Hamilton Film Awards

About

The Hamilton Film Awards is an international competition with public screenings and an exclusive awards ceremony designed to celebrate the best talents of the independent film industry selected at the most prestigious competitions around the world. This award is dedicated exclusively to short films, indie films, experimental films, and films set to music.

Films made after 2023 are accepted for the festival.

The Hamilton Film Awards is an international competition with public screenings in cinemas and an exclusive award ceremony designed to recognize the best talents of the independent industry participating in the most prestigious competitions around the world.
The Hamilton Film Awards (HFA) is designed to find and honor films to which the festival is ready to make a marriage proposal.

To identify and preserve those acts of cinematic creation where form becomes a revelation, and mastery reaches the degree of spiritual achievement. We believe that true cinema is not an imitation of life, but its transformation into light, where every frame is an ode carved in time to the invincible power of the beauty of the art of cinema. We are looking for works in which the author's awe of the eternal becomes a visible miracle — a filmed film of revelation, the final frame of which is the feeling itself.

The OVE statuette is not just an award. It is a living symbol of what lies at the heart of this great cinema: the love of creativity and cinema. The OVE holding this gift becomes the guardian of the eternal. She is not just an inspiration, but a guide between the world of the creator and immortality. In her hands, the director's diamond heart is a pledge of loyalty, a promise that even when the director himself leaves, his love will remain, as diamonds remain, sparkling in the darkness of eternity.
We believe that authentic art is the quintessence of eternal values, embodied in a momentary frame. Our goal is to present cinema to the world, which brings out emotions, incites conflict, is deep and eternal, like a true feeling, unique, like a marriage proposal.

Sending a job to us is not for winning, not for a career, and not for recognition in the usual sense. You need this if you are ready for another dialogue: So that your love for cinema can be seen. Not the plot, not the budget, not the techniques — but the feelings, emotions that make you worry, sympathize, love, live, what caused the birth of the film. To get noticed, to recognize his kindred spirit, and to say, "We know how much you love movies. We see it in every frame." If your work is a crystal, we will not smash it with the hammer of conjuncture. We will put him in that treasure trove where cinema becomes a legacy, not a product. You have already given your heart to the screen. Now let us become the mirror in which it is reflected — pure, eternal and invulnerable.

Your heart, devoted to art, was recognized and returned to you — cut into a diamond.

The OVE is encrusted with a 4 carat diamond heart, of exceptional purity and cut, and covered with 24 carat gold.

Image: The OVE award is not a prize, but an initiation into the knights of vision, a sign of communion with the brotherhood of those who showed the world not just a film, but a visible proof of the immortality of the soul.
The Hamilton Film Awards strives to become the most respected global film festival, and the main prize, the OVE statuette, strives to be as coveted as the Oscar.
Hamilton Film Awards announces the launch of its first festival, which is already generating great anticipation due to the exceptional prize.

O. V. E. = Opening—Vertex—End = Beginning—Vertex—End

O.V.E. – symbolizes the Triad of Creation and embodies three acts — the beginning, the culmination and the finale.

Awards

AWARDS

The OVE Statuette

The OVE "Ode to Visual Excellence" statuette is encrusted with a 4-carat diamond heart of exceptional purity and cut and covered with 24-carat gold.

"Ode to Visual Excellence" - Ode to visual Excellence

The abbreviation O.V.E.

(Opening — Vertex — End)

Image: The OVE award is not a prize, but an initiation into the knights of vision, a sign of communion with the brotherhood of those who showed the world not just a film, but a visible proof of the immortality of the soul.

The Hamilton Film Awards strives to become the most respected global film festival, and the main prize, the OVE statuette, strives to be as coveted as the Oscar.

Hamilton Film Awards announces the launch of its first festival, which is already generating great anticipation due to the exceptional prize.

OVE – symbolizes the Triad of Creation and embodies three acts — the beginning, the culmination and the finale.

