CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 2023

Philosophical Film Festival / Филозофски Филмски Фестивал is a unique film festival that lives on the crossroads between philosophy and film and is held annually in Republic of N. Macedonia. On one side, the festival tries to promote the idea of film as a medium which can provoke philosophical thought and illustrate philosophical ideas. On the other, it aims to trigger aesthetical analysis’ and investigations into film language as a form sui generis and empower young filmmakers and film workers to reflect on key concepts, questions and ideas in order to translate them into the visual language of cinema. It is a pioneering festival of the kind in Macedonia and the region, and one of few in the world connecting film and philosophy.

Awards & Prizes

“Golden Owl” Jury Award & Audience Award for Best Feature Film and Best Short Film. Special Mention “Stefan Sidovski – Sido” for a short film.

   

Rules & Terms

PHILOSOPHICAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023

Rules & Terms

Philosophical Film Festival (original title: Филозофски Филмски Фестивал) is organized by the non-profit organization Philosophical Society of Macedonia registered in the Republic of N. Macedonia.

The 13th edition of the Philosophical Film Festival will take place from 2-9 June 2023 in Skopje, Republic of N. Macedonia. Therefore the Festival is opening a Call for Feature Films and a Call for Short Films for its 13. edition. The festival is planned as a physical event, but closely following the developments with the Covid-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2023 (and the implications of the crisis from 2022), the festival organizers reserve the right to adapt to an online or hybrid form of the Festival, if the circumstances are not allowing the organization of physical (physical only) events.

Film Submission Rules

1. A film must comply with the following conditions to be submitted:

– is a feature or short fiction film (documentaries are not accepted),

– is completed in 2021 or 2022,

– is philosophically relevant or inspires philosophical reflection,

– is with English subtitles.

2. The Regular submission fee is 4 euros for short films, and 8 euros for feature films, but there are also possibilities for Earlybird entries and Late entries.

3. Only the entrants whose films were selected will be notified, as we are not able to inform individual applicants about the rejection nor its reason.

Official Selection

1. Feature and short fiction films will be considered for the official competitions.

2. Successful submissions will be announced on 7th April 2023.

3. The Jury appointed by the Festival’s organizers will award the ‘Golden Owl’ Jury Award for Best Feature Film and Best Short Film on PFF 2023, plus the Special Mention “Stefan Sidovski – Sido” for a short film. Submitted films are assessed in terms of artistic quality and philosophical relevance and the jury’s decision is absolute and final. The Audience of the Festival will award the ‘Golden Owl’ Audience Awards for a feature and a short film.

4. After the finishing of the Main Programme, the awarded films might be screened also on side events organized in small towns around the country, the film academies with which PFF is collaborating, or in an awarded films repetition screenings in June 2023.

Submission

1. Films may be submitted electronically via the platform.

2. The regular submission deadline is 1st March 2023, and the latest deadline is 23rd March 2023.

3. The regular submission fee is 4 euros for short films, and 8 euros for feature films, but there are also possibilities for Earlybird entries and Late entries (student films are also eligible and can be submitted without a submission fee).

4. The person submitting the film gives their permission to screen the film during the Festival and during other events promoting the Festival arranged by the organizer with no screening fees.

5. The Festival reserves the right to invite a film that was not submitted to the Festival.

Film copies
1. The film copies (selected films) should be sent electronically via an online link.

2. The films should have English subtitles and will be screened with, both, Macedonian and English subtitles.

Submitting a film to the Philosophical Film Festival is equivalent to the acceptance of the conditions set out in the above Rules & Terms.

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DATES & DEADLINES
  • Opening Date
  • Earlybird Deadline
  • Regular Deadline
  • April 7, 2023 – Notification Date
  • Event Date

OFFICIAL SELECTION OF FEATURE FILMS

Within the Official Selection of Feature Films, the Philosophical Film Festival will showcase five (5) feature films produced in 2021/22 and examine them from a philosophical perspective. The selector of the festival is going to be looking for fiction films having, both, artistic qualities and philosophical relevance, starting from more narrative films & films around ethical questions, freedom of will & choice, the question of beauty, justice, identity, the mind-body problem, etc. But we are also very much interested in poetic films and looking at cinema and its language from an aesthetical and phenomenological angle.

OFFICIAL SELECTION OF SHORT FILMS 

Short fiction films produced in 2021/22 and inspired by a philosophical idea or inspiring philosophical reflection. The selector of the festival is going to be looking for short fiction films having, both, artistic qualities and philosophical relevance, starting from more narrative films & films around ethical questions, freedom of will & choice, the question of beauty, justice, identity, the mind-body problem, etc. But we are also very much interested in poetic films and looking at cinema and its language from an aesthetical and phenomenological angle. On two evenings PFF will present the audience around 20 short films in competition. The films should be no longer than 20 min. (student films are also accepted, without submission fees).