Get to know the Rules and Regulations of the 42nd PFF

Get to know the Rules and Regulations of the 42nd PFF
THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF 42nd POLISH FILM FESTIVAL

as approved by the Organizing Committee on 5th April 2017

§ 1.

1. Polish Film Festival, hereinafter called “the Festival”, is held in
Gdynia as an all-Poland event and it constitutes a review and
competition of Polish cinema feature films.


2. The
aim of the Festival is to popularize Polish film art in Poland and
abroad and to award the best feature films and their makers.


3. The Festival is held every year on the dates established by the Organizing Committee.

§ 2.

1. The Organizing Committee of the Festival supervises the organization and preparation of the Festival.

2. The Organizing Committee includes:

a) the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage,
b) the Polish Film Institute,
c) the Polish Filmmakers Association,
d) the Municipality of the Pomerania Province,
e) the City of Gdynia,

hereinafter
called “the Organizers”, and the Co-organizers, the Chairperson of the
Organizing Committee in the past terms, the Chairperson of the Programme
Committee and the Director of the Festival.


3. The Co-organizers of the Festival are:

a) Telewizja Polska SA,
b) HBO Polska,
c) Adam Mickiewicz Institute,
d) The Ministry of Development,
e) other partners of the Festival proposed by a member of the Organizing Committee, accepted by all Organizers.

4. Every Organizer delegates one representative each for the works of the Organizing Committee.

5. The
works of the Organizing Committee are led by the Chairperson of the
Organizing Committee of the Festival who is appointed for a 3-year term
by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from among the members
of the Organizing Committee.


6. The competencies of the Organizing Committee include in particular:

a) choosing the Director of the Festival and the Festival’s Programme Committee and its Chairperson,
b) approving the Festival programme, budget and media patrons,
c) approving the list of films selected for the Main Competition, the Visions Apart Competition and the Short Film Competition,
d) approving
the composition of the Jury of the Main Competition, the Visions Apart
Competition and the Short Film Cinema Competition,

e) making other decisions important for the regular course of the Festival.

7. The Organizing Committee makes decisions in the form of resolutions passed by a simple majority of votes.

8. In case of equal distribution of votes, the Chairperson of the Committee has the casting vote.

9. The
Organizers invite to participate in the organization of the Festival
other, domestic or foreign, state, community and private entities that
wish to make material or financial contribution to the preparation and
implementation of the Festival.

§ 3.


1. The Honorary Committee of the Festival includes:

a) the Minister of Culture and National Heritage – the Chairman of the Honorary Committee,
b) the Representative of the Festival’s Honorary Guest Country,
c) the Governor of the Pomerania Province,
d) the Mayor of the City of Gdynia,
e) the President of the Polish Filmmakers Association,
f) the representatives of the Co-organizers,
g) other eminent public figures.

2. The
Chairperson of the Honorary Committee of the Festival applies to the
high representatives of the State for the patronage over the Festival.

§ 4.


1. The producer of the Festival is the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia.

2. The works related to the preparation and the course of the Festival are coordinated by the Director of Polish Film Festival.

3. The
Director of the Festival is appointed and dismissed by the Minister of
Culture and National Heritage on application by the Organizing
Committee.


4. The Director of the Festival is appointed for a 3-year term.

5. The
Organizing Committee applies to the Minister of Culture and National
Heritage to appoint the Director by resolution by a simple majority of
votes for a 3-year term or shorter. The resolution should include the justification for the choice of the candidate.


6. The method of remuneration of the Director of the Festival is determined by the Organizing Committee.

7. Every
year, after the closing of the Festival, the Organizing Committee
passes a vote of confidence for the Director of the Festival. In case of
a negative decision, the Committee may put forward a motion to the
Minister of Culture and National Heritage to dismiss the Director from
their post.

§ 5.


1. The Organizing Committee appoints the Programme Committee of the Festival.

2. The Programme Committee is an advisory board of the Organizing Committee.

3. The
Organizing Committee appoints as members of the Programme Committee
filmmakers, taking into account their significant artistic output,
awards granted in Poland and abroad (with particular focus on the awards
granted at Polish Film Festival in Gdynia), representing
various film professions, film aesthetics and different generations as
well as persons of outstanding merit for the Polish cinema art.


4. Candidates to the Programme Committee are put forward by members of the Organizing Committee.

5. The competencies of the Programme Committee include in particular:

a) suggesting artistic events to include in the Festival programme,
b) suggesting candidates for the career achievements award – Platinum Lions,
c) helping in Festival promotion and creating the external Festival image,
d) making applications and suggestions concerning the organization of the Festival to the Organizing Committee,
e) the right of its members to become appointed to the Selection Board.

