What is the impact of leaving one’s place and growing roots elsewhere? How does migration reshape our sense of belonging, identity and community?  

We are looking for animation, documentary, and fiction films that deal with migration in its different, immediate, and urgent realities, its long-term consequences, share invisible personal histories, and bring the perspectives of migrant and diasporic communities to the screen. Films that explore or reimagine what home can mean, films about the decision to leave, the decision to stay, rebuilding community in the diaspora, as well as stories of return, are all welcome as submissions to the goShorts Competition 2027.  

The final goShorts programme will consist of 5 to 7 selected films. A jury of professional cinephiles from the Rhine-Main region will select the winning film, which will receive a prize of €2,500. After the festival, the programme will tour the region, visiting independent cinemas along the way.  

This year’s goShorts competition is part of goEast’s Focus “Growing Roots”, dedicated to migrant and diasporic cinema. 

Requirements: 
Maximum length: 20 min 
Production year: 2025 to 2027

The filmmaker must have citizenship of one of the eligible countries in Central or Eastern Europe (see list below), must be a resident of one of these countries and/or the film must be mainly produced in one of these countries. 

Deadline for submissions: 31. December 2026

goEast countries:  

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia*, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan  

*goEast strongly condemns Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Films that received funding from any Russian state institution, or from organizations or individuals on the international sanctions list, will not be selected for the goEast competition.