Submit Your Film to the Festival!

RULES AND REGULATIONS

FESTIVAL PERIOD

As also stated on our front page: Since we have not yet received a sufficient number of high-quality films in order to have a solid line-up in the official selection, the first edition of the festival has been moved to 2024 – and submissions are now once again open from the 1st of November 2023 until the 19th of May 2024 on FESTHOME only, for a second selection round.

The first edition of the Moonlight Online International Film Festival will take place from the 20th of August 2024 until the 25th of August 2024.

Attention: All film entrants – regardless of whether they have submitted their films in the first selection round (before the 1st of November 2023) or in the second selection round (after the 1st of November 2023) – will be notified about the respective selection results on the 19th of June 2024 at the latest.

Also Important: If you have already submitted your film during the first selection round, please do NOT submit it again in the second selection round which is open from the 1st of November 2023 until the 19th of May 2024 – but kindly wait for the selection result, about which you will be notified as soon as a decision is taken regarding your submitted film. Thank you very much!

FESTIVAL ORGANIZER

The Moonlight Online International Film Festival is organized and administered by the Swedish creation, production and distribution company Dorobantu Film & Television.

FESTIVAL MISSION

The Moonlight Online International Film Festival aims to promote original feature and short films of high artistic quality and to support independent cinema worldwide.

Both among the films submitted to the festival and among the films selected for festival participation, feature films and short films with high market potential may also be selected for film sale / distribution deal proposals. (In such cases, the rights holders of the respective films will be contacted by the festival management office within three months after the festival.)

FILM ELIGIBILITY

Eligible are feature films (with a length between 61 minutes and 300 minutes) and short films (with a length up to 60 minutes) – regardless of the respective feature / short films’ production year and premiere status – belonging to the following categories: fiction, documentary, animation, experimental.

All film genres are accepted (action, adventure, comedy, crime, detective, drama, fantasy, film noir, horror, science-fiction, thriller, western, and so on).

Not eligible are television series (or episodes of such), educational / instructional films, advertising films, promotional films, music videos.

FILM SUBMISSION

For the second selection round, both feature films and short films can be submitted through FESTHOME by using the submission button at the bottom of this page – starting with the 1st of November 2023 and ending with the 19th of May 2024.

Please submit your film ONLY ONCE, through the above-named platform only.
No film submitted twice within one and the same festival edition will be viewed or considered.

Reminder: All film entrants – regardless of whether they have submitted their films in the first selection round (before the 1st of November 2023) or in the second selection round (after the 1st of November 2023) – will be notified about the respective selection results on the 19th of June 2024 at the latest.

Reminder: If you have already submitted your film during the first selection round, please do NOT submit it again in the second selection round which is open from the 1st of November 2023 until the 19th of May 2024 – but kindly wait for the selection result, about which you will be notified as soon as a decision is taken regarding your submitted film. Thank you very much!

If you have already submitted your film in the first selection round and it has not been selected, please do NOT submit it again, as it will not be re-considered.

Submitted films in other language than English must have burnt-in English subtitles.

THERE ARE NO SUBMISSION FEES.

One and the same film entrant may submit several films, by filling the entry form for each submitted film.

By submitting their films to the festival, film entrants confirm that they possess all legal rights necessary for the submission of their films to the festival and for the screening of their films at the festival (in case that their films are selected).

The festival has no legal responsibility related to any third-party’s legal complaint or legal action regarding the presentation of the submitters’ films in the festival (for example, related to – but not limited to – copyright issues and / or other legal matters, aspects, or issues connected to the films’ content, such as music, picture, sound and sound effects, and so on). The film submitters alone will meet such third-party legal complaints and / or legal actions (if any), and the same film submitters hereby undertake to keep the festival and all its representatives totally free from any implication of any nature in any legal cases, disputes or anything similar.

FILM SELECTION

All film entrants – regardless of whether they have submitted their films in the first selection round (before the 1st of November 2023) or in the second selection round (after the 1st of November 2023) – will be notified about the respective selection results on the 19th of June 2024 at the latest.

