Technical Specifications for Selection Screeners

• Please submit HD material in the mp4 format (H.264, AAC, Stereo).
• Audio, video and subtitles must be contained in a single file, and the file size should not exceed 10 GB.
• Please encode your video data with either 24, 25 or 30 progressive frames per second.

To ensure a high technical quality, the following settings for file compression are suggested:

• Size / aspect ratio: 1920 x 1080 px / 16:9 HD
• Video codec / bit rate: H.264 high profile / 10 Mbit/s
• Audio codec / bit rate: AAC / 320 Kbit/s, sampling rate 48 kHz

The link for uploading your file will be provided on the confirmation page at the end of the application form for film submissions. Should you wish to upload your film at a later date, you can do so until the respective deadline via the link on the “My Film Entry” page which will be activated once you have successfully registered your film.

The film version that is submitted for selection purposes should at least have reached the stage of picture lock. In such cases, it is recommended that the film is preceded by an onscreen caption stating which post-production work is still to be completed.

File Name

You can choose any name for your file. The file name does not affect the assignment of the video file to your submission.

Please note however: For technical reasons, the file name must not exceed 25 characters and must not contain any special characters (ä, ß, ø, ñ…). Allowed characters are:

• Letters (A-Z, a-z)
• Numbers (0-9)

Example: filmtitle2027.mp4

Subtitles

• Please submit an English subtitled version for the selection screenings.
• No subtitles are needed, if the film’s original language is English.
• English dialogue does not need to be subtitled.
• German subtitles are not required.
• Subtitles must be “burned in”. Separate subtitles (srt files) cannot be processed.

Release

After the upload is completed, your data will be processed and encrypted. The processing usually takes 2–3 hours. Close to the deadlines for film submissions it might, however, take up to 24 hours. In the next step you can check your processed file, change the thumbnail preview picture or, if necessary, upload a new version of your selection screener. In a final step you must approve the file for the selection screenings by clicking the button “Release”.

Please approve the uploaded file as soon as possible (preferably within 3 days of uploading).

Please do not upload files that you plan to replace later. The Berlinale starts with the selection screenings already before the end of the submission deadlines. Therefore, please upload only those files that you wish to submit for selection screenings. Please avoid test uploads.

The Berlinale will only gain access to your film once you have approved the release of the video file. Therefore, please remember to complete the upload by clicking the release button after checking the details of your file.

Once you have released the upload, it cannot be replaced by another upload.

For questions concerning the file upload please contact the Film Office:

phone: +49 30 25920-833