37th PFF Rules and Regulations
(as approved by the Organizing Committee of the Gdynia Film Festival on 27th October 2011)
§ 1
1. Gdynia Film Festival, hereinafter called “the Festival”, is the Polish national film festival and it constitutes a review and competition of cinema feature films.
2. The aim of the Festival is to popularize Polish film art, and film art in general, in Poland and abroad and to award the best feature films and their makers.
3. Gdynia Film 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:
– the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage,
– the Polish Film Institute,
– the Polish Filmmakers Association,
– the Municipality of the Pomerania Province,
– the City of Gdynia,
hereinafter called “the Organizers”.
3. Every Organizer delegates one representative to the Organizing Committee.
4. The work of the Organizing Committee is coordinated by the Polish Film Institute whose General Director is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee.
§ 3
1. The Co-organizers of the Festival are:
– Telewizja Polska S.A.
– CANAL+ Cyfrowy Sp. z o.o.
– other partners of the Festival proposed by a member of the Organizing Committee, accepted by all Organizers.
2. The representatives of the Co-organizers and the directors of the Festival are members of the Organizing Committee.
3. The Organizers invite to participate in the organization of the Festival other, domestic or foreign, states, communities and private entities that wish to make material or financial contribution to the preparation and realization of the Festival.
§ 4
1. The Honorary Committee of the Festival includes:
– the Minister of Culture and National Heritage – the Chairman of the Honorary Committee,
– the Representative of the Festival’s Honorary Guest Country,
– the Marshal of the Pomerania Province,
– the Mayor of the City of Gdynia,
– the President of the Polish Filmmakers Association,
– the representatives of the Co-organizers.
2. The Chairman of the Honorary Committee of the Festival applies to the high representatives of the State for the patronage over the Festival.
§ 5
1. The producer of the Festival is the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia.
2. The work related to the preparation and the course of the Festival is coordinated by the Management of Gdynia Film Festival.
3. The Management of the Festival includes:
– the Director of the Festival,
– the Artistic Director of the Festival.
4. The Management of Gdynia Film Festival is appointed and dismissed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
5. The Director of the Festival is appointed for a 3-year term.
6. The Artistic Director is selected in a competition announced by the Organizing Committee and appointed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage after a decision of the Competition Commission, on the application of the Organizing Committee. The Organizing Committee appoints as members of the Competition Commission representatives of the cultural environment who have a significant artistic output or have made a significant contribution to the development of Polish cinema.
7. The Artistic Director is appointed for a 3-year term.
8. In case the Artistic Director is not selected in the competition, the Artistic Director is appointed by the Organizing Committee by passing a resolution by simple majority vote. 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 Organizing Committee passes a 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 motion to the Minister of Culture and National Heritage to dismiss the Management from their posts.
10. For justified reasons the Organizing Committee may not approve the proposal of the Artistic Director pertaining to the Jury or the programme of the Festival. If this be the case, the Artistic Director presents another proposal at the next meeting.
11. The Artistic Director may appoint a team of advisors of up to 4 people.
12. In case the Artistic Director’s choice of films for the Competition is too radical in the opinion of the Organizing Committee, the Committee may indicate additional films for the Competition with the approval of the Artistic Director of the Festival.
§ 6
1. The programme of the Festival consists of:
a) the Main Competition, in which awards for film and individual awards for filmmakers and co-makers are granted;
b) the competition of short films and feature diploma films of film school students, hereinafter called the Young Cinema Competition,
and other events and competitions proposed by the Artistic Director.
2. The Artistic Director, having consulted the Organizing Committee, may change the programme of the Festival or establish additional competition categories.
3. The rules and regulations of the additional competition categories are established by the Organizing Committee with the Artistic Director’s approval.
4. The Management of the Festival invites interested parties, associations, institutions to organize meetings and seminars, screenings, exhibitions and other events supporting the development of film art and culture as part of the Festival.
5. The Management of the Festival, with the approval of the Organizing Committee, makes decisions on the dates and formula of giving awards in individual competitions.
§ 7
1. Films that may be submitted for the Main Competition in 2012 are to be feature films produced in Poland between 1st May 2011 and 30th April 2012 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 35mm film print, in the Digital Betacam, HD or DCP system.
2. No more than 20 and no less than 10 films take part in the Main Competition.
3. The Artistic Director may allow international co-productions to enter the competition.
4. The Artistic Director selects the films to enter the Competitions from among all films submitted to the competition and meeting the requirements stipulated in §7 sections 1 and 2 of the Rules and Regulations.
5. Films that may be submitted for the Young Cinema Competition are to be films produced in Poland between 1st May of the previous year and 30th April of every year the Festival takes place in, made on any medium. The films may be submitted as 35mm film print, in Digital Betacam, HD or DCP system. The films are selected by the Artistic Director.
