THE GDYNIA FILM FESTIVAL – RULES AND REGULATIONS
(as approved by the Organizational Committee of the Gdynia Film Festival on October 27, 2011)
§1
1. The Gdynia Film Festival, hereinafter called “the Festival”, is a nationwide event and it constitutes a review and competition of 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 Polish Film Festival is held every year in time established by the Organizational Committee.
§2
1. The Organizational Committee of the Festival supervises the organization and preparation of the Festival.
2. The Organizational Committee are:
- The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage,
- The Polish Film Institute,
- The Polish Filmmakers' Association,
- The Municipality of Pomeranian Region,
- The City of Gdynia, hereinafter called “the Organizers”.
3. Every Organizer delegates one representative to the Organizational Committee.
4. Any work of the Organizational Committee is coordinated by the Polish Film Institute, the President of which is the Chairman of the Organizational Committee Meetings.
§3
1. The Co-organizers of the Festival are:
- Telewizja Polska S.A.,
- CANAL+ Cyfrowy Ltd.,
- other partners of the Festival proposed by a member of the Organizational Committee, accepted by all the Organizers.
2. The representatives of the Co-organizers, as well as the President and the Artistic Director of the Festival, are members of the Organizational Committee.
3. The organizers invite other, domestic or foreign, state, community, and private organizations, which intend to contribute material or financial assistance towards the preparation and realization of the Festival.
§4
1. The Honorary Committee of the Festival are:
- The Minister of Culture and National Heritage – The President,
- The representative of the Festival Honorary Guest Country,
- The Marshall of Pomeranian Region,
- The Mayor of the City of Gdynia,
- The Director of The Polish Filmmakers' Association,
- The Co-organizers’ representatives.
2. The President of the Honorary Committee of the Festival applies to the high representatives of the country for the patronage over the Festival.
§5
1. The Producer of the Festival is the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia.
2. Any work related to preparations and the conduct of the Festival is coordinated by the Management of the Gdynia Film Festival.
3. The Management of the Festival are:
- the President of the Festival
- the Artistic Director of the Festival
4. The Management of the Polish Film Festival is appointed and dismissed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
5. The President of the Festival is appointed on a 3-year cadence.
6. The Artistic Director is chosen through a competitive process announced by the Organizational Committee and is appointed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage after the decision of the Competition Commission, on the application of the Organizational Committee. The Organizational Committee appoints to the Competition Commission the cultural environment representatives who have a significant artistic output or a significant share in the development of Polish cinematography.
7. The Artistic Director is appointed on a 3-year cadence.
8. In case when the Artistic Director is not chosen through a competitive process, he or she is appointed by the Organizational Committee by way of resolution passed by the majority of the votes. In case of equal distribution of votes, the Chairman of the Committee has the casting vote.
9. Every year after the closing of the Festival the Organizational Committee passes the vote of confidence for the Management of the Festival. If the vote of confidence for the Management of the Festival is not passed, the Committee may put forward a proposal to the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for the dismissal of the Management.
10. Organizational Committee may not approve for justified reasons the proposal of the Artistic Director concerning the Jury or the Festival program. In such case the Artistic Director is obliged to present the next proposal on the following Organizational Committee Meeting.
11. Artistic Director is entitled to appointing the advisory board consisting of up to 4 persons.
12. In case when the selection of films to take part in the Competition proposed by the Artistic Director is too radical according to the Organizational Committee, the Committee in agreement with the Artistic Director of the Festival may indicate additional films to take part in the Competition.
§6
1. The program of the Festival consists of:
a) the Main Competition, in which awards for films and individual awards for film makers and co-makers are granted,
b) the competition of shorts and feature diploma films of film schools students, hereinafter called the Young Cinema Competition,
and other events and competitions proposed by the Artistic Director.
2. After consulting the Organizational Committee, the Artistic Director may change the program of the Festival or establish additional competition categories.
3. The rules and regulations of additional competition categories are established by the Organizational Committee in agreement with the Artistic Director.
4. The Festival Management invites people, associations, and institutions to organize within the framework of the Festival meetings, seminars, promotion and sales booths, shows, exhibitions, and other events contributing to the development of film art and culture.
5. The Festival Management in agreement with the Organizational Committee decides on the dates and the formula of granting the awards in particular competitions.
§7
1. Films submitted for the Main Competition must be produced in Poland between the 1st of May, 2011 and 30th of April, 2012, the year the Festival is held. The films must be original works and must have running time no less than 70 minutes. They must meet the artistic and technical criteria qualifying them for the cinema exhibition. Films can be submitted on media described in detail in the technical attachment.
2. No more than 20 films and no less than 10 films can take part in the Main Competition.
3. The Artistic Director may allow the international co-productions to compete.
4. The Artistic Director decides which of all films submitted to the competition and meeting the requirements defined in the Article 7 sec 1 and 2 of the present Rules and Regulations may enter the Competitions.
