REGULATIONS OF THE 16TH ODESA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Edition effective as of “22” January 2025. Amended on “14” August 2025.

The Odesa International Film Festival (hereinafter also referred to as the Film Festival) was established with the aim of supporting and developing cinematographic art and the film industry in Ukraine, as well as presenting Ukrainian and international films of high artistic quality to audiences.

The founder and organizer of the Film Festival is the Limited Liability Company “Ukrainian Film Festival” (hereinafter – the Organizer), a legal entity registered and operating in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine.

The Film Festival is held in the city of Kyiv (Ukraine) on the basis of these Regulations. The XVI Odesa International Film Festival is scheduled to take place from “24” September 2025 to “04” October 2025.

The Odesa International Film Festival is an annual event dedicated to the development of cinema in Ukraine. The Festival is a platform for showcasing new films, exchanging experiences among filmmakers, and establishing international connections.

The Festival program includes the following sections:

Competition programs:

National Documentary Competition Program
European Competition Program
Film Industry Office Pitchings

and non-competition special screening programs formed by the Organizer in accordance with internal rules and provisions.

The following terms and definitions are applied in the Festival Regulations:

Feature film: An audiovisual work lasting more than 50 minutes, intended for theatrical release, screening at film festivals, television, or VOD platforms.
Ukrainian film: An audiovisual work created in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine, the majority of production processes of which (script, shooting, post-production) were carried out on the territory of Ukraine or with the participation of Ukrainian filmmakers.
European film: An audiovisual work created in accordance with the norms of the European Union, the majority of production processes of which were carried out on the territory of EU member states or associated members, or with the participation of European filmmakers.

Participation in the Competition Programs of the Film Festival

Legal entities as well as individuals who are copyright holders of a film or have the proper authorization from the copyright holder may participate in the competition programs. To participate, it is necessary to submit an application and a preview version of the film that meets the criteria established by the Regulations.

Please note: participants from countries subject to international sanctions are not allowed to participate.

1. National Documentary Competition Program

Note. In 2025, the title “National Ukrainian Competition Program” was changed to “National Documentary Competition Program” after the completion of submissions and the selection of films, since only documentary films were included in the program. At the same time, all provisions of clauses 1.1–1.14 of the Regulations remain in force and correspond to the conditions under which applications were accepted.

1.1 Ukrainian and co-produced with Ukraine feature-length films (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental) of all genres, completed in 2024 or 2025, may participate in the National Documentary Competition Program.

1.2 Submission of applications for participation in the National Documentary Competition Program begins on “22” January 2025 and is free of charge.

1.3 To submit an application, it is necessary to fill out the online form available on the official Festival website or on the FilmFreeWay platform, and provide all the materials indicated in the online form no later than 14:59:59 (Kyiv time) on “1” June 2025.

1.4 The number of films participating in the National Documentary Competition Program is not limited.

1.5 Films that were not selected for the National Documentary Competition Program may be invited to participate in other sections of the Festival. The decision to participate in non-competition programs is made in agreement with the film’s authors. The authors are obliged to provide all necessary materials for the organization of screenings.

1.6 The selection of films for the National Documentary Competition Program is carried out by an expert commission formed by the Festival organizers. Priority is given to films that will be presented to Ukrainian audiences for the first time.

1.7 Information about films selected for the National Documentary Competition Program will be published on the official Festival website and official social media pages. Participants who submitted applications are advised to follow the news on the Festival website.

1.8 For the film crew of a participating film, invitations to the film’s screening during the Festival are provided (director, leading actors, cinematographer, producer) in the amount of up to 20. The organizers provide accreditation to up to 5 representatives of the film, which entitles them to participate in all Festival events.

1.9 During the Film Festival, a winner is determined in the following categories:

“Best Ukrainian Feature Documentary Film”
“Grand Prix” (See Section 3 of the Regulations)
Diploma of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) in the category “Best Ukrainian Feature Documentary Film”

1.10 Only one (1) film participant may be named the winner in the category “Best Ukrainian Feature Documentary Film.”

1.11 The winner of the National Documentary Competition Program is selected by an independent jury consisting of well-known representatives of the film industry. Jury members must not have a conflict of interest and make decisions solely on the artistic value of the films.

1.12 The director or producer of the winning film in the category “Best Ukrainian Feature Documentary Film” is awarded the “Golden Duke” statuette and a cash prize of 75,000 UAH from the official banking partner “Pivdennyi.” The distribution of prizes is carried out according to internal agreements.