6. Only films submitted on time and according to the rules defined in the Rules and Regulations and in the Rules of submitting films to the Festival approved annually by the Organizing Committee on the application of the Director of the Festival will be considered for the Competition.
7. The Artistic Director decides whether a film qualifies for the Festival competitions. The Artistic Director’s decision is final and does not require justification, with the exception of § 5 section 12.
8. A film submitted and qualified for participation in the Festival cannot be withdrawn from it by its entrant.
§ 8
1. The awards of the Main Competition are granted by the Jury whose composition is proposed by the Artistic Director of the Festival. The Chairman and members of the Jury are appointed by the Organizing Committee and are proposed by the Artistic Director.
2. The Jury of the Main Competition grants awards (THE GRAND PRIX OF GDYNIA FILM FESTIVAL “GOLDEN LIONS”, THE “SILVER LIONS” AWARD AND THE SPECIAL JURY AWARD) taking into consideration the following criteria:
a) artistic values of the film,
b) the film’s chances for international exposure at foreign film festivals,
c) originality of the film’s form or subject,
d) personal character of artistic expression,
e) professional level of filmmmaking.
3. The Jury of the Main Competition grants individual awards for filmmakers taking into consideration the following criteria:
a) the filmmaker’s outstanding achievement in the film,
b) precision and force of the means of expression used,
c) complexity and level of difficulty of the artistic assignment,
d) the level of professional skills presented.
§ 9
1. The following awards in the Competition have been established:
I. THE GRAND PRIX OF GDYNIA FILM FESTIVAL “GOLDEN LIONS” and 100,000 PLN granted to the film’s producer and director (60,000 PLN for the director and 40,000 PLN for the producer). Additionally, the producer is entitled to a subsidy of 500,000 PLN from the Polish Film Institute to promote the awarded film on the application of the producer. The producer is not entitled to the said subsidy if the distribution of the awarded film has started before the opening of the Festival. The producer and the director of the film who were granted the Golden Lions award are entitled to an increase of subsidy for their next film projects according to the rules included in the Operational Programmes of the Polish Film Institute.
II. THE “SILVER LIONS” AWARD and 50,000 PLN granted to the film’s producer and director (30,000 PLN for the director and 20,000 PLN for the producer). Additionally, the producer is entitled to a subsidy of 350,000 PLN from the Polish Film Institute to promote the awarded film on the application of the producer. The producer is not entitled to the said subsidy if the distribution of the awarded film has started before the opening of the Festival. The producer and the director of the film who were granted the Silver Lions award are entitled to an increase of subsidy for their next film projects according to the rules included in the Operational Programmes of the Polish Film Institute.
III. THE SPECIAL JURY AWARD for the courage of form and content and also for special and unique artistic values and 30,000 PLN (18,000 for the director and 12,000 PLN for the producer). Additionally, the producer is entitled to a subsidy of 100,000 PLN from the Polish Film Institute to promote the awarded film upon the application of the producer. The producer is not entitled to the said subsidy if the distribution of the awarded film has started before the opening of the Festival.
2. The following individual awards for filmmakers have been established for:
– directing: 20,000 PLN
– screenplay: 20,000 PLN
– directing debut or second film: 15,000 PLN
– actress in a leading role: 15,000 PLN
– actor in a leading role: 15,000 PLN
– professional acting debut: 15,000 PLN
– cinematography: 15,000 PLN
– music: 15,000 PLN
– art direction: 15,000 PLN
– actress in a supporting role: 12,000 PLN
– actor in a supporting role: 12,000 PLN
– sound: 12,000 PLN
– film editing: 12,000 PLN
– costume design: 12,000 PLN
– make-up: 12,000 PLN
A sum of 15,000 PLN remains at the Jury’s disposal for potential additional awards at the Jury’s own discretion.
3. The following awards in the Young Cinema competition have been established:
I. for best film: 10,000 PLN
II. special award: 5,000 PLN
4. The Organizing Committee of the Festival may grant the honorary “PLATINUM LIONS” AWARD to a filmmaker for his or her career achievements. The Artistic Director indicates the winner of the award.
5. 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 the one defined in section 1 of § 9.
6. The “PLATINUM LIONS” and the awards granted by the Jury of the Competition are given to the winners during the closing ceremony of the Festival.
7. The Organizing Committee may decide to increase the sums of competition awards.
§ 10
1. Films are submitted to the Festival by their producers or directors. The films for the Young Cinema Competition are submitted by film schools and film studios competent in such production.
2. The films are submitted according to the Rules of 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.