6. The
Selection Board consists of 3-5 people selected in the first half of
each calendar year from all members of the Programme Committee of the
Festival.
The Programme Committee submits to
the Organizing Committee for approval the list of members of the
Selection Board no later than 7 days from the date of their appointment.


7. Members
of the Selection Board cannot be engaged in any way in the production
of films submitted to the Main Competition of the Festival. They also
cannot be related as a family or be subordinate to people engaged in the
production process of the films submitted to the Main Competition in
the key creative or production positions.


8. The Selection Board is appointed for a 1-year term.

9.
The Director of the Festival may supplement the composition of the
Selection Board by one person from among the members of the Programme
Committee.
 

§ 6.


1. The Festival Programme includes:

a) the Main Competition, in which awards for film and individual awards for filmmakers and co-makers are granted,
b) the Visions Apart Competition, in which the Golden Claw award for uncompromising form and content is granted,
c) the Young Cinema Competition,
d) the
Short Film Competition, presenting short films and feature graduation
films of film school students as well as feature short films,

e) other events and competition and non-competition secions proposed by the Director and approved by the Organizing Committee.

2. The
Director, in agreement with the Chairperson of the Programme Committee
and on condition of consent from the Organizing Committee, may change
the programme of the Festival or establish additional competition
categories and their rules and regulations.


3. The
Director of the Festival, in agreement with the Programme Committee,
invites interested people, associations, institutions to organize, as
part of the Festival, meetings and seminars, screenings, exhibitions and
other events supporting the development of film art and culture.


4. The
Director of the Festival, in agreement with the Organizing Committee,
makes decisions on the dates and forms of giving awards in individual
competitions.

§ 7.


1. The
Director presents a list of five films of his recommendation for the
Main Competition. It is the so-called Director’s Pool. The Director, in
accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Festival (Article 7
section 1, 2, 8 and 9), proposes, independently from the Selection
Committee, 5 films to be considered by the Organizing Committee. In case
of none of the films proposed by the Director being accepted by the
Committee, he has the right to place one or max. two films in the Main
Competition.


2. The
Selection Board, after deliberations held without the participation of
the Director, presents a list of max. twenty titles of their
recommendation for the Main Competition. It is the so-called Selection
Board Pool.


3. The
Selection Board adds to the list of the recommended titles a list of
persons of their recommendation for participation in the jury of the
Main Competition.

4. The
Director, in agreement with the Chairperson of the Programme Committee,
suggests the list of films selected for the Visions Apart Competition
and for the Short Film Competition.


5. The
Director of the Festival may, with the consent of the Organizing
Committee, appoint a Qualification Board which will perform the
qualification of films for the Short Film Competition.


6. The
Director, in agreement with the Chairperson of the Programme Committee,
suggests the composition of the Jury of the Main Competition. The Jury
may consist of Polish and foreign members.

7. The
final decision on the composition of the jury of the Main Competition
is made by the Organizing Committee by way of voting, based on lists
submitted by the Selection Board and the Director.


8. The
Director, in cooperation with the Chairperson of the Programme
Committee, suggests the composition of the Jury of the Visions Apart
Competition and the Jury of the Short Film Competition. Both Juries may
consist of Polish and foreign members.


9. The
final decision about the films selected for the Main Competition, the
Visions Apart Competition and the Short Film Competition is made by the
Organizing Committee. Decisions in those issues are made on the principle of consensus, and if that is impossible, by a majority of votes. Separate opinions are not reported in the protocol and the decisions are final and not subject to appeal.


10. The
Organizing Committee makes the decision regarding the films qualified
for the Main Competition, considering the films from the Director’s Pool
and the Selection Board Pool.


11. The
Director, members of the Selection Board and members of the Organizing
Committee are obliged to preserve confidentiality of the deliberations
and voting.

§ 8.


1. Films
that may be submitted to the Main Competition in 2017 are to be feature
films produced in Poland between 1st September 2016 and 31st August
2017 that constitute a separate artistic whole, whose minimal running
time is 70 minutes and which meet the technical and artistic
requirements for cinema distribution. The films may be submitted as: DCP (preferred), 35 mm, ProRes files, DNxHD files.


2. No more than 16 films take part in the Main Competition.

3. The
Organizing Committee at the request of the Director and the Selection
Board may allow international co-productions to enter the competitions.


4. Films
that may be submitted to the Visions Apart Competition in 2017 are to
be feature films produced in Poland between 1st September 2016 and 31st
August 2017 that constitute a separate artistic whole, whose minimal
running time is 70 minutes and which meet the technical and artistic
requirements for cinema distribution. The films may be submitted as: DCP
(preferred), ProRes files, DNxHD files.


5. Films
that may be submitted to the Short Film Competition are to be films
produced in Poland between 1st September 2016 and 31st August of 2017.
The films may be submitted as: DCP (preferred), ProRes files, DNxHD
files.