1.13 The Jury of the National Documentary Competition Program has the right to award no more than two Special Diplomas to participating films of the National Documentary Program or to members of their creative teams.

1.14 The Jury of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) consists of members of the federation, who are independent film critics and film journalists without conflicts of interest, making decisions solely on the artistic value of the films and in accordance with the federation’s rules.

2. European Competition Program

2.1 European feature-length films (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental) of all genres, completed in 2024 or 2025, may participate in the European Competition Program.

2.2 Submission of applications for participation in the European Competition Program begins on “22” January 2025 and is free of charge. The European Competition Program is open to participants from Ukraine, all member states of the European Union, and EU associated members. To submit an application, it is necessary to fill out the online form available on the official Festival website or on the FilmFreeWay platform, and provide all the materials indicated in the online form no later than 14:59:59 (Kyiv time) on “1” June 2025.

2.3 The number of films participating in the European Competition Program is not limited.

2.4 Films that were not selected for the European Competition Program may be invited to participate in other sections of the Festival. The decision to participate in non-competition programs is made in agreement with the film’s authors. The authors are obliged to provide all necessary materials for the organization of screenings.

2.5 The selection of films for participation in the European Competition Program is carried out by the selection committee, which chooses the best works among the submitted applications. Priority is given to films that will have their Ukrainian premiere at the Odesa International Film Festival.

2.6 Information about the final list of films participating in the European Competition Program is published on the official website of the Odesa International Film Festival.

2.7 During the Film Festival, winners of the European Competition Program are determined in the following categories:

“Best European Feature Film”
“Grand Prix” (See Section 3 of the Regulations)

2.8 Only one (1) film participant may be named the winner in the category “Best European Feature Film.”

2.9 The winner of the European Competition Program is determined by an international jury consisting of distinguished filmmakers from various countries of the world.

2.10 The director of the winning film in the category “Best European Feature Film” is awarded the “Golden Duke” statuette.

2.11 The international jury has the right to award no more than two Special Diplomas to participating films or to members of their creative teams.

3. Grand Prix (based on audience voting)

3.1 The winner in the “Grand Prix” category is determined among the films of the National Documentary Competition Program and the European Competition Program. Only one (1) film may be named the winner.

3.2 The director of the winning film in the “Grand Prix” category is awarded the “Golden Duke” statuette and a cash prize of 75,000 UAH.

3.3 The winner is determined through electronic voting via a QR code displayed on the screen after each film screening.

3.4 Viewers may cast their votes for the films of the competition programs until 23:59:59 (Kyiv time) on “2” October 2025 inclusive.

3.5 Evaluation is carried out on a scale from 1 to 5 points, where 5 is the highest score and 1 is the lowest.

3.6 The winner in the “Grand Prix” category is determined by calculating the arithmetic mean of all votes, including up to three decimal places.

4. Film Industry Office Pitchings

Presentation of full-length fiction, documentary, and animated film projects at the stages of Development and Work in Progress.

4.1 Creators of full-length fiction, documentary, and animated films at the stages of Development and Work in Progress are invited to participate in the presentations.

4.2 Projects submitted for consideration must be of Ukrainian or co-produced with Ukraine production. Presentations are conducted in English, and materials must be provided in both Ukrainian and English.

4.3 Applications for consideration are accepted without any restrictions regarding age, physical abilities, race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.

4.4 Project selection criteria:

Projects submitted for participation in the Development and Work in Progress presentations within the framework of the Festival must meet each of the following criteria:

The project must be a full-length fiction, animation, or documentary film (running time of at least 50 minutes);
For Development: at the time of application submission, the project must have a completed first draft of the script and confirmed 30% financing;
For Work in Progress: at the time of application submission, the project must have completed footage or be in the editing/post-production phase.

4.5 Requirements for documents and materials when submitting a project for Development:

Script fragment (up to 10 pages), synopsis, and extended synopsis of the project;
Director’s vision of the project (1 page);
Photo of the director (.jpeg);
Photo of the producer (.jpeg);
Project presentation (pdf or ppt).

If available: video materials for the presentation must be provided as a link to cloud storage, VIMEO, or YouTube with English subtitles.

4.6 Requirements for documents and materials when submitting a project for Work in Progress:

Frames from the film of print quality JPG, PNG (at least 3);
Photo of the director (.jpeg);
Photo of the producer (.jpeg);
Link to the trailer or edited fragments of the film with English subtitles (and Ukrainian subtitles if a foreign language is used), with a running time of 3 to 5 minutes; video materials for the presentation must be provided as a link to cloud storage, VIMEO, or YouTube.

