Aegean Film Festival

About

In 2010, an international film festival took place on the island of Patmos with the vision to create a summer meeting point in the Aegean and a platform for creative development.

Over the following nine years, the festival returned annually with the support network of friends and colleagues who worked in collaboration. By 2018, the festival had grown, with the number of guests, partners and sponsors increasing - reaching 7,000 tickets. The festival doubled in terms of duration (from 6 days to 12 days), expanded its destinations (incorporating Paros), created two venues, and introduced 3 new programmes.

The Aegean Film Festival takes place in Patmos and Paros, under the auspices of UNESCO, Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) and the Greek Film Centre (E.K.K).

Along with our principal sponsors COSMOTE TV, SundanceTV and the co-production of the Municipality of both islands (as well as their businesses and hotels), they guarantee that we can continue to educate, entertain and bring together filmmakers from all around the world to create this unique celebration of cinema and storytelling.

We are honoured to present an international programme of more than 70 films, documentaries and shorts with more than thirty premieres where guest filmmakers showcase their work.

 

Awards

Best Aegean Short Film:
Jury Award € 2000,00*

Best Greek Short Film:
Jury Award € 1500,00*

ReScript the Future - Environmental Short Script Awards:
1st - €25.000 (ages 13-17)
2nd - €25.000 (ages 18-24)
Runner Ups: 8 paid Internship Programmes with WaterBear and AegeanFF

Feature Fiction Audience Award

Feature Documentary Audience Award

Rules

Eligibility:
01. The submissions of the Aegean Film Festival are open to films of different genres, techniques, production types and budgets.

02. The accepted running times of the films differ according to the category submitted:

Feature Documentaries & Fiction Films – minimum 50 minutes.
Short Films – maximum 25 minutes.

03. The Aegean Film Festival has no premiere status rule but keeps the right to reject works that are available online or widely distributed.
04. The primary contact submitting the film to the festival must have full authorisation to do so, including permission from the film’s distributor, sales agent and representing body.

Data Protection:
05. Film and personal details are available to Aegean Film Festival and will not be shared with other organisations outside the festival.
06. The Festival reserves the right to keep the submitter's data in order to share news future news or events.
07. The Festival accepts full responsibility for protecting the copyrights for the period of time that the films are in the Festival’ s possession, and will act to ensure that no theft or breach of copyright will occur.

Digital Submissions:
09. Aegean Film Festival accepts submission via the Aegean Film Festival website and FilmFreeway. The following platforms will then ask for an external online link such as Vimeo in order for the selection team to review the film.
10. The Festival may, but is not required to, permit certain selected films to be screened in alternative formats. The cost of shipping prints/hard drives to the festival must be met by the applicant. The Festival will pay for one-way shipping of all prints/hard drives, by forwarding them to their next destination, within two weeks of the conclusion of the festival. Any customs or duties charges will be the responsibility of the producer/distributor. The festival does not pay screening fees for films submitted through the submission platforms.
11. The applicant is responsible that the submission file is in full working order.

Foreign Language Films:
12. If the original language of any dialogue or text featured in the film is not English, the preview and screening copy must be subtitled in English, unless this is at variance with the filmmaker’s intention.

Selection Procedure:
13. Each film submitted will be reviewed by at least three members of the selection team. Based on their average score, the top shortlisted films are reviewed again by the whole programming team and the programmes are curated after this second selection stage.
14. The festival will not provide comments on the films prior to the submission deadline. However if workload allows, we are happy to provide applicants with feedback after the completion of the festival.

Screening Formats:
15. An exhibition quality screening version of the film (Quicktime ProRes 422 HQ and/or DCP-24) should be available once the film is selected.

Further Screenings:
16. The applicant authorises Aegean Film Festival to file their film in the festival archive, where it may be made available for further screenings or events promoted by the festival itself, solely for cultural and not for commercial purposes. The festival will always request permission and give reasonable notice before proceeding with any further screening. The festival will never allow any third-party access to the film without the submitter's permission.

17. The Festival, as part of its year-round initiatives, reserves the right to include submitted films, regardless of their selection status, to screen at the AegeanFF Winter Editions, in Patmos and Paros for the benefit of the local population of the islands, the volunteers and team of the festival and the promotion of independent cinema. Those screenings will have free admission and will be open to the public.

Publicity:
18. Information provided including film details, stills and contact information for all selected films, WILL be published in the Festival Catalogue, which will be made available to the Festival delegates, the AegeanFF website and other online platforms for the promotion of the Festival and its program as well as it may be reprinted in future editions of the catalogue and/or newsletters.

19. The applicant of a selected film agrees that up to three minutes of their film may be used by the Festival in promotional activities including screening a clip on television and/or on the festival website, and/or on the screens at the Festival venues (trailers included).

20. All films chosen to be part of the Aegean Film Festival must agree to use the “Official Selection” laurels of AegeanFF on all publicity.

Agreement:
21. In the event of disagreement concerning the interpretation of the regulations, the interpretation of the festival will take precedence.
22. Failure to comply with these regulations may result in the submission being disqualified.
23. These regulations are subject to change without prior notice.
24. The applicant agrees that they have secured all necessary rights for both picture and sound, and exhibition will not violate or infringe upon any rights including but not limited to music, images, and content.
25. Submissions may NOT be withdrawn from the Festival once they have been selected and after the notification date of the applicants, except at the sole discretion of the Festival.
26. By agreeing to proceed with your submission you are agreeing to these regulations and your application can then be processed. Entry of a film is binding and implies acceptance of these regulations.

Attending the Festival:
27. The Aegean Film Festival encourages all selected filmmakers to attend the festival, and offers accompanying guest passes for the crew members of the selected films.
Email hospitality for further assistance on discounts and information:
hospitality@aegeanff.com

Contact:
28. For all other inquires please contact: submission@aegeanff.com

Premiere Requirements

World premiere required.

Jury and Organizers

Programming Team

Babis Tsoutsas - Films Programming
Pavel Cuzuioc - Head of Programming
Stavros Markoulakis - Programming Coordinator & Shorts Programmer
Oriane Picant - Junior Programmer
Paul Lebot Kamitsis - Festival Affiliations
Jesper Jack - Documentaries programmer
Mathilde Martin - Echoes Documentaries
Iraklis Kastrinakis - Film Traffic
Alin Tascyan - Advisory board
Frederic Boyer - Advisory board
Thanassis Karathanos - Advisory Board