The short film festival, 20minmax, lives up to its name by featuring films from multiple genres, as long as they are no longer than 20 minutes in duration.

As we don't limit the film genres, our festival provides a comprehensive overview of the current short film scene. The diversity of the genre is highlighted by showing blocks of films, allowing viewers to compare and understand the various ways short films can be designed, the topics they can address, and the approaches to those topics. This screening approach aims to raise awareness that short films should not be dismissed as mere support for full-length movies. Furthermore, it emphasizes the selection process and the dramaturgical order of the program, which are of the utmost importance in a time when we have seemingly limitless access to videos of any kind.

We strive to offer an independent, diverse, and coherent program that may question, train, entertain, or simply satisfy the viewer's visual perception of film.

Best Film in the International Competition - donated by Audi - 3.000 €
Best Film in the German-Speaking Competition - donated by Gebrüder Peters - 1.000 €
Best Film in the South German Competition - donated by IFG - 1.000 €
Best Art and Experimental Film - with support from Stadt Ingolstadt - 1.000 €
Best Children's Film - donated by Audi - 1.000 €
Best Youth Film - donated by inlingua - 1.000 €
Best Weird Movie - donated by schnellervorlauf - 500 €

1. General Information
The International Short Film Festival 20minmax is an independent short film festival organized by the non-profit association Verein zur Förderung der Filmkultur - Von der Rolle e.V. In addition to the International, German-language and Southern German competitions, awards are given for children's and youth films, for art and experimental short films, and "Weird Movies". The 20minmax is dedicated to the short film in its various facets and sees itself as a platform to present the potential and diversity of short film creation to the interested audience and to create networking opportunities.
The 19th International Short Film Festival 20minmax will take place from April 13-19, 2024.

2. Terms and Conditions of participation
For the International Competition, film productions meeting the following criteria are eligible:
• Feature films, animated films, or documentaries, as well as their combinations; except for art and experimental films (see the relevant competition below)
• Max. duration of 20:00 minutes (including credits)
• Completion of the production after 31 December 2021
• Dialogue language is not German
• For films without dialogue: the production country must not be a German-speaking country

For the German-Speaking Competition, film productions meeting the following criteria are eligible:
• Feature films, animated films, or documentaries, as well as their combinations; except for art and experimental films (see the relevant competition below)
• Max. duration of 20:00 minutes (including credits)
• Completion of the production after 31 December 2021
• Dialogue language is German
• For films without dialogue: the production country is a German-speaking country

For the South German Competition, film productions meeting the following criteria are eligible:
• Feature films, animated films, or documentaries, as well as their combinations; except for art and experimental films (see the relevant competition below)
• Max. duration of 20:00 minutes (including credits)
• Completion of the production after 31 December 2021
• Films with an evident connection to the federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, for example, production location, content, or biography of the filmmakers

For the Art and Experimental Film Competition, film productions meeting the following criteria are eligible:
• Art and experimental films
• Max. duration of 20:00 minutes (including credits)
• Completion of the production after 31 December 2021

For the Children’s Film Competition, film productions meeting the following criteria are eligible:
• Feature films, animated films, or documentaries, as well as their combinations for children between 7 and 12 years old
• Max. duration of 20:00 minutes (including credits)
• Completion of the production after 31 December 2021
• Dialogue language is German or there is no dialogue

For the Youth Film Competition, film productions meeting the following criteria are eligible:
• Feature films, animated films, or documentaries as well as their combinations for young people between 12 and 18 years old
• Max. duration of 20:00 minutes (including credits)
• Completion of the production after 31 December 2021

For the Weird Movies Competition, film productions meeting the following criteria are eligible:
• Films of all kinds of weird nature, something special, weird, bizarre, funny…
• Max. duration of 20:00 minutes (including credits)
• Completion of the production after 31 December 2021
20minmax does not provide any content specifications but is open to any theme and its implementation.

3. Awards
Best Film in the International Competition 3.000 €
Best Film in the German-Speaking Competition 1.000 €
Best Film in the South German Competition 1.000 €
Best Art and Experimental Film 1.000 €
Best Children's Film 1.000 €
Best Youth Film 1.000 €
Best Weird Movie 500 €
The awards in the International, German-Speaking, and Art and Experimental Film Competitions will be awarded by one or more juries appointed by 20minmax. The Best Children's Film will be awarded by the Children's Jury of 20minmax, and the Best Youth Film will be awarded by the Youth Jury of 20minmax. The winners of the South German and Weird Movie competitions will be chosen by audience vote during the screenings.

