ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (1)

Festival start: 23 July 2026      Festival end: 26 July 2026

ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL is an exclusive film event organized and administered by the Swedish Creation, Production and Distribution Company Dorobantu Film & Television.

FESTIVAL CONTACT:

Dorobantu Film & Television, Ars Gratia Artis, Box 14, SE-73221 Arboga, Sweden.

E-Mail: film.submission@ars.dorobantu.biz

Telephone: +46 (0)760 880 550

The aim of ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL is to offer its audience a top showcase of exquisite feature films and short films which fit the creative concept Art for the Sake of Art (meaning original and innovative films which do not have commercial entertainment as a main goal but try to bring a serious creative contribution to the development of The Seventh Art).

ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL is a competitive event – offering trophy, diploma, and cash awards.

ALL feature films and short films submitted to the festival (not just the ones selected for a festival participation) will also be considered for possible film sale / distribution agreement proposals – within a parallel selection process (here below called Market Selection), trying to identify artistic films with a high market potential.

ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL will take place in Arboga, Sweden, at the Medborgarhuset Cinema Hall.

The first edition of the festival will be held between 23 and 26 July 2026.

Cash Prizes: 800$

FESTIVAL AWARDS

THE FESTIVAL’S SUPREME TRANS-SECTION AWARD:

GREAT ARS AWARD FOR BEST FILM IN THE FESTIVAL (Feature or Short) – consisting of both a Physical Trophy (going to the director of the film) and a Cash Prize of 4000 SEK (to be split between the director and the producer of the film).

The Great Ars Award for Best Film in the Festival (Feature or Short – Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental / Hybrid) will be awarded by the members of festival jury, who will decide between the winner of the Best Film Award in the Feature Film Competition and the winner of the Best Film Award in the Short Film Competition (please see the lists of awards in the feature film section and in the short film section here below).

FEATURE FILM SECTION AWARDS:

– Best Film Award in the Feature Film Competition (Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental / Hybrid) – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of both an Official Diploma (going to the director of the film) and a Cash Prize of 2000 SEK (to be equally divided between the director and the producer of the film);

– Best Feature Film Screenplay – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Feature Film Actress – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Feature Film Actor – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Debut Feature Film – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director;

– Special Award for Outstanding Feature Film Creation – awarded by the Artistic Director of the festival, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director.

SHORT FILM SECTION AWARDS:

– Best Film Award in the Short Film Competition (Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental / Hybrid) – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of both an Official Diploma (going to the director of the film) and a Cash Prize of 2000 SEK (to be equally divided between the director and the producer of the film);

– Best Short Film Screenplay – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Short Film Actress – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Short Film Actor – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Debut Short Film – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director;

– Special Award for Outstanding Short Film Creation – awarded by the Artistic Director of the festival, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director.

COMPLETE RULES AND REGULATIONS

ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL is an exclusive film event organized and administered (along with the inclusive film event Moonlight Online International Film Festival) by the Swedish Creation, Production and Distribution Company Dorobantu Film & Television.

FESTIVAL CONTACT:

Dorobantu Film & Television, Ars Gratia Artis, Box 14, SE-73221 Arboga, Sweden.

E-Mail: film.submission@ars.dorobantu.biz
Telephone: +46 (0)760 880 550

The aim of ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL is to offer its audience a top showcase of exquisite feature films and short films which fit the creative concept Art for the Sake of Art (meaning original and innovative films which do not have commercial entertainment as a main goal but try to bring a serious creative contribution to the development of The Seventh Art).

ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL is a competitive event – offering trophy, diploma, and cash awards.

ALL feature films and short films submitted to the festival (not just the ones selected for a festival participation) will also be considered for possible film sale / distribution agreement proposals – within a parallel selection process (here below called Market Selection), trying to identify artistic films with a high market potential.

ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL will take place in Arboga, Sweden, at the Medborgarhuset Cinema Hall (Address: Kapellgatan 5, Arboga, SE-73230, Sweden).

The first edition of the festival will be held between 23 and 26 July 2026.


FILM ELIGIBILITY

Eligible are feature films (with a minimum length of 60 minutes and not longer than 360 minutes) and short films (with a length between 1 and 59 minutes) – regardless of the respective feature / short films’ production year and premiere status – belonging to the following categories: fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, hybrid.

Films directed by film students are accepted.

Not eligible are television series (or episodes of such), educational / instructional films, advertising films, promotional films, music videos.


