sessions, European Short Pitch participation, and P.AiR.S Project Development Residency.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 17,000 annual admissions with sold-out screenings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SRG SSRcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMain media partner providing broadcast and streaming support. Includes SRG's streaming platform Play Suisse featuring curated Swiss short films.
• Locarno Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for the Residency @ Villa Sträuli program. Participants from Locarno's Open Doors, Filmmakers Academy, or Pardi di domani sections are eligible. Joint initiative with Villa Sträuli culture house.
• Villa SträulicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulture house providing residency space for international filmmakers. Two-month studio apartment for filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, or Eastern Europe.
• Jingle Jungle TonstudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudio studio providing the Postproduction Award worth CHF 10,000 in services including dialog editing, sound design, and mixing.
• European Short PitchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for project selection and invitation to European Short Pitch 2027 competition and coproduction forum.
• P.AiR.ScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing Project Development Residency for selected project, including seven-week stay in Paradiesli, Sigriswil.
• FOCALcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Script Coaching program providing professional feedback on short film screenplays for 6-8 Swiss filmmakers.
• Swiss Film Schools (HEAD, ZHdK, HSLU, ECAL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Swiss Film School Day platform showcasing graduation films from major Swiss film schools.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sundance Film Festival: A flagship U.S. independent film festival with shorts programming and lab/development programs. Broad incumbent with significantly larger resources and global reach, competing for filmmaker attention and short-form submission prestige.
• Cannes Film Festival (Cinéfondation / Short Film Palme d'Or): The world's most prestigious film festival, with dedicated short film competition (Short Film Palme d'Or) and Cinéfondation student film section. Broader incumbent offering global prestige, market access, and short film programming that competes at the very top tier with Winterthur's OSCAR pipeline.
• Locarno Film Festival: A major Swiss film festival held annually in Locarno with feature, short (Pardi di domani), and industry programs. Functions both as an established Swiss peer and as a formal partner through the Villa Sträuli residency; broader scope than Winterthur but overlapping short film industry positioning.
• SXSW Film & TV Festival: A large U.S. film, music, and technology festival with a notable shorts competition and industry programming. Broad incumbent offering a multi-vertical platform that competes for international short film submissions and industry visibility.

Direct peers

• Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival: The world's largest dedicated short film festival, held annually in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Direct peer on short film competition programming, OSCAR-qualifying status, industry networking, and short film market activities; competes head-to-head with Winterthur for top international short film submissions.
• Uppsala Short Film Festival: A Swedish short film festival held annually in Uppsala with strong international competition programming. Direct peer on short film curation, OSCAR-qualifying status, and Nordic/European festival competition for international submissions.
• International Short Film Festival Oberhausen: One of the oldest and most established short film festivals in the world, held annually in Oberhausen, Germany. Direct peer on short film competitions, OSCAR-qualifying accreditation, archive functions, and curated international programming; competes with Winterthur for European short film prestige.
• Vienna Shorts Festival: A leading Austrian short film festival held annually in Vienna. Direct peer on short film competition programming, industry networking, and Central European festival positioning; comparable in scale and OSCAR-qualifying profile to Winterthur.
• Tampere Film Festival: One of Europe's leading short and documentary film festivals, held annually in Tampere, Finland. Direct peer on short film competitions, OSCAR-qualifying status, industry programs, and Nordic/European short film market positioning.
• Palm Springs International ShortFest: A major North American short film festival held alongside the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Direct peer on short film competitions, OSCAR-qualifying status, and international submission competition, particularly for filmmakers seeking North American exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KurzfilmtageWIN
• Instagraminstagram.com/kurzfilmtage
• Xx.com/KurzfilmtageWIN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/internationale-kurzfilmtage-winterthur

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Short Film Festival Winterthur