54th belgrade documentary and short film festival

THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE BELGRADE DOCUMENTARY AND SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

I – GENERAL RULES

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The Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival (further: Festival) is the annual cultural manifestation of importance for the city of Belgrade. It is a competitive film festival of works of art in the field of documentary and short film, recorded in both film and video (electronic) technology.
The Festival is held in Belgrade, every year, on the dates determined by the Festival Council.

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The Festival shows domestic and foreign documentary and short films produced between the two Festivals as well as the films not earlier registered for competition.
The National competition excludes the films shown on TV, and the International the films older than two years.

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The Festival program includes:
- National competition;
- International competition and
- Special programmes (non-competitive programs, retrospectives, exhibitions, seminars, workshop).

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The Festival goals are: presenting selected local and international documentary and short film production, contributing to the development of the film industry, supporting creative artists, contributing to the development and popularization of the documentary and short film.

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The Festival is not a legal subject.

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The Festival has its own symbol.
The Symbol is a circle, similar to medieval shield with dots around the edges and the Belgrade fortress open gate in the centre, with a sailing boat in front. At the bottom of the symbol, horizontally, there are the words: The Belgrade Film Festival. Along with the symbol, it is compulsory to state the name of the Festival: The Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival and the number of the Festival.
The City of Belgrade is responsible for changing and usage of the symbol.

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All promotional materials of the Festival must bear the symbol and the heraldic device of the city of Belgrade.

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The Festival has its Council, Art Director and, if needed, Executive Director.
The Council has a President and eight members appointed by the Belgrade City Assembly for the duration of two years, chosen among the country's most remarkable cultural workers.
The Art and Executive Directors are appointed by the City Assembly for the duration of two years.

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The Festival Council determines: the Festival program, the budget (including cost estimate), the venue, the time and the duration of the Festival, reports to the Belgrade City Assembly about the finalized Festival, forms a selection committee or separate programs selectors, appoints the members of the Jury of the Festival and performs other activities related to the Festival production.

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The Festival is represented by the Council President or the delegated person, authorised by the City of Belgrade.

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The Art Director presents to the Festival Council the concept of the Festival, the main and support programs, recommends and suggests to the Council all other subjects related to the program.

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The Executive Director organizes and co-ordinates all activities related to the Festival production, most of all: securing all production and technical facilities for the Festival programs, correspondence with the Festival participants, recommending civil and legal subjects necessary for the preparation and execution of the programs and undertaking appropriate measures for program execution, supervising all agreed marketing activities and all other activities related to the Festival production.

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The expert bodies of the Festival council are the Selectors and Selection Committees.
The Selection Committees and the Selectors are named by the Council from among the most renowned local and international film authors as well as from all other cultural fields. The members of the Selection Committee and the Selectors are elected for each Festival.
The responsibility of the Selection Committees and the Selectors is to go over and select all applied films and to suggest to the Art Director and the Council all the films for the Festival program.

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The Jury is an expert body of the Festival consisting of 5 (five) members.
The members are elected by the Festival Council for each Festival from among the renowned local and international artists from the field of culture, art and film industry.
The majority of the Jury members are foreign representatives.

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The Festival Council submits the program and the cost estimate to the City government cultural section by October 1st at the latest for each new Festival in the upcoming year.

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The organizational, expert, administrative, financial and technical activities related to the Festival are performed by a legal entity sub-contracted by the City of Belgrade.
The above mentioned Contract is closed by the secretary of the City government cultural section.
The supervision of the contractual duties is performed by a body within the City government in charge of cultural activities.

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The report on each Festival including financial report is submitted by the Festival Council to the City government's body in charge of cultural activities, within 30 days at the latest from the last day of the Festival.

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The Festival is financed from the City budget, according to the presented program and the cost estimate, as well as all other cultural needs of the city of Belgrade financed from the budget.
Besides the above mentioned sources, the Festival Council gathers funds for the Festival from other sources, according to the law.

II – FESTIVAL PROGRAM

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All domestic and foreign documentary and short films intended for public are eligible to apply. The application must contain the producer's approval.
All registered producers as well as film authors are eligible to apply.
Films in foreign languages must come provided with Serbian translation.
Local films included in the National competitions must be translated and subtitled in English, the responsibility of the producer.

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National Competition is formed through selection of the submitted films. The Festival Council informs local producers and authors about submitting procedure every year at the latest 180 days prior to the beginning of the Festival.
The International Competition can be formed by direct invitation to participate at the Festival, sent by the Art Director, submitting films by international producers and authors that have to go through the selection process, or in a different manner, according to the decision brought by the Festival Council.
The applications may be submitted at the latest 90 days prior to the Festival.
The application to the Competition programs is charged a certain amount, determined by the Festival Council for each Festival.

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National Competition has four categories:
- Documentary film;
- Animated film;
- Short film and
- Experimental film.
Local films are submitted to the Festival and compete in categories.
The International Competition is not divided in categories; it consists of internationally produced documentary and short films of all genres.

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Festival shows only films made or finished in the following formats: 35mm film, 16mm film, digital BETACAM, BETA SP, DV and DVD.

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The submitted films may not be withdrawn from the program.
The final decision on the Festival programs is brought by the Festival Council according to the suggestions of the Selection Committee or the Selector and the Art Director.

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The Festival presents the total of 11 (eleven) official Festival awards:
1. Life Achievement Award – to one author for his complete artistic opus and creative contribution in the area of short film. The Award may be presented posthumously. The decision on this Award is brought by the Festival Council.
2. The decisions on all other Awards are brought by the majority vote of the Festival Jury.
3. Grand Prix – to the author of the best film of a remarkable artistic value from both Festival Competitions.
4. The Golden Award Belgrade – to the authors of the best film of the National and the International Competition.
5. Four (4) Golden Awards Belgrade – to the authors of the best films in all National Competition categories.
6. Two (2) Golden Awards Belgrade – to the author of the best documentary film and film belonging to the other genres (animated, short, experimental) films of the International Competition.
7. The Golden Award Belgrade – to a local producer for the best production of a group of films.
The Festival Award consists of a traditional Grand Prix statuette, a golden medallion and a Belgrade medal, along with a certain financial amount.
The financial amounts of all official awards are determined by the Festival Council within the cost estimate of the Festival expenditures and are made public along with the local and international films application process.

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Besides the official Festival Awards, the Festival Council may authorise awards by other organizations. The award presenter appoints a special jury for this award (sponsors, media, foundations or associations, the audience).

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The Festival Council may hold the copies of the official program films for the maximum of 30 days after the last day of the Festival, in order to arrange festival re-runs.
III – THE EFFECT TAKING DATE

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These Rules of the Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival are made effective on the day of publication in the "Official Gazette of the City of Belgrade".

The Festival founder
Belgrade City Assembly
In the year of 2004