Competition Regulations

1. Eligibility

Eligible for Competition are fiction feature films, documentaries, animation and experimental films, which

• are of at least 60 minutes running time.
• are available as world or international premieres. Submitted films must not have been presented publicly outside their country of origin, participated in any international film festival outside of their country of origin, or have been theatrically released outside of their country of origin. World premieres are given priority (see General Information on Premiere Status). A film’s country of origin is determined by the location of the production company’s headquarters. In the case of international co-productions, the main country of production will be considered as country of origin.
• have not been presented publicly in Germany. Accordingly, German films must be world premieres.
• have neither been broadcast on television nor presented on the internet/VOD.
• were completed within the 12 months prior to the start of the festival.
• are intended for theatrical release.
• have never been submitted to the Berlinale for selection.

For all applications, the General Guidelines for Film Submission and Participation apply. The Festival Director reserves the right to decide on any eventuality not foreseen in these guidelines.

2. Selection and Programming

The Festival Director together with the Co-Directors of Programming invite the films to participate in Competition. They are advised by an international selection committee.

The selected films compete for the Golden Bear as well as the Silver Bears.

3. Format, Language Version and Subtitles

All films invited to participate in the Berlinale Competition must be presented in DCP or QuickTime ProRes format. A screening in 35mm or other formats is only possible after consultation with the festival.

The films will be presented during the festival in their original version with German and English subtitles. The version released in the country of origin is regarded as the original version. The film’s producer is responsible for meeting the costs of subtitling and providing the bilingually subtitled version on time.

To improve the festival’s accessibility offers, an additional HI/SDH version with open captions in German or English is desirable but not mandatory.