Science Gallery Network
Bringing science, art, technology and design together, Science Gallery delivers unique, transdisciplinary exhibitions, events and educational programmes that engage millions of inquiring minds every year in connective, participative, and surprising ways.
The Science Gallery Network is an international collaboration of leading universities dedicated to public engagement through interdisciplinary art-science initiatives. As a Network, we seek to change the world through youth-led perspectives, igniting conversations and collaborations, and support young people to find connection, hope and agency through curiosity and creativity. We will achieve this as a global platform with a critical mass of public venues and digital spaces engaging millions of people.
Open calls
Each open call runs for 5 - 6 weeks. Ready your submission at least a few days before the deadline to ensure you have no technical difficulties and can have any queries answered in advance. The submission form closes automatically on the last day, and late submissions will not be accepted.
Most open C lls are run by individual locations in the Network (Atlanta, Bengaluru, Berlin, Dublin, London, Melbourne and Monterrey). Be sure to reach out directly to the correct location that has launched the call for any queries about their process. If the call is run by multiple locations simultaneously, a specific contact will be provided on the call page. Contact information for questions can always be found on an individual Open Call page. Review process dates are clearly published, and results are communicated shortly thereafter.
Technical difficulties with the application forms should be addressed to Submittable directly.
Science Gallery Bengaluru, in collaboration with Bangalore International Centre, is pleased to announce the QUANTUM Film Festival. We invite filmmakers to share completed works in any language, format, or genre that explore the theme of our ongoing exhibition-season, QUANTUM.
What if something could be in two places at once? What happens when observing something changes what you see? Could two particles remain connected across vast distances?
Quantum physics has transformed how we understand the world. From the scientists and experiments that first challenged established ideas about matter and light, to today's efforts to build quantum computers, develop new forms of communication, and understand the universe, quantum science is a story of strange discoveries, failed experiments, radical ideas, and technological possibility.
Its ideas have travelled far beyond the laboratory. Superposition, entanglement, uncertainty, and the observer effect have inspired generations of filmmakers, writers, and artists to imagine parallel worlds, alternate realities, teleportation, time loops, doubles, and other strange possibilities.
This year, the QUANTUM Film Festival explores the many worlds opened up by quantum ideas, both real and imagined. We welcome films that engage with quantum science and emerging technologies, as well as works that play with questions of probability, observation, multiple realities, coincidence, uncertainty, and the unknown.
Submissions are open to independent filmmakers, amateurs, and professionals alike. Whether documentary, fiction, experimental film, animation, science fiction, horror, comedy, or something else entirely, we invite storytellers to take us somewhere unexpected.
Alongside screenings, the festival will feature conversations and public programmes that bring filmmakers, artists, researchers, and the public together to explore the strange, speculative, and very real worlds of quantum science.
Timeline
- Call opens: 20 September 2026
- Round 1 closes: 20 October 2026
- Round 2 closes: 20 November 2026
- Films Shortlist: 15 January 2027
- Film Festival: 24-25 April 2027
Venue: Bangalore International Centre
Who can submit?
We are open to national and international submissions from broadcasters, producers, filmmakers, film students, researchers, scientific organisations, NGOs, public organisations, and online channels. We accept films across all languages. For non-English films, please ensure English subtitles are provided to make the screening accessible.
Is there a screening fee?
The festival is an open public event, and there are no costs associated with submitting a film. Selected filmmakers will be offered a nominal screening fee.
When will I hear about the selection?
Shortlisted filmmakers will hear from us in January 2027. We are unable to provide feedback on individual submissions at any stage of the selection process. Directors, producers, or distributors will be contacted upon selection of their films, and any additional requests for material or publicity may be made at that time.
For any queries regarding the open call, please drop us an email at programmes@bengaluru.sciencegallery.com
About
Science Gallery Bengaluru invites filmmakers to propose an original short film for the QUANTUM Film Festival.
The commission takes its cue from QUANTUM, Science Gallery Bengaluru’s ongoing exhibition-season. Quantum physics emerged from attempts to understand light and matter, overturning some of the most basic assumptions about how the world works. A century later, its ideas continue to shape research and technology, while also spilling into cinema, literature, and popular imagination.
There are experiments that changed the course of physics, thought experiments involving cats in boxes, particles that seem to communicate across impossible distances, and technologies that promise to transform computing and communication. There are also parallel universes, time loops, teleportation, and countless other stories that have grown around quantum ideas.
We invite filmmakers to propose an original short film that responds to this territory in their own way.
The selected filmmaker will receive a commission to develop and produce the work, along with mentorship and guidance during the development process. The completed film will premiere at the QUANTUM Film Festival.
Proposals will be shortlisted based on:
- Pertinence to the subject
- Creative engagement with the film form and narrative structure
- Clarity of perspective and argument
- The filmmaker’s past work and artistic approach
- Research depth and methodological clarity
- Budgetary feasibility
Timeline
- Call opens: 20 September 2026
- Call closes: 20 October 2026
- Shortlist: 15 November 2026
- Launch: 24 April 2027
Allocation of funds
The shortlisted filmmaker will be provided with a commissioning grant of 12 Lakh INR. The funds will be allocated in three stages:
- Story Development - 25%
- Shooting on the field - 25%
- Final Cut - Post production - 50%