General Regulations

The Festival is mounted by Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin GmbH. The official programme comprises films in Competition, Out of Competition, Berlinale Shorts and the Panorama. The Berlin International Film Festival also comprises the sections Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino and Forum, which is organised independently. Applicants may choose the festival section(s) to which they would like to submit their film. However, the programmes Berlinale Special and Berlinale Special Gala (Official Programme), Retrospective, Culinary Cinema and Forum Expanded are curated.

Please register the film online at online film entry.
Only films that have been registered online can be considered for selection.
Film submission to the European Film Market at www.efm-berlinale.de

A film synopsis, filmography and biography of the director as well as a crew and cast list can be sent either via e-mail or regular mail to:

Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin
Programme Department
Potsdamer Straße 5
10785 Berlin
Germany
phone +49 30 25920-444
fax +49 30 25920-499

Films are to be submitted in their original version for the selection process. Films in German and English do not require translation. Films in other languages must be subtitled in either German or English. Formats accepted for selection are 35mm film prints, DVD and Blu-ray (region free / all regions). DCP and all other formats upon request only (additional charges may arise)
If you apply for several sections and your submission format is DVD / Blu-ray, you are kindly requested to possibly send two screeners to our attention.
Submitted short films may also be sent through file upload during the course of the online film entry process. See infosheet upload.

Screening material sent for selection should be sent to the following address:

Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin
Film Office
Voxstraße 3
10785 Berlin
Germany
phone +49 30 25920-888
fax +49 30 25920-899

The full cost of sending screening media for selection, including customs fees and insurance of all prints, as well as their return freight, must be borne by the producer or his authorised representatives. All shipments must be sent prepaid. Shipments sent through international courier services must clearly indicate on their waybill that all costs for duties and taxes are to be billed to the sender. Please note, that any charges for shipping incurred by the Festival will be invoiced back to the sender with an additional €25,00 administrative charges.

All shipments from outside the European Single Market must get customs clearance before being imported to Germany. For this purpose all shipments must include three copies of proper customs documentation providing all the required information (i.e.: commercial invoice). If you are shipping via international post, please affix a customs declaration label to the outside of the package.

DVDs and Blu-rays should be marked as ‘Sample’ and with the following declaration: ‘For cultural purposes only. No commercial value’. Their declared value for customs should not exceed €10,00.

35mm film prints, DCPs etc. are usually shipped with a declared customs value averaging between €50,00 – 500,00 and can be imported into Germany either permanently or under customs’ temporary import regime. Temporary import of film prints and DCPs is handled by the Festival’s approved shipping agent. Shipments thus imported can only be returned or forwarded by air freight and through the same agent. The costs of temporary import must be borne by the producer or his authorised representative.
It is recommended to contact the film coordination office () before shipping 35mm or DCP.

Notice of despatch

The sender should notify the Festival in written of the date and means of shipment, including shipment number / airway bill number and film title.

Liability of the Festival

The Festival is only responsible for the costs of storage and insurance of films while they are on the premises of the Festival in Berlin. In case of damage or loss of a print, either during the selection process or during the Festival itself, the Festival is liable only for the cost of striking a new print at the rate charged by film laboratories for ordering a standard print. In any such case the Festival must receive notification and damage report within two weeks after the print was returned and the print must not have been employed since its return.

Return of film prints and tapes/DVDs

Provided the entry fees have been paid, film prints will be re turned by the Festival or its shipping agent according to the print owner’s instructions on cash on delivery basis. All transportation costs are the responsibility of the entrant. All prints imported temporarily into Germany by the Festival‘s shipping agent must be exported by the same and by air freight.

All DVDs and Blu-rays submitted for selection will be returned only at the express wish of the owner and at the owner’s expense. Requests for return of material can be made to within six months after the festival.

Upon explicit demand, the submitted material may also be destroyed by the Festival. In this case it is similarly necessary to send the respective instruction to within six months after the Festival.

After this period all unfinished versions of films will be deleted and the remaining media will be archived in the reference collections of Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen for the sole purpose of onsite documentation and research – excluding any loan or public presentation, in order to protect the interests of the filmmakers and the producers.

Films will only be considered for selection after the entry fee is received. The fee for submitting a long film is €125 (7% VAT included) regardless of the number of sections for which the film is entered. The fee for short films is €50.

Means of payment

Payment of the entry fee is to be effected by credit card during the online submission.
Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted.

There are special conditions for film schools and film institutes. Please contact the programme organisation at for further details.

Programming is at the sole discretion of the directors of each festival section and their decision is final and irrevocable. Each film may be screened up to five times during the Festival.

No film selected may be withdrawn from the Festival programme after its publication. During the Festival no film selected may be screened outside the Festival venues before its official presentation at the Festival.

Participation in the Festival requires the unconditional adherence to its regulations as set out here. Producers, distributors or other organisations submitting a film must ensure that they are legitimately entitled to enter a film in the Festival. Please note that each festival section has its own terms and conditions of entry.

The Festival Director reserves the right to settle any case not covered by these regulations.

The Festival has permanent delegates around the world who can be of assistance in making an application. (See also Contact)

For further information please contact:

• Submissions and selection:
  Daniela Weber
  phone +49 30 25920-444
  fax +49 30 25920-499
  

• Technical details and despatch of prints:
  André Stever
  phone +49 30 25920-878
  fax +49 30 25920 899
  

A Jury, consisting of at least three international personalities is appointed by the Festival Director to award the Best First Feature Award, endowed with € 50,000, founded by GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrechten mbH). This award is not specified by section. See also the guidelines for the award (62 KB).

Independent Juries

Besides the official juries the following juries award prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival:

The prize of the Churches of the Ecumenical Jury is awarded to a film in Competition, in the Panorama and in the Forum.

The FIPRESCI-Jury awards its prizes to a film in Competition, in the Panorama and in the Forum.

The Jury of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas awards its prize to a film in Competition.

The Reader’s Prize of the daily Berliner Morgenpost is awarded to a film in Competition.

The C.I.C.A.E. Jury awards its prizes to a film in the Panorama and in the Forum.

The Panorama Audience Award presented by the magazine Tip and by Radio Eins is awarded to both a documentary and a feature film in the Panorama.

The Label Europa Cinemas presents an award to a European film in the Panorama.

The Amnesty International Film Prize is awarded to a film from either Competition, Panorama or Forum sections, that tackles the topic of human rights.

The Peace Film Prize is awarded to a film in either the Competition, the Panorama, the Forum or Generation.

The Reader’s Prize of the daily newspaper Tagesspiegel is awarded to a film in the Forum.

The Teddy – Queer Film Award is not specified by section and awarded each to a feature film, a documentary film and a short film from the Berlinale programme.

The Reader’s Prize of the magazine Siegessäule is awarded to a gay/lesbian film of either the Competition, the Panorama or the Forum.

The Caligari Film Prize is awarded to a film in the Forum.

The NETPAC Prize is awarded to an Asian film in the Forum.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) awards the Cinema fairbindet Prize to a film from the Competition, Panorama, Forum or Generation section, that encourages, in an outstanding way, the current dialogue about North-South relations.

The DEFA Foundation awards the Heiner Carow Prize, endowed with 5.000 Euro, to a German documentary, feature film or essay film within the Panorama section.