The 12th Bali International Short Film Festival, also known as Minikino Film Week 12, has unveiled its 2026 lineup, bringing 122 short films from 60 countries to Bali from September 11 to 18. Selected from 1,454 international submissions, the films will be screened across the island, with Denpasar serving as the festival’s primary hub. Organised by Yayasan Kino Media, the event continues its focus on connecting Indonesian, Southeast Asian and international short-film communities.
The scale of the festival extends beyond the Official Selection. MFW12 will present 202 short films across 42 screening programmes, combining international selections with invited programmes, national exchanges, regional collaborations and other initiatives. The result is a festival built not simply around competition, but around a wider conversation about short cinema and the people who make, programme and watch it.
The programme offers a broad picture of contemporary short filmmaking. Fiction accounts for approximately 59.46% of the programme, followed by animation at 20.27%, documentary at 9.91%, experimental films at 8.11% and docufiction at 2.25%. The range gives audiences different approaches to short-form storytelling, from conventional narrative structures to more visually adventurous and hybrid forms.
That variety is reflected in this year’s theme, “Get Your Right Dose!” The Official Selection is organised into five cinematic “doses” — Heart, Mind, Nerves, Soul and Taste — creating an accessible way for viewers to discover films according to mood and experience rather than solely by genre or country.
MFW12 is also distinctive in how it brings films to audiences. The festival remains an in-person event, using Micro Cinemas, Pop-up Cinemas and Community Screenings across Bali rather than concentrating its programme in a single commercial multiplex. Confirmed locations include MASH Denpasar Art House Cinema, Rumah Tanjung Bungkak and Dharma Negara Alaya, alongside outdoor and community-based screening spaces.
The programme also strengthens connections within the region. Indonesia Raja, a national short-film exchange programme, and the Southeast Asia Programmers Network place Indonesian filmmaking alongside work from neighbouring countries and wider international collaborations. For filmmakers, these initiatives create opportunities not only to screen their work but also to encounter different programming cultures and build regional relationships.
Industry activity is another major component of MFW12. The eighth Short Film Market, first launched in 2019, will bring filmmakers, producers and other industry professionals together through market screenings, talks, seminars, workshops, professional gatherings and the Short Film Library. The market gives the festival a practical dimension, helping short films move beyond exhibition towards professional exchange and discovery.
Filmmaker development continues through Shorts Up 2026, which supports selected projects through mentoring, pitching and networking opportunities during the festival. Another initiative, Begadang 10 Tahun, was held as part of the festival’s pre-events. Its filmmaking challenge ran for 34 hours from July 4 to 5, requiring participating teams to create their work within the set production period.
The selection numbers also highlight the scale of the programming process. Of the 1,454 international submissions received, 122 films reached the Official Selection, meaning approximately 8.4% of submissions were selected.
Awards will provide another focal point when the festival concludes. MFW12 will present International and National Awards, with the Best Short Film of the Year carrying a prize of IDR 5 million. Category awards will also recognise fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and children’s shorts.
With screenings, exchanges, education, filmmaker development and industry activities taking place across Bali, Minikino Film Week 12 is positioning its 2026 edition as more than a series of film programmes. The festival brings together international short cinema and the creative communities of Indonesia and Southeast Asia, creating a shared space for audiences and filmmakers to discover new stories, ideas and connections across screens, communities and cultures.