About Bali International Short Film Festival: Minikino Film Week
Bali International Short Film Festival: Minikino Film Week (MFW) is an annual international short film festival. MFW recognizes short films as cultural activism that embody the unique social and cultural values of the artists and communities they originate from.
The first MFW was initiated in 2015. It is organized by Minikino, an established organization dedicated to short films since 2002.
A Healthy Dose of Short Films
Minikino is driven by the commitment to present a “healthy dose of short films” to its audience. By treating short films as potent literary expressions, just like poems or short stories, the festival curates programs to stimulate critical thinking and social awareness. These screenings aim to bridge societal divides and build a diverse, empowered society through cinema culture.
The Festival Experience: In-Person and Island-Wide
MFW is and has always been an in-person festival, prioritizing the collective experience of watching films on a big screen. The festival activates a unique network of venues across Bali:
- Micro Cinemas: Dedicated physical spaces and art houses that provide intimate, high-quality screening environments.
- Pop-Up Cinemas: A traveling cinema team that brings mobile projection and portable screens to remote villages and exciting public spaces.
- Community Screenings: Collaborative events hosted in various locations to engage local neighborhoods directly.
Our Three Strategic Pillars
Minikino Film Week is built upon three strategic sub-sections that run simultaneously throughout the festival week, integrating global excellence, industry growth, and educational outreach:
- The Short Film Festival
This is the artistic and exhibition heart of Minikino Film Week. It features the prestigious International & National Competitions, showcasing a rigorous selection of the world’s finest short films that are “daring to be different”. Alongside these competitive categories, the festival presents diverse Guest Programs from invited partner festivals and institutions around the globe, providing a comprehensive look at contemporary global cinema. - The Short Film Market
Launched in 2019, this vibrant industry hub connects filmmakers, producers, and professionals to build a sustainable short film economic ecology. The Market offers accredited guests exclusive access to the Short Film Library, industry talks, and specialized workshops. It serves as the primary stage for our cornerstone networking projects—Indonesia Raja (national exchange) and S-Express (Southeast Asian regional collaboration)—and hosts the high-energy Begadang Filmmaking Competition, Indonesia’s first 34-hour filmmaking challenge. It also features the Open Screen program, where anyone can register their work for a public screening and immediate feedback. - MFW Education Section
Formalized as a dedicated section in 2024, this pillar is committed to nurturing the next generation of film enthusiasts and creators. It fosters cinematic literacy through the Hybrid Internship for Film Festival Writers, which mentors emerging voices in film criticism, and interactive workshops like KORINCO (stop-motion animation for children). Additionally, the “Short Films for Schools” program provides curated screenings and educational modules designed to introduce students to the language of cinema, sparking critical thinking and empathy from an early age.
A Leader in Inclusive Cinema
MFW is at the forefront of the inclusive cinema movement in Indonesia. Since 2017, the festival has collaborated with Deaf schools, and in 2020, it launched a special program to post-process selected films with Closed Captions (CC) for the deaf and hard-of-hearing and Audio Description (AD) for blind and low-vision audiences. In 2023, this mission expanded to involve vision-impaired professionals as voice talents in AD productions.
Global Recognition
Minikino Film Week is currently the only Southeast Asian member of the Short Film Conference, the official global body for short films. It is consistently ranked among the Top 100 Best Reviewed Film Festivals in the world on FilmFreeway. In 2021, the festival was officially recognized by the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) as the oldest international short film festival organization in Indonesia.
Minikino, Bali – Your healthy dose of short films!
