1. SELF-IMAGE
The Emden-Norderney International Film Festival is an independent festival for predominantly European feature films, documentaries and short films. The program focuses on Northwest European and German-language productions / co-productions. In addition, films from our new partner region, the Canadian Atlantic Provinces, have been included on a small scale since 2024.
With its program, the festival aims to present a variety of artistic forms of film expression, to strengthen interest in European film culture and to promote understanding for coexistence on a European, but also on a national and regional level with committed contributions on social, societal, political and cultural issues. Against this background, the Emden-Norderney International Film Festival also aims to present the region and the media location of Lower Saxony-Bremen with appropriate audiovisual productions.
The films are selected after being viewed by a selection committee. The decision on an invitation and the allocation within the program is made by the respective section head in agreement with the festival management, which also determines the screening dates.
2. COMPETITIONS AND AWARDS
2.1. FILM COMPETITIONS
The festival program focuses on competitions for European, predominantly Northwest European and German-language feature films, documentaries and short films as well as films from our partner region, the Canadian Atlantic Provinces. Preference will be given to nominated films that have significant participation from at least one of the following countries:
Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Canada (Atlantic provinces).
As the Emden-Norderney International Film Festival sees itself as an audience festival, the film competitions - with the exception of the Creative Energy Film Prize and the Norderneyer Engel - Integration Prize of the Island of Norderney (jury prizes) - are decided by the audience.
Non-German-language competition films are generally screened in their original language with German subtitles. In exceptional cases, the screening of a German dubbed version or the use of English subtitles is possible.
A total of up to 23 films will be included in the competition sections for feature-length films (minimum length: 65 minutes). Competition invitations and nominations for individual film awards are made by the festival management. Nominations can be made for a maximum of two of the competitions decided by the audience. A nomination for the Creative Energy Film Award is independent of this.
The competition films for the East Frisian Short Film Award and the Engelke Short Film Award are each compiled into one program-length film. Invitations are issued by the head of the short film section in consultation with the festival management.
Competition films are judged by the audience using voting cards. The voting cards in the feature film competition contain information about the respective nomination(s).
2.2. THE AWARDS
The film awards decided by the audience go to the respective director. In justified exceptional cases, the festival management may make a different decision.
2.2.1 SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize - International Main Competition
Every year, the SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize is awarded to the three feature films in competition that have received the best ratings from the audience. The prize is named in memory of the great director Bernhard Wicki (1919-2000). The festival thus honours his services to German film as well as to the development of the Emden festival in the years 1990 to 1999. The SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize is endowed with a total of € 15,000.00 (1st place: € 10,000.00, 2nd place: € 3,000.00, 3rd place: € 2000.00) and is sponsored by SCORE GmbH Emden.
2.2.2 Special prizes
The festival management may nominate competition films for special prizes if the applicable criteria are met. Special prizes are
DGB Film Prize
for a feature or documentary film with a special social commitment. These include topics such as work, equal rights, migration and integration, the environment, health or other serious social or societal problems. The DGB Film Award is endowed with € 7,000.00 and is sponsored by the German Trade Union Federation, Lower Saxony - Bremen - Saxony-Anhalt district.
Focus Future Award
for an international feature or documentary film that deals in a special way with future-oriented problem scenarios, visions and utopias and encourages discussion about shaping the future. The Focus Future Award is endowed with € 5,000.00 and is sponsored by Ökorenta Invest GmbH Aurich.
NDR Film Award for young talent
for a first or second feature-length film by a German-language director. Previous documentaries or short films are not counted. The NDR Film Prize for Young Talent is endowed with € 5,000.00 and is sponsored by Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Landesfunkhaus Niedersachsen.
2.2.3 Short film awards
The festival organizes the following short film competitions:
East Frisian Short Film Award of the VGH
The prize is awarded to the three short films with a length of up to 15 minutes nominated for this competition that received the highest ratings from the audience. The Ostfriesischer Kurzfilmpreis is endowed with € 4,000.00 (1st place: € 2,500.00, 2nd place: € 1,000.00, 3rd place: € 500.00) and is sponsored by VGH Versicherungen, Regionaldirektion Emden.
Engelke Short Film Prize of Sparkasse Emden
The prize is awarded to the best German-language short film between 15 and 30 minutes in length from the perspective of a young audience. The short films are nominated by an independent viewing and nomination committee appointed by the head of the short film section, consisting of school pupils, trainees and young adults. The Engelke Short Film Award is endowed with € 2,500.00 and is sponsored by Sparkasse Emden.
2.2.4 Emden Screenplay Prize
The competition for the Emder Screenplay Award is for unfilmed German-language feature film screenplays. A jury appointed in cooperation with the Grimme Institute, Marl, decides on nominations and award winners. Separate regulations apply to the competition for the Emden Screenplay Prize. The Emden Screenplay Prize is endowed with € 12,000.00 (prize winner: € 10,000.00, nominees: € 1,000.00) and is sponsored by Spedition Weets GmbH, Emden.
