The festival has been supported by the Ministry of Culture (the Minister of Culture as patron), Ministry of Environment and Waters, Sofia Municipality Council, Sofia Municipality, National Film Centre and National Culture Fund. 

2) Official Languages 

The official languages of the festival are Bulgarian and English. All films submitted must have English subtitles. Animation films made for kids are dubbed into Bulgarian and they also require English subtitles. All films must be accompanied by a script and/or dialogue list in English (on a CD-Rom or sent by e-mail along with the digital Entry form). 

3) Participation 

Any frame by frame animated video or film made for the cinema, television and/or the Internet may be entered. Any frame by frame or computer-assisted animated film made for public broadcast, television or Internet may be entered. The International Animated Film Association (ASIFA) definition shall apply: The art of animation is the creation of moving images through the manipulation of all varieties of techniques apart from live action methods. 

Only works completed after January 1st, 2014 and never previously entered at IAFF Golden Kuker – Sofia will be accepted. Works must be registered in one of the following categories in order to compete:

 

4) Technical requirements 

Films submitted for selection will be used for both pre-selection screenings and screenings in the festival (if selected). Therefore, all works submitted must be in the proper format (HD is the best) and they MUST NOT contain watermarks or anything else imprinted.

Once selected for official screening, the film will be screened in the suitable format for the selected theaters. Subtitles or voice in Bulgarian will be added by the technical team of the festival. (In some cases the films will be converted into DCP or Blu-Ray). 

Animation films which take part in the festival will be screened in indoor and outdoor theatres to give wider distribution. 

Accepted formats: 

VIDEO: Preferred HD with aspect ratio - 16x9

a) HD (High-definition): 720p, 1080i/1080p or other 
- MPEG 2 files (.mpg, .mpeg, .ts, .m2t or .m2ts)
- MPEG 4 files (.mp4 or .m4v)
- AVI files with AVC, MJPEG, h.264 codecs or uncompressed (very large!)
- Quicktime movies (.mov) with AVC, MJPEG, h.264, Sorenson3 codecs or uncompressed (very large!)
- Blu-ray BDAV / BDMV disk/movies (.mts or .m2ts)

 

b) SD (Standard-definition): PAL or NTSC
- MPEG 2 files (.mpg, .vob, .mpeg or .ts)
- MPEG 4 files (.mp4 or .m4v)
- AVI files with AVC, MJPEG, h.264, XviD codecs or uncompressed (very large!)
- Quicktime movies (.mov) with AVC, MJPEG, h.264, Sorenson3, XviD codecs or uncompressed (very large!)

- DV movies - Quicktime or AVI

AUDIO:
The audio shall always be either uncompressed, AC3, MP3 or AAC. 

The movie has to be one single (multiplexed) file including video and audio tracks.
The film file has to be in deinterlaced or progressive footage. If not your encodings will have some degradation.

HOW TO PREPARE A DVD-Video (SD) FOR UPLOADING (ONLINE SUBMISSION)
A DVD holds a number of files (.VOB, .IFO and so on) inside the VIDEO_TS folder on every DVD. You need to convert this bunch of files into a single file containing Audio and Video as well as subtitles. 

5) Submissions 

There is no entry fee required. All films must be sent no later than February 10, 2016. 

 - Submission by mail:
Video DVD sent by mail. Each DVD must be securely packaged, contain only one film and be clearly labelled with its original title and its translation in English.
The entry form must be filled out correctly, printed out and signed.
The correctly completed film entry form must include a CD-Rom, containing a synopsis of the film of maximum 300 characters, a biography of the film director of 400 characters, HQ photos of the director(s) and 3 HQ different photos of the film (minimum 6 cm x 8 cm, 300 DPI).

If the film has dialogues, PLEASE send a text file of the film's dialogue/commentary in English (for subtitling reasons). The best files will be with timing information (.srt, .sub, .ssa, .ass, ...).
The film copies should be sent to:

 

IAFF Golden Kuker
Festival director Nadezhda Slavova
Bulgaria, Sofia 1415, kv. Dragalevtsi 
ulitsa Stilyan Chilingirov No 4

Only correctly completed and signed entry forms will be accepted.

If a film is selected for competition, the producer must provide an adequate supply of promotional and graphic material. This material participates in several festival exibitions with photos from typecastings, animation heroes, storyboard, sketches, backgrounds, cels, puppets and other elements of authors' screened and other films and projects.

 

All received materials will remain a property of the archive of the Festival Committee, irrespective whether the film was selected for participation in the competition or not. In the event that the film is included in the competition program, they will be used in the festival publications.

Transport costs and insurance charges of prints, as well as any other related charges – notably customs forwarding agents' fees for import and export – must be fully paid both ways by producers, directors or authorised organisations. Film copies remain property of the festival. 

