17/04/2026
📢 Samizdat is turning 5 this autumn — and we want YOUR short films!
📍Named after the practice of clandestine dissemination of censored and forbidden texts in communist states, Samizdat is Scotland’s only film festival dedicated to the cinemas of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus.
❤️ We particularly welcome indigenous cinema, activist work, and submissions from Ukrainian filmmakers.
📽️ Films should be released after January 2023 and not previously screened in Scotland. For full rules and terms, visit our FilmFreeway (link in bio).
🎬 Submission deadlines:
Early Bird (£5) — 15th May, 2026
Main Deadline (£10) — 3rd July, 2026
Late Deadline (£15) — 23rd July, 2026
If the fees are prohibitive, please get in touch!
🍿 All selected films receive a £50 screening fee (or equivalent in local currency), with a £200 Audience Award for the 2026 winner.
👁️ Thank you to Sabina Bakaeva (), Michael Borodin () and Sasha Kulak (), and Natalia Boorsma (), whose previous submissions feature in the reel!