2.2.5 Emden Acting Award
The Emden-Norderney International Film Festival annually awards the Emden Acting Prize to an outstanding personality in German, German-language or Northwest European film. The Emder Acting Award is linked to a series of portraits of the artist (up to 5 films). The Emden Acting Award is sponsored by the DIRKS Group Emden.
2.2.6 Creative Energy Award
The International Filmfest Emden-Norderney annually presents the Creative Energy Award for an outstanding individual achievement in the realization of a German or international film or TV production. In the course of compiling the program, the film selection team makes up to five suggestions for an award winner. An expert jury appointed by the festival decides on the award. The award winner will be determined in a ranking process. Attendance at the film festival is a prerequisite for the awarding of the prize. There is no public announcement of the prize. The Creative Energy Prize is endowed with 5,000.00 euros and is provided by Gassco AS, German branch.
2.2.7 A desk by the sea
Every year during the festival, the island of Norderney awards a one-week stay on the island in an apartment in the Norderney island loft to one of the festival's film guests to develop material and projects. This award is aimed in particular at younger German-speaking filmmakers. The prize is intended to highlight and promote remarkable achievements or promising projects.
In the course of compiling the program, the film selection team makes up to three suggestions for an award winner. An internal festival jury consisting of one representative each from the festival management, the festival location Norderney and the heads of the German series and the short film section will decide on the award winners. The winner will be determined in a ranking procedure. Attendance at the film festival is a prerequisite for the awarding of the prize. There is no public announcement of the prize.
2.2.8 Norderneyer Engel - Integration Award of the Island of Norderney
The “Norderneyer Engel” integration prize of the island of Norderney, awarded by Staatsbad Norderney GmbH and endowed with € 5,000.00, goes to a film production which, in the chosen genre
- positions itself in an outstanding way on the topics of anti-Semitism, xenophobia, exclusion, racism and intolerance,
- is convincing in terms of subject matter, quality, ambition and realization and stands out from the crowd,
- contributes to a more complex view and a more differentiated opinion and thus
- sets an example for tolerance, civil courage, freedom of opinion, protection of minorities, integration, diversity and the coexistence of people of different cultures or religions.
A selection committee proposes a total of three German-language films for the Integration Award. An independent jury of experts appointed by the Staatsbad Norderney and the festival management can supplement this selection with their own suggestions. The jury is free to decide which trade and which person(s) should receive the award.
The award will be determined in a ranking process. Film proposals can be made by the film and TV industry, the festival management and the jury. Fictional as well as documentary single films or multi-part films from German or predominantly German production can be submitted or nominated. The minimum length is 65 minutes, the total length must not exceed 180 minutes. Completion should not have taken place before July 2024. A theatrical release in Germany or a broadcast by a German TV channel before the current festival date is irrelevant for a nomination. An additional nomination for another competition of the festival is possible if the eligibility requirements are met.
3. FILM PROGRAM (OUT OF COMPETITION)
Outside of the competitions, the festival shows
- Films in country-, theme-, person- or event-related program series,
- Highlights from European and Canadian filmmaking,
- International cinema productions and highlights of world cinema,
- Films for children and families,
- various thematic, personal or country/region-related short film programs.
4. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
4.1. COMPETITION FEATURE FILMS
The festival management is responsible for nominating European, in particular Northwest European and German-language feature films and documentaries for the individual competition sections on the basis of these eligibility requirements.
4.1.1. NOMINATION RESTRICTIONS
Films that have participated in more than one competition at previous German film festivals and films that are not intended for theatrical distribution cannot be nominated for the SCORE Bernhard Wicki Award. The festival management will decide on exceptions in special cases. Only feature films may be nominated for the SCORE Bernhard Wicki Award, the NDR Film Award for Young Talent and the Creative Energy Award. Documentary films may be nominated for the DGB Film Prize, the Focus Future Award and the Norderneyer Engel integration prize.
4.1.2 Minimum length
Films with a total length of 65 minutes or more will be considered.
4.1.3 Completion and theatrical release
Preference may be given to world premieres and German premieres. If the German premiere is not part of the festival, it must not have taken place before the previous Int. Filmfest Emden-Norderney. A theatrical release in Germany or a broadcast on German television must not have taken place at the time of the festival. The festival management will decide on exceptions in special cases.
4.1.4 Formats
Permitted formats for the feature film competitions: DCP, Blu-ray.
4.2. SHORT FILM COMPETITIONS
The nomination of short films for the competition for the East Frisian Short Film Award is the responsibility of the Short Film Section Director in agreement with the festival management.
For the competition for the Engelke Short Film Award, the Head of the Short Film Section appoints a nomination committee consisting of young people (pupils, trainees) and young adults.
Preference may be given to world premieres and German premieres. If the German premiere does not take place during the festival, it must not have taken place before the previous Int. Filmfest Emden-Norderney.
4.2.1 Minimum length
As a rule, the length of the nominated short films should not exceed 15 minutes (Ostfriesischer Kurzfilmpreis) or 30 minutes (Engelke-Kurzfilmpreis). In the event of minor deviations, the head of the short film section will decide in consultation with the festival management.
4.2.2 Formats
Permitted formats for the short film competition: DCP, Blu-ray. Other formats only on request.