 - Online submission:
Upload the film onto a server and provide a link for the download (eventually the password as well)!
The correctly completed film entry form must include a synopsis of the film of 300 characters maximum, a biography of the film director(s) of 400 characters, HQ photos of the director(s) and 3 HQ different photos of the film (minimum 6 cm x 8 cm, 300 DPI).
If the film has dialogues, PLEASE send a text file of the film's dialogue/commentary in English (for subtitling reasons). The best files will be with timing information (.srt, .sub, .ssa, .ass, ...) and should be sent in separate e-mail to <film@animationfest-bg.eu> or via our application form in http://2016.animationfest-bg.eu/bg/festival/register/.

Only correctly completed entry forms will be accepted.

 

If a film is selected for competition, the producer must provide an adequate supply of promotional and graphic material. This material participates in several festival exibitions with photos from typecastings, animation heroes, storyboard, sketches, backgrounds, cels, puppets and other elements of authors' screened and other films and projects.

All received materials will remain a property of the archive of the Festival Committee, irrespective whether the film was selected for participation in the competition or not. In the event that the film is included in the Competition programme, they will be used in the festival publications.

6) Juries 

The Organising Committee of IAFF Golden Kuker – Sofia will appoint the members of the Selection Committee and the International Jury. The Jury will be made up of 60% foreign personalities. 60% of the committees must be animation film professionals. None of the members should be in any way involved in the production or distribution of works submitted for selection. Their names will be announced on the festival website one month prior to the start of the selection, and the festival, respectively. 

The Selection committee and the Jury are responsible for choosing works presented in the official selection for films included in the competition programmes according to the various categories. 

Films will be chosen according to their quality and interest. Producers whose films have been submitted for selection and were selected will be informed by mail before the festival. After written notification of the Selection committee's decision to the producers and directors, no request for the withdrawal of a film presented for the Official selection will be accepted. The decisions of the Selection Committee and the International Jury are final and not subject to discussion. Films not selected for Official competition, but for the out-of-competition screenings will also be notified. It is the producer’s duty to inform the film directors of the decision. Directors and producers, whose films have not been selected for screening in the festival will not be notified personally. 

7) Invitations / Accreditation 

The conditions for covering expenses for film directors are the following: 

Competition:
Festival accreditation for all directors and producers of short films and features selected to compete. 

Out of competition: 
Directors and producers of short films and features will receive Festival accreditation
In no case will IAFF Golden Kuker – Sofia cover travel and accommodation expenses.

8) Awards 

The juries will award the following prizes: 

• Grand Prix “Golden Kuker” for Best animated film
• Special award “Proyko Proykov” 
• Best Super short animated film award (about 1 min)
• Best Short animated film award (up to 10 min)
• Best Short animated film award (from 10 to 45 min)
• Best Feature animated film award (over 45 min)
• Best Student animated film award
• Best Short film made for kids award
• Best Episode from TV series
• Best Music video award
• Best Animated eco film
• Best Animated advertisement film

 

At its own discretion, the International Jury may award other specialized prizes on behalf of professional organizations, public institutions, companies, etc.
The International Jury has the right to withhold an award in any category where no entries, in the Jury's view, meet its standards for recognition. 

9) Rights and permissions 

Each entrant declares to be the author or rights owner of the film(s) in competition and to own all the literary, dramatic and musical rights. The simple fact of each entrant taking part in the competition confers on the organisers the right to present the work and the accompanying materials for promotional purposes (in full or as an extract) on any media or public screening, and for non-commercial purposes; i.e. thematic screenings following the festival such as “Best of IAFF Golden Kuker” and “IAFF Golden Kuker On the road”. Award-winning films and films screened at IAFF Golden Kuker – Sofia may be shown in other theatres in Bulgaria as part of “IAFF Golden Kuker on the road”. A specific screening information will be published on the website of the festival. 

The materials sent for participation in the festival cannot be returned or loaned during the festival. Extracts of films in the official selection will be put online on the official website of the festival. 

10) Advertising and exhibition materials 

The organisers are happy to receive any available advertising materials (posters, brochures, etc.), as well as a selection of original material used for the making of the film (storyboard, sketches, backgrounds, cels, puppets, etc.). They will be showcased at the Festival's locations. 

11) Non specified cases 

The festival's Organising Committee will settle any cases that fall outside the terms of the present regulations. 

12) Data Protection 

The information requested, including photos, is required for electronic or paper media linked to the festival. This information will also be used in the festival's promotional materials and on the official website and social network page of the festival. 

13) Acceptance of terms 

By submitting the Entry Form for the International Animation Film Festival Golden Kuker – Sofia, the participant accepts, without reservation, the terms of the present regulations as stated in this document. By the same token, the participants declare also that they are the copyright and distribution rights owners of the films.