5. Films submitted for the Young Cinema Competition must be produced in Poland between the 1st of May of the previous year and the 30th of April of the Festival’s year. They can be made with any media, but must be submitted on media described in detail in the technical attachment. The films are selected by the Artistic Director.
6. Only films which meet the competition deadlines and other requirements, as laid in the Rules and Regulations as well as in the Rules of submitting films to GFF in Gdynia accepted annually by the Organizational Committee on application of the President of the Festival, will be considered.
7. The Artistic Director of the Festival decides whether a particular film may enter the Festival competitions. The decision of the Artistic Director is final and does not require any justification, excluding the Article 5 sec. 12.
8. A film already submitted and accepted for screening at the Festival cannot be withdrawn.
§8
1. Regulation awards in the Main Competition are granted by two separate compositions of Jury proposed by the Artistic Director of the Festival. The Chairman and the members of the Jury are appointed by the Organizational Committee on the application of the Artistic Director.
2. Jury of the Main Competition grants the “Golden Lions”, “Silver Lions” and the Special Jury Award on the basis of the following criteria:
a) artistic values of the film,
b) chances of the film for the international success on foreign film festivals,
c) formal or thematic originality of the film,
d) personal nature of artistic expression,
e) professional realization.
3. Jury of the Main Competition grants all the individual awards for filmmakers taking into account the following criteria:
a) distinguishing values of the filmmaker proved by the film,
b) precision and strength of the means of expression used in the film,
c) complexity and difficulty level of the artistic assignment,
d) the highest level of proffessionalism.
§9
1. The following Regulation Awards have been established:
I. THE GRAND AWARD of the GFF, THE GOLDEN LIONS and 100,000 PLN granted to the director and the producer of the film (60,000 PLN for the director, 40,000 PLN for the producer). Additionally, the producer is entitled to the subsidy from Polish Film Institute in the amount of 500,000 PLN for the promotion of the awarded film, granted on the application of the producer. The producer is not entitled to the said subsidy if the film distribution commenced before the opening of the Festival. The producer and the director of the film which was granted with the Golden Lions award are entitled to increasing the financial support for their next film projects according to the rules included in Polish Film Institute's Operational Programs.
II. THE AWARD of the GFF, THE SILVER LIONS and 50,000 PLN granted to the director and the producer of the film (30,000 PLN for the director, 20,000 PLN for the producer). Additionally, the producer is entitled to the subsidy from Polish Film Institute in the amount of 350,000 PLN for the promotion of the awarded film, granted on the application of the producer. The producer is not entitled to the said subsidy if the film distribution commenced before the opening of the Festival. The producer and the director of the film which was granted with the Silver Lions award are entitled to increasing the financial support for their next film projects according to the rules included in Polish Film Institute's Operational Programs.
III. SPECIAL JURY AWARD for the courage in the form and the contents of the film as well as for unique artistic values and 30,000 PLN (18,000 PLN for the director and 12,000 PLN for the producer). Additionally, the producer is entitled to the subsidy from Polish Film Institute in the amount of 100,000 PLN for the promotion of the awarded film, granted on the application of the producer. The producer is not entitled to the said subsidy if the film distribution commenced before the opening of the Festival.
2. The individual awards have been established for:
- directing – 20,000 PLN
- screenplay – 20,000 PLN
- directing debut or a second film– 15,000 PLN
- leading performance by an actress – 15,000 PLN
- leading performance by an actor – 15,000 PLN
- acting debut - 15,000 PLN
- cinematography – 15,000 PLN
- music – 15,000 PLN
- art direction – 15,000 PLN
- supporting performance by an actress – 12,000 PLN
- supporting performance by an actor – 12,000 PLN
- sound – 12,000 PLN
- film editing – 12,000 PLN
- costume design – 12,000 PLN
- make-up – 12,000 PLN
The Jury reserves the right to grant additional awards up to 15,000 PLN.
3. The following Regulation Awards in the Young Cinema Competition have been established:
i. the best film: 10,000 PLN
ii. the special prize: 5,000 PLN
4. The Organizational Committee reserves the right to grant an additional honorary award of PLATINUM LIONS to a filmmaker for the contribution to cinematography. The laureate of the award is proposed by the Artistic Director.
5. Respecting the generic and thematic variety of the films submitted, The Jury may broaden the scope of the awards. Such changes should not, however, result in an increase in overall amount to be awarded as a Regulation Awards. In extraordinary cases the Jury may decide not to grant the award in any of the categories mentioned, except the Article 9 sec. 1.
6. The PLATINUM LIONS as well as the awards granted by the Jury of the Competition are handed to the laureates during the closing ceremony of the Festival.
7. The Organizational Committee may decide to increase the value of the Regulation Awards.
§10
1. Films are submitted to the Festival by the producers or directors. Films in the Young Cinema Competition are submitted by film schools and film studios competent in such production.
2. Films are submitted according to the Rules of submitting films to GFF in Gdynia, announced annually by the Festival Management.
3. Application to participate in the Festival indicates an acceptance of the present Rules and Regulations.
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