4.3. ALL FILM COMPETITIONS
4.3.1 Subtitling
Non-German-language competition films will generally be screened in their original language with German subtitles. If there are no German subtitles, the festival may offer to contribute to the costs incurred. In exceptional cases, the screening of a German dubbed version or the use of English subtitles is possible. Subtitles produced with festival support can be made available to the production or distributor for further use after the festival in order to promote the marketing of the film in German-speaking countries.
4.3.2 Determining the award winners
The winners in the competitions for the SCORE Bernhard Wicki Prize, the DGB Film Prize, the Focus Future Award, the NDR Film Prize for Young Talent and the two short film prizes will be determined by the audience using voting cards. On the voting cards, the audience can rate each film (1 to 5 stars) and hand in the voting card at the exit immediately after the screening.
The ratings on the valid voting cards are added up per competition film (not per screening) and divided by the number of all voting cards submitted for this, so that an average rating comparable with all other competition films is obtained, regardless of the number of viewers.
The film prizes will be awarded to the directors of the films with the highest average audience ratings in accordance with the nominations. In justified exceptional cases, the festival management may make a different decision.
4.3.3 Presence of the filmmakers
For all competition films, the festival expects the presence of potential award winners or a qualified representative from the circle of those involved in the film at at least one competition screening as well as at the festive award ceremony on the festival Sunday. Any travel expenses within Europe and hotel costs will be covered by the festival.
4.3.4 No legal claim
There is no legal entitlement to the awarding of a prize. No claims can be derived from the provisions of §§ 657-661 BGB.
Legal recourse is excluded.
5. FILM SUBMISSIONS
5.1. DOCUMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED
Film entries must be submitted together with the completed entry form, which can be downloaded from the festival homepage (www.filmfest-emden.de) and a download viewing link! (valid until the end of the festival). Submissions without a completed submission form will not be considered.
Once invited to the festival program, a short synopsis, photo, short biography and filmography of the director as well as scene photos and - if available - press material must be submitted. If invited to a competition, a suitable high-resolution, approx. 45-second excerpt must also be provided free of charge, which can be used as part of the festival coverage and at the awards gala.
For competition films, additional viewings are necessary for the internal festival preparation of the moderations and talks. Consent to the forwarding of the links or the DVD/BluRay to the responsible festival staff is deemed to have been given upon submission of the film.
5.2. CONSENT TO FESTIVAL PARTICIPATION, SCREENING RIGHTS
Producers, distributors or other organizations or persons submitting a film expressly confirm that they also agree to participate in the festival in the case of any other holders of screening rights.
In the case of competition entries that are awarded a prize, the screening rights for a further screening (short films) or the showing of an approx. 45-second excerpt (feature-length films) as part of the awards gala are deemed to have been granted upon registration of the film. For award-winning films, the screening right for up to two additional repetitions for the presentation of the winning films in the festival program also applies.
5.3. SUBMISSION DEADLINE
The submission deadline for unsolicited films and documents is March 15, 2025.
Please send advertising material (posters, flyers, etc.) only after the film has been invited.
5.4. NO RETURN OF SUBMISSION DOCUMENTS
Due to the large number of submissions, submission documents cannot be returned. Six months after the end of the festival, all submitted documents and viewing copies will be destroyed. A copy of the screening material of award-winning films will remain in the festival archive.
5.5. NOTIFICATION
Cancellations of films that could not be considered for this year's program will generally be sent by e-mail to the submitting address no later than three weeks before the start of the festival.
6. SCREENING COPY
6.1. TRANSPORTATION OF COPIES
Unless expressly agreed otherwise, the sender shall bear the costs for the transportation of copies to the festival. The festival shall bear the costs for the return shipment of screening copies. Onward shipment to other festivals, especially overseas, must be agreed in writing in individual cases. Shipments from countries outside the European Union must be labeled as follows:
“FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL VALUE - TEMPORARY IMPORT”
“FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL VALUE - TEMPORARY IMPORT”
6.2. DELIVERY ADDRESS AND DATES, KEY (KDM)
Please deliver the film print and all promotional materials by May 25, 2025 at the latest to the following address
Filmfest Emden gGmbH - Festival Office -
An der Berufsschule 3, 26721 Emden, Germany
Screening copies of invited films and any keys to be sent (KDM) should be received no later than 10 days before the start of the festival. A reasonable period of time for testing the screening copies must be guaranteed.
The screening copy will be returned within two weeks after the end of the festival.
6.3. COPY INSURANCE
Films are insured for their copy value during the entire festival period. The insurance cover includes the period from acceptance to return to the sender or the return address specified by the submitter. Any damage to copies that occurs during the festival must be reported to the festival in writing within 14 days of return shipment.
7. OTHER REGULATIONS
The festival management has the right to regulate all cases not provided for in the regulations by individual decisions and to allow exceptions in special and justified cases. The regulations are written in German and English. In case of doubt, the German version shall prevail.
8. ACCEPTANCE OF THE REGULATIONS
By submitting a film, the regulations in the present version are recognized and the authority to register the film is confirmed.
Status: December 2024
(subject to changes)
