SHORT CUTS NEST
The objective of Short Cuts Nest is to boost the development of the short film sector in Armenia. Its aim is to enhance the influence of short films on the wider film industry and to foster the emergence of fresh cinema authors and artists
The deadline to submit is April 19, 2026, 23:59 AMT. The upcoming edition of the GAIFF Pro Industry takes place July 13-17, 2026.
The objective of Short Cuts Nest is to boost the development of the short film sector in Armenia. Its aim is to enhance the influence of short films on the wider film industry and to foster the emergence of fresh cinema authors and artists
The deadline to submit is April 19, 2026, 23:59 AMT. The upcoming edition of the GAIFF Pro Industry takes place July 13-17, 2026.
2026
5 Armenian short projects will be selected to participate at GAIFF Pro 2026 and compete for a special Prize.
The main criteria for selection are the artistic quality of the project, the uniqueness of the content, the relevance of the subject matter, and its potential internationally. Priority will be given to projects of emerging filmmakers.
At the end of the Industry event, the selected participants will pitch their projects during the Pitching Session to a group of experts, producers, and festival executives. Pitching sessions are held in English. Depending on the pitch set-up, the teams have 7 - 10 minutes to present their project, including visual material, if applicable. The pitch is followed by a short Q&A with the moderator.
The winning project will be announced after the Pitching session, receiving an equipment deal for up to 6 days, amounting to up to 5MM AMD, sponsored by KINOKET PRODUCTIONS.
The main criteria for selection are the artistic quality of the project, the uniqueness of the content, the relevance of the subject matter, and its potential internationally. Priority will be given to projects of emerging filmmakers.
At the end of the Industry event, the selected participants will pitch their projects during the Pitching Session to a group of experts, producers, and festival executives. Pitching sessions are held in English. Depending on the pitch set-up, the teams have 7 - 10 minutes to present their project, including visual material, if applicable. The pitch is followed by a short Q&A with the moderator.
The winning project will be announced after the Pitching session, receiving an equipment deal for up to 6 days, amounting to up to 5MM AMD, sponsored by KINOKET PRODUCTIONS.
- All submitted materials must be in English or Armenian.
- Up to two projects may be submitted per production company.
- The project should be based on an original script (fiction or hybrid).
- The completed film should not exceed 30 minutes.
- If selected, you will be asked to provide a cover photo and finalised texts for publication. By providing these materials, you give GAIFF Pro permission to use them online and for promotional purposes.
- GAIFF Pro requires the logo of GAIFF Pro to be included in the credits of the participating films once finalised.
- The application can be submitted by the director or the producer of the project.
Gather the following materials in a project application package - ONE PDF document.
The documents should be submitted in the given order below:
The documents should be submitted in the given order below:
- Completed application form containing the general project information (DOWNLOAD the application form)
- Cover Page, including: project title (in English and in Armenian), name of the director and (co)producers, mention project type (fiction, documentary, animation, hybrid or expanded cinema), mention Short Cuts Nest
- Logline (max. 2 sentences)
- Synopsis (max. 1 page)
- Director’s Statement (max. 1 page)
- Producer’s Statement (max. 1 page)
- Full Script in correct formatting
- Team Biographies (writer, director, producer, production company), including: photo, biography, filmography (main previous works including the title, year, short/feature, type (documentary, fiction, etc.) and role in the production), links to previous audiovisual works (for the Director)
- Budget Topsheet: total budget in AMD (max. 1 page)
- Financing Plan, a table detailing institution/company/source, name of responsible financier, amount in AMD, status of each line in financing (expected, confirmed, etc.) (max. 1 page)
- Development and Production Timeline (max. 1 page)
- Visual materials related to the submitted project (if applicable, not exceeding 2 pages): for audiovisual works only links to stream online are acceptable, please note that we won’t download files.
- Please send the full project application package as ONE PDF file to gaiffpro.industry@gmail.com. Please note that the materials should be:
- all in English,
- in the order indicated in the list on the website,
- in one PDF file (max. file size 20MB),
- named after the project title, and the market section
- Make sure you follow the page limits per each section, and ensure that the information is clear and readable (avoid using too small fonts or complex layouts).
- Submissions that exceed the page limits will not be read.
- Please note that you are free to submit other additional materials: however, reading them is totally optional for our readers. So please do not rely on additional materials for key information about your project: all relevant information for the application should be present in the mandatory requested materials.