A number of feature films and short films at the discretion of the festival will be selected and invited to participate in the Official Competition by the Festival President and Artistic Director.

The selection decisions are final and cannot be contested.

INVITED FILMS

For all invited feature films and short films, the following materials must be received by the festival in due time (at dates which will be specified in the respective invitations):

1) a high-quality, progressive (non-interlaced) festival screening copy of the selected feature film or short film as a H264/.mp4-file not bigger than 5 GB (with burnt-in English subtitles, if the respective film’s language is other than English), having the film’s original aspect ratio and frame rate (or down-scaled frame rate, only if required from the perspective of the maximum accepted file size – but still preserving a high quality); the recommended sound settings are AAC, 48 KHz, 320 kbps (only stereo or mono format);

2) a high-quality, progressive (non-interlaced) film trailer or film teaser as a H264/.mp4-file not bigger than 500 MB and not longer than 3 minutes for feature films or 10% of the length of the film in the case of short films (with burnt-in English subtitles, if the respective film’s language is other than English), having the film’s original aspect ratio and frame rate (or down-scaled frame rate, if required from the perspective of the maximum accepted file size – but still preserving a high quality); the recommended sound settings are AAC, 48 KHz, 320 kbps (only stereo or mono format);

3) a JP(E)G-file containing the film poster (not bigger than 1 MB);

4) two JP(E)G-files containing still photos from the film (not bigger than 2 MB each);

5) a JP(E)G-file containing a portrait photo of the film director (not bigger than 1 MB);

6) a PDF-document containing the main cast list (not bigger than 1 MB) – only if the film has a cast;

7) a PDF-document containing the main crew list (not bigger than 1 MB).

The materials specified at 1) and 2) here above must be sent

either

as downloadable, password-protected Vimeo links to selection@moonlight-filmfest.net

through https://wetransfer.com

The materials specified at 3) – 7) here above must be sent (zipped, if necessary) in an e-mail marked with the submitted film’s title to selection@moonlight-filmfest.net

The festival will cancel any selected film’s participation in the festival, if the festival does not receive all of the above-required materials in time, or if the festival receives materials of unsatisfactory technical quality.

The festival is NOT responsible and shall NOT be held responsible for any damages, losses, or other inconveniences possibly suffered by the film entrants as a result of the online screening of their films in the festival, or as a result of technical disorders, malfunctions, or security breaches of any internet platform used by the festival.

Once a film is selected for participating in the festival, and the respective film’s rights holder accepts the festival’s participation invitation, the film may no longer be withdrawn from the festival under any circumstances.

Each film participating in the festival will receive an official participation certificate.

By submitting their films to the festival, the rights holders of the films participating in the festival undertake to display the festival’s “Official Selection” laurel logotype – and, if applicable, the festival’s “Award” laurel logotype – in the opening credits of their respective films, as well as on all film-related publicity and promotional materials. The festival’s above-mentioned laurel logotypes – together with the related use guidelines – will be made available on the festival’s official website once the selected films are announced. Any unauthorized download and / or use of the respective festival laurel logotypes is strictly prohibited.

Copies of the participating films, as well as the respective related film materials (film trailers, film teasers, photographic materials, text materials) will remain in the festival archive for documentation purposes only.

FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

The festival does NOT pay screening fees to the film entrants / film rights holders.

All selected and invited feature films and short films participating in the festival will be screened online in the festival’s screening rooms during the festival period.

All feature film and short film screenings will be totally free for spectators all over world.

For all feature films and short films, all screenings will be individual (only one feature film and one short film will be screened in one and the same screening room of the festival during the entire festival period).

All persons visiting the festival website will have full, free access to all film trailers and film teasers, which – before, during, and after the festival period – will be screened in the festival’s screening rooms without password protection [as parts of the participating feature films’ / short films’ informative material, along with the respective films’ posters and / or still photos, as well as the films’ main cast list (if any) and main crew list – which all may also be published and displayed on the festival’s official website, at the sole discretion of the festival (before, during, and after the festival period)].

