Szczecin Film Festival (15)

Festival start: 20 October 2022      Festival end: 24 October 2022

Szczecin Film Festival is a film event, a forum for meetings and cooperation in the field of film, directly on the Polish-German borderland. The festival is organized by the Polish OFFicyna Association, located at 3-4 Lenartowicza Street in Szczecin (71-445), Poland. The festival program is carried out in partnership with a Polish-German network of organizers, and presented in Szczecin/Poland.

The main goal of the European Competition for documentary films at Szczecin Film Festival '21 is to seek out films that broaden the concept of documentary cinema and break its stereotypical image. Each year, the competition presents several dozen carefully selected titles. The chosen documentary films are a cross-section of works that stand out against the background of tired formulae and seemingly played-out topics. Creators known by few and film veterans alike will have a chance to confront their productions with the opinions of the jury and the festival audience. Thanks to the availability of technology and the ease with which people can communicate globally, we can enjoy an innovative and exciting cinema that abolishes our prior perception of a documentary film and broadens our horizons.

The films presented at the festival are selected by a Polish-German Selection Team. Its members search for productions that cross the formal boundaries and exhibit an unconventional approach to reality – productions that are documentary trailblazers. Premieres are considered especially significant. Awards are given by an international jury, which is assembled by the organizers. Apart from film screenings, a relevant and characteristic part of the European Competition are discussions with the presented films' creators.

Cash Prizes: 4,300€

PREVIOUS EDITION (2021):

European Competition

The award for the best film, in the amount of 10 000 PLN, funded by the President of Szczecin.

The award for the most moving film, in the amount of 10 000 PLN, funded by the Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1. The organizer of the Szczecin Film Festival (hereinafter referred to as the Festival) and of its competition section (the European Competition, West Pomerania Shorts) is the OFFicyna Association (hereinafter referred to as the Organizer), located in Szczecin, postal code 71-445, 3–4 Lenartowicza street.

1.2 The European Competition takes place from the 21st of October until 23rd of October 2022 in Szczecin.

1.3. Detailed information on the Festival and its program can be found at www.szczecinfilmfestival.com.

1.4. The films can be submitted to the competition through the online platform Festhome.

1.5. Submitting the film/films though online platform Festhome incurs a fee specified on those sites.

1.6. The profile of the European Competition for documentary films relates to the latest trends in the development of artistic audio-visual editing. The European Competition is concerned mainly with the formal crossing of boundaries, referring to the perception of reality – especially such crossing that enables new perspectives.

1.7. The films presented in the competition are selected by a Polish-German Program Committee.

1.8. The Program Committee reserves the right to present the film within the Accompanying Program.

1.9. The documentary films admitted to the selection process will have a running time no longer than 90 minutes, will be produced after January 1st 2021, and will be of European production/co-production.

1.10. Special attention is given to film premieres.

1.11. Copies with English subtitles are required.

1.12. The awards are given by an international jury created by the Organizer.

1.13. The qualified films will be screened live using the DCP format, for ONLINE screenings h.264, h.265, ProRes (excluding 422 HQ). For one-time only live screening purposes all video files will be converted to DCP format. The possibility to use other formats must be individually agreed upon with the Organizer.

1.14. A film selected for the European Competition, whose participation has been confirmed, cannot be withdrawn from the program after August 31st 2022.

2. DEADLINES, ADDITIONAL INFO

2.1. The final deadline for submissions is June 22nd 2022.

2.2. The Organizer will only pass the information about the selection outcome to those, whose films have been qualified to the Festival program.

2.3. The Program Committee is not obliged to justify their decisions regarding film selection.

2.4. The Organizer does not return the submitted materials.

2.5. The qualified films are made available to the Organizer free of charge.

2.6. The qualified films' screening dates and locations are established by the organizational team.

3. PROMOTION

3.1. The Organizer reserves the right to use selected excerpts (up to 5 minutes) from the qualified films for the Festival's promotional-informational purposes (e.g. the Festival trailer, TV broadcasts, etc.).

3.2. The Organizer reserves the right to use the submitted film and author information on the Festival website, in social media (e.g. Facebook), as well as in all promotional materials (e.g. the catalogue, the program guide, press kits, etc.).

3.3. The Organizer reserves the right to use the submitted materials for promotional activities associated with the Festival before, during, and after closing this year's edition.

4. DELIVERY AND INSURANCE OF FILM COPIES

4.1. The Festival presentation copy is to be submitted until September 19th 2022. The copy will be sent back after the Festival ends. The copy is to be submitted to the following address: StowarzyszenieOFFicyna, al. WojskaPolskiego 90, postal code 70-482 Szczecin, Poland; or to competition@seff.pl (in case of digital files).

4.2. The films are sent at the expense and responsibility of the sender. Parcels sent at the expense of the recipient will not be accepted.

4.3. The Organizer does not take responsibility for the transport of film copies to Szczecin (Poland).

4.4. The Organizer covers the expenses associated with sending the film back after the Festival.

4.5. The film copies are insured for the duration of the Festival in Szczecin, from the moment of receiving the copy from the delivering company until the moment of handing it over to the delivering company once again.

4.6. In the case of damaging or losing the medium, the Organizer covers only the expense of the physical medium (e.g. the pen drive, DVD, hard drive).

5. PERSONAL DATA

5.1. The entrant gives the right to the Organizer to process their personal data in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

5.2. The transfer of the right to process refers to the personal data of the individuals listed in the entry form and the individuals listed on the payroll, especially the filmmakers. The processed data includes the following: first and last name; electronic mail address; phone number.

5.3. The Organizer is authorized to further transfer the processing of personal data to other parties, to the extent required.

6. CLOSING REMARKS

6.1. Entering a film to participate in the Festival is synonymous with accepting the above terms and conditions, as well as with accepting the information included in the entry form.

6.2. Entering a film to participate in a competition equals an invitation for the author, or their representative (related to movie or its production), to be present during the festival presentation as well as during the discussion with the audience in Szczecin or online, in the event of their film being qualified.

6.3. The Organizer reserves the right to change these terms and conditions.

6.4. Issues not covered within the terms and conditions will be handled by the Festival directors.

6.5. The sums of cash prizes are pre-tax. The prizes given to the winners of the European Competition are subject to taxation in accordance with Polish law.