REGULATIONS OF THE 17TH ODESA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Edition effective as of “15” January 2026.

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

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

The Film Festival is held in the city of Kyiv (Ukraine) on the basis of these Regulations. The XVII Odesa International Film Festival is scheduled to take place during the period from 27 August to 4 September 2026.

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

The Film Festival program includes the following sections:

Competition programs:

National Competition Program
International Competition Program
Pitchings of the Film Industry Office section

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

The following terms and definitions are used in the Film Festival Regulations:

Feature-length film: an audiovisual work with a duration of more than 50 minutes, intended for theatrical distribution, screening at film festivals, television, and VOD platforms.
Ukrainian film: an audiovisual work created in accordance with the applicable legislation of Ukraine, the majority of whose production processes (screenplay, filming, post-production) were carried out on the territory of Ukraine or with the participation of Ukrainian filmmakers.
International film: an audiovisual work produced outside Ukraine, the majority of whose production processes (screenplay, filming, post-production) were carried out with the participation of foreign producers and/or filmmakers, provided that none of the film’s producing or co-producing countries (including minority participation) is subject to sanctions imposed by Ukraine, the European Union, the United States of America, or the United Nations.

Participation in the Film Festival competition programs

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

1. National Competition Program

1.1 Feature-length Ukrainian films and feature-length films co-produced with Ukraine (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental) of all genres, completed in 2025 or 2026, may participate in the National Competition Program.

1.2 The submission of applications for participation in the National Competition Program begins on “15” January 2026 and is free of charge.

1.3 To submit an application, it is necessary to complete the online form posted on the official Film Festival website or on the FilmFreeWay service and provide all materials specified in the online form by 14:59:59 (Kyiv time) on “15” May 2026.

1.4 The number of films that will participate in the National Competition Program is not limited.

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

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

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

1.8 For the creative team of the participating film, invitations to the film screening during the Festival are provided (director, lead actors, cinematographer, producer) in a quantity of up to 20 units. The organizers provide accreditation for the film representatives (no more than 5 units), which grants the right to participate in all Festival events.

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

“Best Ukrainian Feature-Length Fiction Film”
“Best Ukrainian Feature-Length Documentary Film”
“Grand Prix” (See clause 3 of the Regulations)
Diploma of the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI

1.10 Only 1 (one) participating film may be named the winner in the nomination “Best Ukrainian Feature-Length Fiction Film”.

1.11 Only 1 (one) participating film may be named the winner in the nomination “Best Ukrainian Feature-Length Documentary Film”.

1.12 The winners of the National Competition Program are selected by an independent jury consisting of well-known film industry professionals. The jury members have no conflict of interest and make decisions exclusively on the basis of the artistic value of the films.

1.13 The director or producer of the winning film in the nomination “Best Ukrainian Feature-Length Fiction Film” is awarded the “Golden Duke” statuette and a cash prize in the amount of UAH 75,000 (seventy-five thousand). Prizes are distributed in accordance with internal agreements.

1.14 The director or producer of the winning film in the nomination “Best Ukrainian Feature-Length Documentary Film” is awarded the “Golden Duke” statuette and a cash prize in the amount of UAH 75,000 (seventy-five thousand). Prizes are distributed in accordance with internal agreements.

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

1.16 The jury of the International Federation of Film Critics FIPRESCI consists of federation members who are independent film critics and film journalists, who have no conflict of interest and make decisions exclusively on the basis of the artistic value of the films and the federation’s rules.

2. International Competition Program

2.1 International feature-length films (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental) of all genres, completed in 2025 or 2026, may participate in the International Competition Program.

2.2 The submission of applications for participation in the International Competition Program begins on “15” January 2026 and is free of charge. The International Competition Program is open to participants from all over the world (except for territories subject to sanctions imposed by Ukraine, the European Union, the USA, or the UN). To submit an application, it is necessary to complete the online form posted on the official Film Festival website or on the FilmFreeWay service and provide all materials specified in the online form by 14:59:59 (Kyiv time) on “15” May 2026.

2.3 The number of films that will participate in the International Competition Program is not limited.

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

2.5 The selection of films for participation in the International Competition Program is carried out by a 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 International Competition Program is published on the official website of the Odesa International Film Festival.

2.7 During the Film Festival, winners of the International Competition Program are determined in the following nominations:

“Best International Feature-Length Film”
“Grand Prix” (See clause 3 of the Regulations)

2.8 Only 1 (one) participating film may be named the winner in the nomination “Best International Feature-Length Film”.

2.9 The winner of the International Competition Program is determined by an international jury consisting of authoritative filmmakers from different countries around the world.

2.10 The director of the winning film in the nomination “Best International Feature-Length 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 members of their creative teams.

3. Grand Prix (based on audience voting)

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

3.2 The director of the winning film in the nomination “Grand Prix” is awarded the “Golden Duke” statuette and a cash prize in the amount of UAH 75,000 (seventy-five thousand).

