Regulations for Golden Goblet Awards Short Film

Article 1

This Regulation is drawn to cover participation in short film (Live Action Short Film and Animated Short Film) competition for Golden Goblet Awards of the Shanghai International Film Festival (hereinafter referred to as SIFF or The Festival).

Article 2

SIFF was ratified by the State Council of China, it is one of the FIAPF-accredited non-specialized competitive film festivals throughout the world. The Festival focuses on multi-layer and multi-angle exploration of new directors. Its aim is to reveal films of quality in order to enhance exchange and cooperation between China and the rest of the world.

Article 3

The 26th SIFF will be held in June, 2024.

Article 4

A short film is defined as an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits.

This excludes from consideration such works as:

l  Previews and advertising films;

l  Sequences from feature-length films, such as credit sequences;

l  Unaired episodes of established TV series;

l  Unsold TV series pilots

1. A live action film that meets the following qualifying criteria is eligible for Short Film Competition of Golden Goblet Award:

1) A live action film uses imagery created primarily through practical photographic techniques used to capture physical actors, props, sets, and locations. Documentary short subjects will not be accepted in the live action category.

2) A Short film that has been completed in the country of origin after June 1, 2023. World premiere or International premiere is preferred.

3) Film that has not been in the competition category of other FIAPF-accredited non-specialized competitive film festivals before SIFF.

4) The Short film must not be exhibited publicly or distributed anywhere in any nontheatrical form before the Festival. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to: 

Broadcast and cable television

PPV/VOD

DVD distribution

Internet transmission

5)   Format: DCP.

2. An animated film that meets the following qualifying criteria is eligible for Short Film Competition of Golden Goblet Award:

1) An animated film is created by using a frame-by-frame technique, and usually falls into one of the two general fields of animation: character or abstract. Some of the techniques of animating films include cel animation, computer animation, stop-motion, clay animation, pixilation, cutouts, pins, camera multiple pass imagery, kaleidoscopic effects, and drawing on the film frame itself. Documentaries created by animation technique can be accepted in the animation category.

2) A Short film that has been completed in the country of origin after June 1, 2023. World premiere or International premiere is preferred.

3) Film that has not been in the competition category of other FIAPF-accredited non-specialized competitive film festivals before SIFF.

4) The Short film must not be exhibited publicly or distributed anywhere in any nontheatrical form before the Festival. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:

Broadcast and cable television

PPV/VOD

DVD distribution

Internet transmission

5) Format: DCP.

Apart from the Golden Goblet Awards Short Film Competition, SIFF also features International Panorama (non-competition). Submissions that meet the requirements will be invited to participate in the International Panorama.

Article 5

Submission fees are required for all submitted short films. The fees are as follows：

▪ Early Bird deadline January 31, 2024. Submission fee USD 25 /film

▪ Regular deadline March 10, 2024. Submission fee USD 35/film

▪ Final deadline  March 31, 2024. Submission fee USD 45/film

Submission fees are non-refundable.

Article 6

In order to be eligible for selection, a film must be submitted to the Festival no later than March 31, 2024. We require either media storage devices（DVD, USB Disk, Hard Disk） or online screeners for preview. Screeners may be sent to the following address by the above deadline:

Shanghai International Film Festival

20th Floor, 211 Kang Ding Road

Shanghai 200041, China

In the meantime, online film submission at www.siff.com is necessarily requested.

Contact of submission

Xuefei LUO

Tel: 86-21-22009858

Email: luoxuefei@siff.com

Article 7

The Festival chooses and invites the films which will be presented in competition.

The submitter shall reply in writing within five working days after receiving the invitation from the Festival. No film selected may be withdrawn for any reason from the Festival once its participation has been officially confirmed by the submitter in writing. If the submitter requests to withdraw the film, the Festival shall have the right of final decision. If any loss is caused to the Festival due to the submitter’s request to withdraw the film, the submitter shall compensate for all economic losses and reputation loss caused thereby, including but not limited to the economic compensation, issuing an apology letter to the Festival and making a public apology via social media platform.

Article 8

The Festival designates the members of the Jury as well as President for Golden Goblet Award short film competition program. Decision on each award will be officially announced at the Closing & Awards Ceremony. No person having taken part in the production or exploitation of a film in competition may be on the Jury. All jury members are sworn to secrecy.

The Juries are obliged to present:

- An award for BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM (The award will be presented to the director.)

- An award for BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM (The award will be presented to the director.)

The director will be invited to attend the Festival. （Detailed offerings will be indicated in the invitation separately.）

Article 9

More documentations on each selected film including but not limited to synopsis, film stills, biography & photo of director，cast and crew list for catalogue uses, as well as English subtitled/dialogue list, poster and film trailer (Detailed material list will be indicated in the film invitation separately), must reach the Festival before May 15, 2024.

The submitters must provide the Festival with complete English subtitled lists which accord with those on DCP. Films in languages other than English must be subtitled in English.

Article 10

During the entire Festival, none of the selected films may be shown outside the Festival's official theaters before its official presentation. The submitters are required to deliver films complying with the specifications for DCP used by the Festival.

All films will be electronically subtitled in Chinese during the Festival. Translation of subtitles from English to Chinese and the screening of the subtitles will be complimentarily operated by the Festival.

Article 11

All expenses for the transport of screener to the Festival, including custom fees and insurance, are the entire responsibility of the submitters.

The submitter is required to provide the festival with a fully synchronized DCP that precisely corresponds to the content of the screener. The submitter bears complete responsibility for any disparities between the DCP and the screener, and any ensuing liabilities resulting from such discrepancies are exclusively the responsibility of the submitter.

The Festival covers outbound shipping and insurance fee, and pays for the insurance and storage during the period from the receipt of the DCPs to the return of the DCPs to the Forwarding Agent.

In case of damage to or loss of the DCPs during the period from the receipt of the DCPs to the delivery of DCPs by the Forwarding Agent, the Festival is only responsible for the costs involved in making a new DCP according to the current laboratory rates for ordering a standard DCP.

DCP of the selected films must reach the Festival before May 20, 2024. It is obligatory for the submitter to follow the shipping instructions which accompany notification of film selection into the Festival.

All the film DCPs must be addressed as follows:

Shanghai Logistics Consultant Co. Ltd

c/o Shanghai International Film Festival

20F, 211 Kang Ding Road

Shanghai 200041, China

Tel: 86-21-55053379

Email: print@siff.com

The Festival must be notified of film titles, film format, date and way of delivery as well as the air waybill when the films are sent.

DCPs will be returned to the address indicated by the submitter within two weeks of the end of the Festival.

Article 12

Participation in the Festival implies adherence to the regulations as here set out. It is the responsibility of producers, distributors, or other organizations submitting a film to ensure that they are legitimately entitled to enter a film in the Festival.

Article 13

The Festival maintains the right to decide all cases not provided in these Regulations, taking into account the clauses of the FIAPF International Regulations.

SIFF Organizing Committee reserves the right of final explanation of all above articles.