4. Submission
Film submissions are exclusively made through the submission platforms https://www.shortfilmdepot.com/ or https://filmfreeway.com/. Submission fees apply according to the information provided on the respective platform. Films that have already been submitted for previous editions of 20minmax cannot be resubmitted and will not be considered.
The submission period starts on September 1st, 2023 and ends on November 30th, 2023.

5. Program Selection
Each submission will be evaluated by at least two independent members of the program jury. The program jury reserves the right to move films to other competition categories in justified cases. The selection of competition films will be made by the program jury by the end of August. By January 31st, 2024 at the latest, submitters will be informed via email about the selection or non-selection of their films. The selected films will be published on the 20minmax website and on the 20minmax Instagram presence.

6. Screening Copy
The screening copy will be uploaded to the MyAirBridge server of 20minmax or made available via a non-expiring download link.
For all films with dialogue, a matching English subtitle in SRT format must be provided along with the video file. This also applies to films with English or German dialogue! For English-language films, we also accept German subtitles as an alternative.
For the following competitions,
• International Competition
• German-Speaking Competition
• Weird Movies Competition
the screening copies must be submitted in the following video formats:
• 1x DCP, 2K with 25 fps (or 24 fps, but not 30 fps), 5.1 (or stereo)
• 1x video file (preferably ProRes) with the same characteristics, 5.1 (or stereo)
If a DCP cannot be provided, 20minmax can create one in consultation with the submitter. The DCP may be available for further use at an additional cost.
For the following competitions,
• Southern German Competition
• Art and Experimental Film Competition
• Children's Film Competition
• Youth Film Competition
the screening copy must be submitted in the following video format:
• 1x video file, 2K with 25 or 24 fps (preferably ProRes), 5.1 (or stereo)
The screening copies must arrive at 20minmax no later than February 29th, 2024.

7. Screenings and Publications
According to the guidelines, 20minmax will be granted a temporary screening right for the respective short film within the framework of the festival free of charge. The films of the shown programs can be made available for individual viewing for professional visitors and accredited audiences via a password-protected online area (without download) for two weeks starting from the festival's opening day.
For advertising purposes and corporate communication, excerpts of no longer than 180 seconds or 10% of the film's total length may be published or made available to the press by 20minmax or its partners and sponsors free of charge, provided that the rights holder does not explicitly object to this. Selected films from the children's and youth film competition chosen by the program jury can be made available via a password-protected online area (no download) for school screenings four weeks before and after the festival, provided that the rights holder does not explicitly object to this.
Film stills can be used for advertising purposes and corporate communication of 20minmax. Additionally, individual films selected by 20minmax can be made accessible to journalists in full length online (password-protected, no download) for reporting purposes. Information about the selected films (film title, production country, synopsis, name of directors and producers, contact email address, etc.) as well as film stills, photo(s) of directors, and possibly a trailer will be published on the 20minmax website and/or in 20minmax print media.
All necessary contact and film data will be stored by 20minmax for festival administration purposes. In compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the data will only be used for the stated purposes and will not be disclosed to third parties.

8. Other
By submitting a film, the submitting person accepts these regulations. The submitting person confirms with the submission that they have ensured that all parties involved in the production have agreed to participate in 20minmax. By submitting, it is confirmed that the film can be shown in 20minmax and that necessary permissions, licenses, and releases related to the film are available.
All rights, including music and image rights, belong to the submitting person. 20minmax or Von der Rolle e.V. does not assume any liability regarding the preceding sentence. Any claims by third parties will be passed on to the submitting person.
Video files of the films shown in the program remain in the 20minmax archive.
In case of doubt, the German version of the regulations is valid.
(As of August 25, 2023)

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Toby Wharton

    Excellent communication with the team and a great to be part of such a well curated lineup!

    November 2023
  • Uriya Hertz

    I had the privilege of participating in this wonderful festival with two short films, on two different occasions. It's a charming festival, with excellent programming, and most importantly - with a dedicated and delightful team that hosts the filmmakers wonderfully. I want to especially mention the fantastic Lisa Helbig, who manages the festival and invests so much in it. One of the best short film festivals I've had the opportunity to participate in. Highly recommended!

    November 2023
  • Derya Durmaz

    A very nice, cosy and very well organized festival with a great selection! It was my pleasure to personally participate in the festival and meet the great festival team who did their job with passion and took great care of us. I also have to mention I very much appreciated the audience which showed great interest in the screenings and the Q&As. Thank you everyone involved!

    November 2023
  • Gargantua Film Distribution

    Thanks for screening HAPPY NEW YEAR, JIM at your great festival!

    November 2023
  • João Pedro Prado

    A delightful festival with top notch hospitality! Screenings were all intimate, yet full, and the city people are really happy to take part in it. Met some other cool filmmakers as well. Thank you!

    January 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks you so much Joao! It was great having you!