FESTIVAL AWARDS

THE FESTIVAL’S SUPREME TRANS-SECTION AWARD:

GREAT ARS AWARD FOR BEST FILM IN THE FESTIVAL (Feature or Short) – consisting of both a Physical Trophy (going to the director of the film) and a Cash Prize of 4000 SEK (to be split between the director and the producer of the film).

The Great Ars Award for Best Film in the Festival (Feature or Short – Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental / Hybrid) will be awarded by the members of festival jury, who will decide between the winner of the Best Film Award in the Feature Film Competition and the winner of the Best Film Award in the Short Film Competition (please see the lists of awards in the feature film section and in the short film section here below).


FEATURE FILM SECTION AWARDS:

– Best Film Award in the Feature Film Competition (Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental / Hybrid) – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of both an Official Diploma (going to the director of the film) and a Cash Prize of 2000 SEK (to be equally divided between the director and the producer of the film);

– Best Feature Film Screenplay – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Feature Film Actress – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Feature Film Actor – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Debut Feature Film – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director;

– Special Award for Outstanding Feature Film Creation

– awarded by the Artistic Director of the festival, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director.


SHORT FILM SECTION AWARDS:

– Best Film Award in the Short Film Competition (Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental / Hybrid) – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of both an Official Diploma (going to the director of the film) and a Cash Prize of 2000 SEK (to be equally divided between the director and the producer of the film);

– Best Short Film Screenplay – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Short Film Actress – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Short Film Actor – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;

– Best Debut Short Film – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director;

– Special Award for Outstanding Short Film Creation – awarded by the Artistic Director of the festival, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director.

There is no restriction with regard to how many of the awards can go to one and the same feature film / short film.

Only one of the jury-decided awards can be awarded ex aequo to two feature films, or to two short films respectively.

The jury-decided trans-section Great Ars Award for Best Film in the Festival (Feature or Short) may not be awarded ex aequo.

The jury-decided Award for Best Film in the Feature Film Competition / Short Film Competition may not be awarded ex aequo.

In case that the feature films / short films selected for competition do not include debut feature films or debut short films, the Award for Best Debut Feature Film / Best Debut Short Film may be excluded from the award list.

Cash prizes will be paid within a period of six months after the festival. Cash prize receivers are responsible for any and all potential taxes to be paid in connection with receiving the respective cash prize amounts.

The festival may change the lists of awards at its own discretion, at any time, without notification.

The members of the jury will be announced on the festival website in due time before the festival start date.

Persons in any way related to the feature films / short films in competition may not be part of the jury.

All award decisions are final and cannot be contested.

FILM ENTRY DEADLINES AND FEES

EARLY DEADLINE: 28 FEBRUARY 2025
Entry Fee for Short Films: 5 USD
Entry Fee for Feature Films: 6 USD

STANDARD DEADLINE: 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
Entry Fee for Short Films: 9 USD
Entry Fee for Feature Films: 10 USD

LATE DEADLINE: 15 MARCH 2026
Entry Fee for Short Films: 13 USD
Entry Fee for Feature Films: 14 USD

EXTENDED DEADLINE: 15 APRIL 2026
Entry Fee for Short Films: 17 USD
Entry Fee for Feature Films: 18 USD

Entry Fees can be paid through the available PayPal Form, after the Film Entry Form is filled in and submitted through the Festival Website.

For films submitted through FESTHOME, Entry Fees will be paid within the respective submission process.

Submitted films will only be considered after the respective entry fees are paid.

Entry fees are used to partly cover costs related to the film submission processing by the festival.
Consequently, entry fees are not refundable under any circumstances.

FILM SUBMISSIONS

ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL only accepts submissions of films by directors who are at least 18 years old.

Film submitters must also be at least 18 years old.

Film submissions are accepted through FESTHOME, as well as through the SHORT FILM ENTRY FORM and the FEATURE FILM ENTRY FORM which are available on the festival website and must be properly filled in and submitted before the respective deadlines.

One and the same film entrant may submit several films, by filling in a separate entry form for each submitted film – either on the Festival Website or on FESTHOME.

For each film submitted through the Festival Website, the film entrant must provide a password-protected film link (to be included in the film entry form) and the respective link-related password (to be separately included in the entry fee payment form, along with the film title).

For each film submitted through FESTHOME, the password-protected film link and the link-related password must be available on FESTHOME.

All films which are not in English language must have English subtitles burnt in the film file.

The festival does not accept electronic subtitles which are separate from the film file.

The festival does not either accept physical film submissions (such as DVDs and so on).

IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTE:

By submitting their films to the festival, film entrants confirm that they possess all legal rights necessary for the submission of their films to the festival and for the screening of their films in the festival (in case that their films are selected).

