It is with great pleasure Odense International Film Festival reveals, that when OFF18 kicks off in August, it is with four Oscar-qualifying categories. The new Documentary competition can now also send a short film to the jury of the Academy Awards. 

OFF is Denmark’s only Oscar-qualifying film festival and has previous years sent the winners of the Main Competition, Danish Competition and Animation Competition to the selection jury of the Academy. Now, OFF can reveal that this year one more winner will be sent to Hollywood; the winner of OFF’s new Short Documentary Competition.

The new Oscar-qualifying category helps consolidate OFF’s position and importance, both nationally and internationally, and this pleases the Mayor of Culture and Urban Development of Odense Municipality, Jane Jegind.

“I am extremely pleased and proud, that Odense International Film Festival gets another Oscar-qualifying competition. It clearly shows, that the development of Odense not only takes place physically – it is also cultural. In addition, it is a great recognition of the country’s oldest film festival, which has managed to renew and develop its position as the short film center of Denmark. It is impressive to follow this development year by year,” she says.

The Short Documentary has always been welcome at OFF, but this year OFF will bring the short documentary into the light, and fully focus on its intense and challenging genre. The new competition will include two new awards: Best Documentary Short, which is Oscar-qualifying, and The Soapbox Award, given to the documentary which has used its platform best to challenge its audience. With the two new awards, a total of 13 awards are given during OFF18.

Odense International Film Festival takes place from the 27^th of August to the 2^nd of September 2018. All competition viewings are free. Ticket reservation can be done via www.filmfestival.dk.