CLAP 89 - International Short Film Festival

CLAP 89: Nearly Four Decades Dedicated to Short Films

CLAP 89 - International Short Film Festival is one of the oldest and most respected film events in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Born in Sens, the prefecture of the Yonne department, this cultural event celebrates short films every year in all their diversity: fiction, documentary, animation, experimental films. In 2026, it enters its 38th edition, a testament to its remarkable longevity and unwavering passion for the seventh art in all its forms.

A History Rooted in the Yonne

It all began on December 13, 1986, when a group of film lovers from Sens screened 11 films on Super 8 and video. The enthusiasm was immediate, and the idea of a festival took shape. In March 1988, the first official edition, named CLAP 88, was launched, focusing on amateur and semi-professional cinema. The following year, the festival definitively adopted the name CLAP 89, referencing the department number of the Yonne, thus strongly anchoring its identity geographically.

Over the decades, the festival has continuously grown and evolved. In 1991, it moved from the MJC of Sens to the Théâtre municipal, an Italian-style building dating back to 1882, thereby gaining prestige and capacity. In 1998, young high school students from the cinema option joined a professional jury for the first time, inaugurating an educational tradition that has never been interrupted. In 2017, for its 30th anniversary, the festival reached a new milestone by moving to the Cinéma Confluences, a modern cinema equipped with a 17-meter screen and 4K digital projectors, offering the competing films the best possible screening conditions.

A Demanding and Open International Festival

CLAP 89 receives hundreds of submissions from around the world each year. The selection committee of the Sens-Fiction association chooses about twenty short films, ranging from 1 to 20 minutes in length, presented during three official competition screenings. The program encompasses all genres: intimate or social fictions, committed documentaries, animated films, and experimental works. This diversity reflects the festival's curiosity and artistic ambition.

A jury of film and culture professionals, presided over by a recognized figure from the film world, awards several prizes, including the prestigious Clap d'Or and Clap d'Argent. In addition to these professional distinctions, there are the lycée jury awards, presented by selected students from the cinema option final year classes in Sens high schools, and the audience award, chosen by spectators after each screening.

The 38th Edition Under the Presidency of Hubert Charuel

The 2026 edition takes place from March 27 to 29, 2026, at Cinéma Confluences in Sens, under the presidency of director and screenwriter Hubert Charuel. A native of the region, Hubert Charuel gained recognition with the short film K-Nada before directing the feature film Météors. A tribute screening will be dedicated to him during the festival, including the screening of his works and a Q&A session with the audience.

The program includes 19 short films in official competition spread across three screenings—Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening—with an awards ceremony on Sunday. The festival also offers non-competition screenings, meetings with directors, and educational activities for schoolchildren.

Sens-Fiction: The Association at the Heart of the Festival

Since November 2019, the Sens-Fiction association has been organizing CLAP 89, perpetuating its legacy. It brings together a team of passionate volunteers and develops other activities related to cinema and animated images throughout the year: outdoor cinema screenings, audiovisual workshops, screening sessions with discussions, and educational meetings in schools. CLAP 89 is the highlight of this activity and resonates far beyond the city of Sens, attracting filmmakers and spectators from all over France and abroad.