Legend:

There is a true legend that one day the director, exhausted by the search for the ideal, form and history, met Her — an actress, beautiful to the point of pain (The most beautiful in the world and in the dark), and his life changed. He couldn't create without her anymore. She became his light, his love, his communion, the star to which he needed to pave the way. Not just a beauty, but one who gave birth to the very essence of inspiration. There is intent in her gaze, music in her movement, and a frame in her voice. He couldn't help but fall in love. That's how a great movie was born. The painting dedicated to her became a change in love, a metaphor for life itself, and it was she who won the heart of the jury, the audience and film critics. But all this is just a little reflection. The root cause was her - OVE.

The statuette stands as a reminder: cinema does not begin with a camera, but with a feeling. And in every frame there is someone who was loved.

The OVE holding this gift becomes the guardian of the eternal. She is not just an inspiration, but a guide between the world of the creator and immortality. In her hands, a diamond heart is a pledge of loyalty, a promise that even when the director himself leaves, his love will remain, as diamonds remain, sparkling in the darkness of eternity.

Thus, this image is a metaphor for art as an act of undying love. The director gives OVE the most precious thing — his heart, but not perishable, but turned into eternity, so that even after him the light of his feelings remains in the world, unchanged like a diamond.

Our reward is recognition. Not a trophy, but a symbolic heart transformed into eternity, which we hand over to the creator, who managed to find his love for cinema and express it in the frame.

And most importantly, the diamond heart will be removable, you can use it to encrustate a real ring to propose to your sweetheart!

Rules

Films made after 2023 are accepted for the festival.

- To apply for the competition, you must own the rights to the film or have permission from the owner.

- The relationship with Hamilton Film Awards will be built exclusively with the applicant.

 Russian Russian subtitles are required for any foreign film made in a language other than Russian.

- You always retain 100% of all intellectual property rights.

- All fees are non-refundable.

All fees are non-refundable
- Not all applications are selected to participate in the official competition. Our judges are free to make their own choices, and we will not give any answers about films that have not been selected.

- The Hamilton Film Awards can reject any film if the festival finds its content unacceptable.

- Directors can submit a film in several categories to receive multiple awards. However, the selection decision is strictly determined by our team of judges, and selection is not guaranteed.

- Candidates (applicants) must comply with the terms and conditions of the Hamilton Film Awards.

All submitted films will be shown and evaluated as part of the festival's competition program.

The committee will select only a few films to be shown at the Hamilton Film Awards. The directors whose films will be shown will receive a notification 4 weeks before the event. At this stage, you need to confirm your participation.

The selected films will be informed by the festival organizers in a timely manner, and no film will be shown without the consent of the director/producer.

Entrance fees are charged for administrative purposes only and do not guarantee participation in the event or receipt of any awards.

All physical materials sent to the festival for events must be paid by the sender, including postage and import duties.

Sponsorship and promotional packages are non-refundable and must be paid in advance. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule the advertisement in accordance with the client's instructions, but payments made are non-refundable.

Participants are strongly advised to take out full or comprehensive travel insurance, as Hamilton Film Awards or its partners are not responsible for injuries, situations or damages resulting from accidents, climatic events, political incidents or natural disasters that may occur before, during or after the event.

Participants are required to inform the organizers of any restrictions that may affect their participation in the event, and reasonable conditions will be provided for them.

Pop-up banners can be returned to the owner after the event or saved by us for further use, but will be deleted after 3 months. If necessary, pay for the delivery.

Please read all the information carefully before applying for the festival.

In case of technical problems beyond our control, we may need to reschedule the award ceremony and we will not be able to refund your money.

Winners who did not attend the ceremony can receive a digital winner's certificate upon request, but the statuette is provided only to those winners who attended the ceremony.
To receive a statuette, attendance at the festival is mandatory.