Optional: Project presentation (.ppt or .pdf).

4.7 After the announcement of the selection results, official representatives of the participating project must fill out accreditation forms for Industry accreditation for each project representative (up to 2 people) on the Festival website.

4.8 Separate letters with instructions regarding the preparation of materials will be sent to the representatives of the participating projects at the specified email addresses.

4.9 Submission of registration forms for participation in the Development and Work in Progress presentations begins on “16” June 2025. Applications are accepted until “1” August 2025, 23:59:00 Kyiv time.

4.10 The list of participating projects will be announced on the official Festival website — oiff.com.ua.

4.11 The Development and Work in Progress presentations will take place within the events of the Film Industry Office section of the Festival.

4.12 Information about the projects, authors, and project representatives indicated in the presentation applications for Development and Work in Progress will be published on the website oiff.com.ua.

4.13 Projects undergo a two-stage selection process: first, the submitted materials are checked for compliance with formal requirements, and then an expert commission evaluates their artistic value and potential.

4.14 A jury of experienced film professionals chooses the winners of the Development and Work in Progress presentations.

4.15 Presentation rules:

The project presentation includes a speech by the creative team (in English, up to 5 minutes), as well as a screening of materials for Work in Progress projects (up to 10 minutes).
Any number of members of the creative team may participate in the presentation, but the presence of the producer or director of the project is mandatory.
During the oral presentation, the authors may use additional video, photo, and audio materials to better present the concept. All necessary files must be provided by “1” September 2025.
The project presentation ends with a Q&A session, allowing participants to elaborate on their project and receive feedback from experts.

4.16 The winning project of the Development presentation, determined by the jury based on quality, artistic value, and potential (national or international), receives a cash prize of 80,000 UAH from the Festival’s information partner Kyivstar TV.

4.17 The winning project of the Work in Progress presentation, determined by the jury based on quality, artistic value, and potential (national or international), receives a cash prize of 80,000 UAH from the General Partner of the Film Industry Office, UpHub.

4.18 The winning project of the Work in Progress presentation, determined by the jury based on quality, artistic value, and potential (national or international), receives a package of marketing services from the Festival partner StarLight Creative (creation of audiovisual materials for the film and strategy consulting).

4.19 The winning project of the Work in Progress presentation, determined by the jury based on quality, artistic value, and potential (national or international), receives a package of post-production services in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 sound equivalent to $3,500 from the Festival partner, Film Industry Office partner Cinema Sound UA Production.

4.20 The cash prize is paid within 3 (three) months from the date of the announcement of the competition results, taking into account the requirements of the tax legislation of Ukraine. The recipient of the prize must independently take all necessary measures to obtain it.

4.21 The winner is obliged to include in the credits of the future film information that it participated in and won the Pitching of the Odesa International Film Festival.

5. Intellectual Property Rights and Warranties

5.1 By submitting an application for participation in any of the Festival programs, the Participant assumes full responsibility for the accuracy and reliability of the information provided and confirms that no third-party rights are infringed. The Participant also grants the Festival organizers all necessary rights to screen the film or present the project.

5.2 By submitting an application, the Participant confirms that they hold all necessary rights to the film and do not infringe on third-party copyrights. The Participant bears responsibility for any consequences related to copyright infringement. The Organizer has the right to exclude a film or project from the Festival program in case such violations are detected. In the event of claims from third parties, the Participant undertakes to resolve them independently and bear all related costs.

5.3 Participants grant the Organizer the right to use information about the Project, namely: a short description of the project (synopsis), stills from the film/posters, teaser/trailer, list of the creative team of the Project, their biographies, as well as team photos, and quotes from any team member, in the public space (news outlets, websites, social media, etc.) in the event that the project is selected for presentation at the Festival.

5.4 The Organizer undertakes to use the materials provided by Participants only for purposes related to the organization of the Festival and not to distribute them without the authors’ consent for other purposes.

5.5 The Organizer is obliged to ensure the technically correct screening of films and projects and to take all necessary measures to prevent their unauthorized copying and distribution.

5.6 The fact of application submission by the Participant confirms their consent to the transfer, collection, processing, use, and storage of their personal data. The personal data of Participants are used exclusively by the Organizer or authorized persons, with the necessary confidentiality measures, and solely in connection with the Festival. They are not provided to any third parties for purposes unrelated to the Festival. With respect to all personal data provided by the Participants, the Organizer or its authorized persons will take measures to ensure the security of personal data in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection.”