15th IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival

IN THE PALACE is a renowned international festival dedicated to the promotion of short films, new media and digital arts under 27 minutes in length.

The main purpose of the Festival is to present and promote the contemporary film art from Bulgaria, Europe, and the world. In 2017 IN THE PALACE received an EFFE Festival Label from The European Festivals Association, and with the up-coming 15th edition, it will also hold the honor of being approved by the OSCAR® Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to choose a number of eligible films for their consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.

The festival will take place during the last week of June, in the former residence of Queen Marie Alexandra Victoria, situated in the beautiful seaside town of Balchik. It will consist of several essential activities, such as:

• International and national competitive programmes, in 4 genres: fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental
• ON FOCUS programmes - a non-competitive screening programme targeting concrete themes
• Q & A sessions
• Filmer Forge educational programme for professionals
• Pitching Session for young and debuting filmmakers
• Film Industry Market
• Video-library
• USHI FILM FEST - parallel film festival for kids and teenagers
• MUSIC PALACE FEST - parallel musical programme, including live concerts, parties, jam sessions, etc.

IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival provides an exceptionally favorable platform for the expressions of both young directors and established professionals. Founded in 2003, the festival has grown from a competitive forum for student films into the largest and most prestigious short film festival in Bulgaria and the region.

IN THE PALACE is organized by Format SFF Foundation, Veshtina Municipal Centre and National Institute for Culture Research and Policies, in partnership and with the support of National Cultural Institute - Cultural Center “The Palace” - Balchik, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgarian National Film Center and the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission.

The 15th In The Palace ISFF will be held from June 23 -30, 2018.

http://www.inthepalace.com

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RULES AND REGULATIONS:

1. Eligible films must be maximum 27 minutes in length and completed after 1 January 2016.

2. The Festival accepts individual and institutional submission (production companies, distribution companies, film academies, national film centers, television networks, creative associations, etc.).

3. Entry fees and deadlines*:

         FIRST DEADLINE: 15 of April 2017 - 15.00 EUR for the International and National Competition Programs;
         LAST DEADLINE: 15 of March 2018 - 20.00 EUR for the International and National Competition Programs.

* Authors whose films have been selected in some of the 2 most recent editions of the Festival shall not be charged a submission fee.
** Authors whose films have been awarded or nominated in previous editions of the Festival shall not be charged a submission fee.

On 01 May 2018 the Festival will officially announce its final selection for the International and National Competition Programs.

4. The Festival does not pay any screening fees.

5. The total award fund of the Festival amounts to 10 000 EUR payable in gold.

6. The Festival Competition Program includes:

        I. MAIN COMPETITION PROGRAM

       ONLY for films having their Bulgarian premiere at the Festival, including the following categories:
      -Fiction
      -Documentary
      -Animation
      -Experimental films, hybrid forms and formats, digital art works.

Films and audiovisual works PUBLICLY SHOWN IN BULGARIA or RELEASED ON-LINE ON FREE ACCESS WEBSITES or PLATFORMS are NOT ELIGIBLE for this Competition Program.

       II. STUDENT COMPETITION PROGRAM

      Includes the following categories:
       -Fiction
       -Documentary
       -Animation
       -Experimental films, hybrid forms and formats, digital art works.

Eligible are only films that have been completed during the study years of their directors.

     III. NATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAM

         ONLY FOR BULGARIAN MOVIES, including the following categories:
         -Fiction
         -Documentary
         -Animation
         -Experimental films, hybrid forms and formats, digital art works.

Eligible are films produced in Bulgaria or co-productions with Bulgarian participation.

7. The Festival appoints a Selection Committee and a professional International Jury to assess the films shown at Festival.

8. Authors of selected films will be timely informed about the decisions of the commissions.

9. Accreditation applications should be submitted via E-MAIL (guests@inthepalace.com) not later than 01 June 2018. The Festival has the right to decline accreditation; in this case the applicant will be timely notified.

10. The deadline for sending screening copies of selected films is 01 June 2018.

11. English subtitles are mandatory for all the movies, also for the ones with English dialogues. The subtitles must be always burned in the movie.

12. The recommended format of screening copies, together with all technical requirements, are sent to the address specified in the application. Once and if the movie is selected the recommended format of screening copies, together with all technical requirements will be sent to the mail indicated in the moment of the submission; please check carefully that the address is correct. If you don’t receive any communication, please write us asap to mail@inthepalace.com to check the status of your movie.

13. The Festival reserves the right to screen the preview copies of the films presented at the time of selection, if the screening copy is late and/or is different from the one selected, and/or in case the technical characteristics of the screening copy are different from the ones accepted by the Festival.

14. The Festival will cover the accommodation of one film representative per film of the movies selected in the competition program. The accommodation will be arranged based on preliminary accreditation. In the case of late applications the Festival will not be responsible if the accommodation capacity is filled up.

15. The Festival reserves the right to include films that have not accumulated enough selection points to participate in the competition programs, in thematic non-competitive festival programs.

16. Copyright and other rights owners of the film agree to its inclusion in any Festival and further presentation programs, such as gratuitous publication and showing of screenshots, trailers and parts of the film (online or via other media) with the purpose of presenting the film’s participation in the Festival.

17. Further to the Festival’s mission to preserve and protect short filmmaking as part of contemporary cultural heritage, all submitted demos of films will be automatically included in the Festival Video Library for a period of 10 years, and will be accessible for non-commercial and professional viewing. In the absence of an explicit written request on behalf of the rights owners at least 2months before the expiry of the above 10-year period, the permanence of the movie in the Festival Video-Library will be automatically renewed for another period of the same duration (10 years).

18. The Festival Director has the right to personally resolve any cases not covered by the present rules and regulations.

19. The submission for participation in the Festival constitutes acceptance of all the present rules and regulations.

The Festival reserves the right to cancel an Application for participation and undertake action in case of breach of the present rules and regulations and/or indecent behavior: acts of aggression and arrogance, intolerance towards difference, etc. that undermine the Festival’s name or impede its normal proceedings.

Any legal disputes shall be resolved by a Bulgarian court.