6. Only
films submitted on time and according to the rules defined in the Rules
and Regulations and in the Rules for submitting films to the Festival
and the Technical Appendix thereto: the two documents approved annually
by the Organizing Committee at the request of the Director of the
Festival, will be considered. The Polish language screening copies of
films submitted to the Competition must have subtitles in English. If
the dialogue track includes languages other than Polish, the applicant
shall cover the costs of the translation and screening of the subtitles
into Polish and English.


7. An applicant cannot withdraw a film submitted and qualified for participation in the selected Festival section.

§ 9.


1. The awards in the Main Competition are granted by the Jury of the Main Competition.

2. The Director of the Festival participates in the deliberations of the Jury of the Main Competition without the right to vote.

3. The
Jury of the Main Competition grants awards (the GRAND PRIX PFFF GOLDEN
LIONS and the SILVER LIONS AWARD) taking into consideration the
following criteria:

a) professional level of making the film,
b) artistic values of the film and its chances for international success at foreign film festivals,
c) originality of the film’s form or subject,
d) personal character of artistic expression.

4. The Jury of the Main Competition grants individual awards for filmmakers taking into consideration the following criteria:

a) the filmmaker’s outstanding achievements in the film,
b) the highest level of professionalism,
c) complexity and level of difficulty of the artistic assignment,
d) precision and force of the means of expression used.

5. The award in the Visions Apart Competition is granted by the Jury of the Visions Apart Competition.

6. The awards in the Short Film Competition are granted by the Jury of the Short Film Competition.

§ 10.


1. The following awards in the Main Competition have been established:

a) THE
GRAND PRIX PFFF GOLDEN LIONS and PLN 100,000 granted to the film’s
producer and director (PLN 60,000 for the director and PLN 40,000 for
the producer). The producer and the director of the film
who received the Golden Lions Award are entitled to an increased subsidy
for their future film projects, according to the rules included in the
Operational Programmes of the Polish Film Institute.

b) THE
SILVER LIONS AWARD and PLN 50,000 granted to the film’s producer and
director (PLN 30,000 for the director and PLN 20,000 for the producer).
Apart from that, the producer and the director of the film who received
the Silver Lions Award are entitled to an increased subsidy for their
future film projects, according to the rules included in the Operational
Programmes of the Polish Film Institute.


2. In the Main Competition, the following individual awards for filmmakers have been established for:

a) directing: PLN 20,000
b) screenplay: PLN 20,000
c) directing debut or second film: PLN 15,000
d) actress in a leading role: PLN 15,000
e) actor in a leading role: PLN 15,000
f) professional acting debut: PLN 15,000
g) cinematography: PLN 15,000
h) music: PLN 15,000
i) art direction: PLN 15,000
j) actress in a supporting role: PLN 12,000
k) actor in a supporting role: PLN 12,000
l) sound: PLN 12,000
m) film editing: PLN 12,000
n) costume design: PLN 12,000
o) make-up: PLN 12,000.

3. The
individual awards in the Main Competition should, above all, reflect
the professionalism and significance of the contribution of individual
filmmakers to the final shape of the film. The award for directing
should not double with: the Golden or Silver Lions award. The award for
directing should not double with the award for a directing debut and
second film.


4. The
following award in the Visions Apart Competition has been established:
the Golden Claw award for uncompromising form and content, in the amount
of PLN 30,000 (PLN 18,000 for the director and PLN 12,000 for the
producer).


5. The following awards in the Short Film Competition have been established:

a) for best film: PLN 12,000
b) special award: PLN 8,000
c) distinction: PLN 5,000

6. The
Organizing Committee of the Festival may grant the honorary PLATINUM
LIONS AWARD to a filmmaker for his or her career achievements. The
winner of the award is proposed by the Programme Committee in agreement
with Polish Filmmakers Association.


7. Considering
the generic and thematic variety of the submitted films, the Jury may
broaden the scope of award categories. However, this should not cause an
increase in the overall amount for competition awards. In
exceptional cases the Jury may refrain from granting an award in any of
the above-mentioned categories, with the exception of those defined in §
10 section 1.


8. The Organizing Committee may decide to increase the sums of competition awards.

9. The Audience Award in the Main Competition, granted by the Festival audience voting, is PLN 15,000.

§ 11.


1. Films
are submitted to the Festival Main Competition, the Visions Apart
Competition and the Short Film Competition by their producers or the
Polish Film Institute based in its Operational Programmes. The films for the Short Film Competition may also be submitted by film schools.

2. The
films are submitted according to the Rules for submitting films to the
Festival, announced annually by the Management of the Festival.

3. Applying
for participation in the Festival means that the entrant accepts the
Rules and Regulations and the Rules for submitting films to the
Festival.