In all applications in personal categories, you must specify the name of the person you are registering in the category. You can easily send us this information in a cover letter on the website. https://hamiltonfilmawards.com otherwise, your film may not be eligible for this particular category.
- By submitting your film, you authorize Hamilton Film Awards to use, distribute, and post the poster, trailer, synopsis, and stills from the film on our social media platforms. (but under no circumstances are we publishing the full film or project)
- We don't need premiere status.
- Submitting an application does NOT guarantee selection.
— We strongly recommend that you attach a cover letter to the application.
If the main category is not selected in the accelerated feedback option, the application is not automatically considered.
A full application is an application in which the main category or several categories are selected. You cannot apply for additional categories without the main category.
All films must be submitted in at least one main category.
DISCOUNT CODES ARE VALID ONLY when films are submitted to the festival*.
*Note: The codes provided by our partners can only be used for certain categories.*
- The categories of winners vary from issue to issue depending on the applications received and other criteria such as quality and plot. If the category does not open, the project can be assigned to another category at the discretion of the jury and the organizers.
- If a project is "selected" to participate in our festival, it will be sent to the selection sessions, which are the next stage of selection for participation in the official competition.
Official selection – The competition includes projects that meet our high standards.
The semi–finalists are carefully selected projects moving on to the next stage.
The Finalists are an exclusive group representing exceptional storytelling quality
Nominees are projects that are officially eligible for awards in certain categories.
Winners and honorable mentions are the highest recognition in our competition, awarded to outstanding projects that demonstrate excellence in storytelling, creativity, and technical execution.
The competition reserves the right to reject applications, and the jury can exclude the film from the competition at any time. Entrance fees are non-refundable. The individual or company applying to participate in the competition with the film hereby guarantees that they have the right to submit the film for possible screening (private and/or public), and understand and accept these requirements, rules and regulations. You agree to indemnify and hold Hamilton Film Awards harmless from any claims, obligations, losses, damages, and expenses (including, but not limited to, attorney fees and legal fees) that may arise in connection with any claim relating to copyrights, trademarks, attribution, publicity, display, and due to the loss or damage of the submitted video materials.
The Festival reserves the right to reject any application at any time if there are questions about ownership, copyright infringement, or disrespect (in any form) for the festival or its representatives. If the project is presented without a poster, trailer, titles, or any of the above-mentioned themes, the judges will deduct points from the final score.
You cannot withdraw from the competition after the official selection is announced.
All official communications must be sent by e-mail. We are unable to respond to social media messages due to the large number of requests.
If the committee decides that the declared categories do not meet the standards of the competition, they will be deleted. If the film has potential, it can be assigned to another category according to the criteria of the jury and the organizers.
The "Official Selection" status does not mean that your film will be shown at the festival. This means that our committee has highly appreciated your film and you can use the festival's logo on your poster.
Dates and times of the festival may be postponed or changed without prior notice. Please stay tuned in your personal account and by email.
No work or artist will be discriminated against or privileged because of their country of origin, language, age, race, education, ideology, sexual orientation, or economic resources. Any content, any form, any technique will be considered without any censorship.
According to the rules of the Hamilton Film Awards, we do not comment on or explain the reasons why films were not selected, as well as the results and/or decisions on the program.

All specified information, requirements for participants and rules for submitting applications, conditions of participation and information about submitting applications may be changed by the organizers of the film festival without prior notice. By submitting your film/script, you confirm that you have read, understood and accepted all of the above rules, terms and conditions.

* PLEASE READ ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING THE FILM * THE ENTRY FEE IS NON-REFUNDABLE *

The current release period for the annual award is September 13 of each year (the date is subject to change).*
Hamilton Award and OVE Statuette Award

A unique trophy and the most beautiful and expensive statuette in the world with a diamond is awarded to the most outstanding film at the end of the year!
The format of the films' passage to the finals is as follows:
1. Each month, several films are selected to make it to the finals of the annual competition.
2. A total of 12 to 26 films will be selected. Only these finalists will qualify for the statuette.
3. All the finalists will be shown at the final screening and the jury will give points in each category, based on which the winner will be determined.
4. According to the results of the jury, the film should win in 4 categories: Best Short Film, Best director, best screenplay, best art design.
5. The Audience Award is a vote by everyone who attends the festival. cash prize - 100,000 rubles ($1,000)
6. All finalists will receive laurels, certificates and pleasant gifts from the festival (to be announced later)
7. The winner must be present at the festival to receive the statuette, the statuette will not be sent by any delivery service. You can only get it at the festival!
 

Premiere Requirements

No premiere requirement

Jury and Organizers

The organizer is Sergey Hamilton