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

3.4 A viewer may cast a vote for the films of the competition programs until 15:00:00 (Kyiv time) on “3” September 2026 inclusive.

3.5 The 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 nomination “Grand Prix” is determined by calculating the arithmetic mean of all votes, including three digits after the decimal point.

4. Film Industry Office Pitchings

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

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

4.2 Projects submitted for consideration must be of Ukrainian production or co-produced with Ukraine. The project presentations are held in English; materials are provided both in Ukrainian and in 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 to participate in the Development and Work In Progress presentations within the Film Festival must meet each of the following criteria:
The project must be a feature-length fiction, animated, or documentary film (duration from 50 min);
For Development: at the time of submission, the project must have a completed first draft of the script and 30% financing confirmed;
For Work in Progress: at the time of submission, the project must have completed footage or be in the editing and color grading stage of production.

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

a script excerpt (up to 10 pages), synopsis, and extended synopsis of the project;
the director’s vision of the project (1 page);
director’s photo (.jpeg)
producer’s photo (.jpeg)
project presentation (pdf or ppt).

If available: video materials for the presentation are submitted as a link to cloud storage, VIMEO, YouTube with English subtitles.

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

film stills of print quality in JPG, PNG (minimum 3 units);
director’s photo (.jpeg);
producer’s photo (.jpeg);
a link to the trailer or edited excerpts of the film with English subtitles and Ukrainian subtitles where a foreign language is present (duration from 3 to 5 minutes); video materials for the presentation are submitted as a link to cloud storage, VIMEO, YouTube.

Optional: project presentation (.ppt or .pdf)

4.7 After the announcement of the selection results, official representatives of the participating project fill in Industry accreditation applications for each project representative (up to 2 persons) on the Film Festival website.

4.8 Representatives of the participating projects are sent separate emails with instructions for preparing materials to the specified email addresses.

4.9 The submission of registration forms for participation in the Development and Work In Progress presentations begins on “16” April 2026. Applications are accepted until “1” July 2026 by 15:00:00 (Kyiv time).

4.10 The list of participating projects will be announced on the official Film 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 Film Festival.

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

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

4.14 The winners of the Development and Work in Progress presentations are selected by a jury of experienced film professionals.

4.15 Presentation rules:

The project presentation includes a pitch by the creative team (in English, up to 5 minutes), as well as screening of materials for Work in Progress projects (up to 10 minutes).
Any number of creative team members may participate in the presentation, but the presence of the producer or director of the project is mandatory. All project presentations are held offline.
The presentation is held only with the personal offline participation of the creative team.
During the oral project presentation, the authors may use additional video, photo, and audio materials for a more complete disclosure of the concept. All necessary files must be provided by 10 August 2026.
The project presentation concludes with a Q&A session, which allows participants to describe their project in more detail and receive feedback from experts.

4.16 The winning project of the Development presentation, determined by the jury according to the criteria of quality, artistic value, and potential (national or international), receives a cash prize in the amount of UAH 80,000 (eighty thousand).

4.17 The winning project of the Work In Progress presentation, determined by the jury according to the criteria of quality, artistic value, and potential (national or international), receives a cash prize in the amount of UAH 80,000 (eighty thousand).

4.18 The prize is paid within 3 (three) months from the moment the competition results are announced, taking into account the requirements of the tax legislation of Ukraine. The recipient of the prize is obliged to independently take the necessary steps to receive it. The recipient of the prize must be a legal entity registered in accordance with the applicable legislation of Ukraine.

4.19 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 to participate in any of the Film Festival programs, the participant assumes full responsibility for the truthfulness and accuracy of the information provided and confirms that they do not violate the rights of third parties. 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 the copyrights of third parties. The participant assumes responsibility for any consequences related to copyright infringement. The Organizer has the right to exclude the film or project from the Festival program if such violations are identified. In the event of claims by third parties, the Participant undertakes to settle them independently and bear the 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, the list of the Project’s creative team, their biographies, as well as team photos, quotes said by anyone from the team, etc., in the public space (news resources, websites, social networks, etc.) in case the project is selected for screening at the Film Festival.

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

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

5.6 The fact that the Participant submits an application confirms their consent to transfer, collect, process and use, and store their personal data. Participants’ personal data are used exclusively by the Organizer or persons authorized by them, with the necessary confidentiality measures and solely in connection with holding the Film Festival, and are not provided to any third parties for purposes not related to the Film Festival. With respect to all personal data provided by Participants, the Organizer or persons authorized by them will take measures to ensure the security of personal data in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Personal Data Protection”.

6. FINAL PROVISIONS

6.1 The Organizer does not inform applicants about the reasons for refusal to participate in a particular program.

6.2 Disputes related to these Regulations are resolved through negotiations between the parties.

6.3 The Organizer has the right to make additional decisions that do not contradict these Regulations.

6.4 The Regulations may be amended or supplemented. The current version of the Regulations is always available on the official Film Festival website.

6.5 For all questions related to the Festival, please contact the email address: info@oiff.com.ua.

FIO regulations