The festival has no legal responsibility related to any third-party’s legal complaint or legal action regarding the presentation of the submitters’ films in the festival (for example, related to – but not limited to – copyright issues and / or other legal matters, aspects, or issues connected to the films’ content, such as music, picture, sound and / or sound effects, and so on).

The film submitters alone will meet such third-party legal complaints and / or legal actions (if any), and the same film submitters hereby undertake to keep the festival and all its representatives totally free from any implication of any nature in any legal cases, disputes, or anything similar.

FILM SELECTION

A number of feature films and short films at the discretion of the festival will be selected and invited to participate in the Official Competition by the Festival President and Artistic Director.

Film entrants will be notified about the festival selection results by 15 May 2026 at the latest.

While waiting for the selection results, please check regularly your e-mail account’s Inbox and Spam folder!

The selection decisions are final and cannot be contested.

The festival will not provide any kind of film feedback.

SELECTED FILMS

Film entrants whose submitted films are selected for being screened in the festival will receive a Participation Form to be dully filled in, signed, and then returned to the festival in due time before the festival date.

By signing the above-mentioned Participation Form, film entrants undertake to:

– fully comply with all festival rules and regulations;

– not withdraw the selected films from the festival;

– provide the festival with the required film screeners and all related promotional materials (film poster, film stills, film trailer / teaser / promo clip, film synopsis, director photo, director biography and filmography);

– display the festival’s “Official Selection” laurel logotype – and, if applicable, the festival’s “Award” laurel logotype – in the opening credits of their respective films, as well as on all film-related publicity and promotional materials.

By signing the Participation Form, film entrants also confirm that they possess all legal rights necessary for the screening of their films in the festival, and the same film entrants undertake to keep the festival and all its representatives totally free from any implication of any nature in any legal cases, disputes, or anything similar – in the event that such cases, disputes, and so on, will arise in connection with the respective selected films initially being submitted to the festival and subsequently being screened in the festival.

FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

The festival does NOT pay screening fees to the film entrants or to the film rights holders.

All selected feature films and short films participating in the festival will be screened at festival physical venue and at the dates and times to be exclusively decided by the festival.

Each selected film will have one public screening for a live audience.*

Secure online screenings will be held on closed networks, exclusively for the festival jury – and, possibly, for the members of the press.

[*In cases of unforeseen events, which make public screenings for a live audience impossible – like, for example, pandemics – the festival has the right to move all official film screenings from the initially intended physical venues to an online screening platform.]

Selected films will be screened in their original language, with English subtitles (in case that the film language is not English). Providing film screeners with English subtitles (which are burned in the file) is the responsibility of the respective film entrants – who will cover all related costs.

The film files accepted for official festival screenings are Apple ProRes and DCP (Digital Cinema Package). Besides one of these two official screening formats, each film entrant must also submit an H.264 file of the respective selected film.

Film entrants whose submitted films are selected for being screened in the festival will receive all the necessary technical parameters and information regarding the required film screening files mentioned here above.

In case that the technical quality of a selected film’s submitted screening file(s) is poor (and regarded as under the standards required by the festival), the respective film screening will be cancelled, and the respective selected film will be excluded from the festival.

Film exclusion decisions are final, and they cannot be contested.

MARKET SELECTION

ALL feature films and short films submitted to the festival (not just the ones selected for a festival participation) will also be considered for possible film sale / distribution agreement proposals – within a parallel selection process, attempting to identify artistic films with a high market potential.

In case that a feature film or a short film is selected for a possible film sale / distribution agreement, the film entrant will be contacted by the festival management office with the respective agreement proposal (addressed to the rights holder of the respective film) within three months after the festival.

FESTIVAL ATTENDANCE

ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL is looking forward to welcoming directors, actors, producers, and other members of the selected films’ teams, as well as film distributors, film sales agents, film acquisition representatives, and members of the press, who have the possibility to travel to Sweden for attending this exclusive event.

ACCEPTANCE OF RULES AND REGULATIONS

By submitting their films to ARS GRATIA ARTIS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL, film entrants automatically and entirely accept the festival’s Rules and Regulations, and the same film entrants guarantee that they fully and unconditionally comply with the Rules and Regulations.

The festival has the right to change its Rules and Regulations at its own discretion and at any time, without notification. Please follow this website, in order to stay updated.

The Festival President has the power to settle all cases which are not covered by the festival’s Rules and Regulations. His decisions are final and cannot not be contested.