FESTIVAL AWARDS

THE FESTIVAL’S SUPREME TRANS-SECTION AWARD:

GREAT MOONLIGHT AWARD FOR BEST FILM IN THE FESTIVAL (Feature or Short) – consisting of both Physical Trophy (going to the producer of the film) and Cash Prize (to be split between the producer and the director of the film);

The Great Moonlight Award for Best Film in the Festival (Feature or Short – Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental) will be awarded by the festival jury, which will decide between the winner of the Moonlight Online Award for Best Film in the Feature Film Competition and the Moonlight Online Award for Best Film in the Short Film Competition (please see the lists of awards in the feature film section and in the short film section here below).

FEATURE FILM SECTION AWARDS:

Moonlight Online Award for Best Film in the Feature Film Competition (Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental) – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of both Official Diploma (going to the producer of the film) and Cash Prize (to be split between the producer and the director of the film);
Moonlight Online Award for Best Feature Film Director – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for Best Feature Film Screenplay – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for Best Feature Film Actress – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for Best Feature Film Actor – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for Best Original Feature Film Music – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for First Feature Film – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director;
Moonlight Online Special Award for Outstanding Feature Film Creation – awarded by the Artistic Director of the festival, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director;
Moonlight Online Audience Award for Best Feature Film (Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental) – voted by the film spectators (either through the festival website or by e-mail), and consisting of both Official Diploma (going to the producer of the film) and Cash Prize (to be split between the producer and the director of the film).

SHORT FILM SECTION AWARDS:

Moonlight Online Award for Best Film in the Short Film Competition (Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental) – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of both Official Diploma (going to the producer of the film) and Cash Prize (to be split between the producer and the director of the film);
Moonlight Online Award for Best Short Film Director – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for Best Short Film Screenplay – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for Best Short Film Actress – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for Best Short Film Actor – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for Best Original Short Film Music – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma;
Moonlight Online Award for First Short Film – awarded by the festival jury, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director;
Moonlight Online Special Award for Outstanding Short Film Creation – awarded by the Artistic Director of the festival, and consisting of Official Diploma which goes to the film director;
Moonlight Online Audience Award for Best Short Film (Fiction / Documentary / Animation / Experimental) – voted by the film spectators (either through the festival website or by e-mail), and consisting of both Official Diploma (going to the producer of the film) and Cash Prize (to be split between the producer and the director of the film).

There is no restriction with regard to how many of the awards can go to one and the same feature film / short film.

Only one of the jury-decided awards can be awarded ex aequo to two feature films, or to two short films respectively.

The jury-decided trans-section Great Moonlight Award for Best Film in the Festival (Feature or Short) may not be awarded ex aequo.

The jury-decided Moonlight Award for Best Film in the Feature Film Competition / Short Film Competition may not be awarded ex aequo.

In case that the feature films / short films selected for competition do not have a significant original film music content, the Moonlight Award for Best Original Film Music may be excluded from the award list.

In case that the feature films / short films selected for competition do not include debut feature films, the Moonlight Award for First Feature Film / First Short Film may be excluded from the award list.

Cash prizes will be paid within a period of six months after the festival. Cash prize receivers are responsible for any and all potential taxes to be paid in connection with receiving the respective cash prize amounts.

The festival may change the lists of awards at its own discretion, at any time, without notification.

The members of the jury will be announced on the festival website in due time before the festival start date.

Persons in any way related to the feature films / short films in competition may not be part of the jury.

All award decisions are final and cannot be contested.

ACCEPTANCE OF RULES AND REGULATIONS

By submitting their films to the Moonlight Online International Film Festival, film entrants automatically and entirely accept the festival’s Rules and Regulations, and the same film entrants fully and unconditionally agree to and comply with the Rules and Regulations’ content.

The festival has the right to change its Rules and Regulations at its own discretion and at any time, without notification. Please follow this site, in order to stay updated.

The Festival President has the power to settle all cases which are not covered by the festival’s Rules and Regulations. His decisions are final and may not be contested.

THE MOONLIGHT ONLINE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WELCOMES DONATIONS, WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO KEEPING BOTH FILM SUBMISSIONS AND FILM SCREENINGS ENTIRELY FREE!