The International Students Film Festival “Early Bird” is a forum, which gets together student filmmakers who wish to present their works in front of their peers and European audience, share their knowledge and doubts and want to challenge the world.
“Early Bird” is open for Bulgarian, European and International participation. All students from academies/universities/colleges, who have not still completed their education in film/tv are invited to apply for selection for the competition program student films of their choice of up to 90 minutes total duration. The selection is open for fiction, documentary or animation student films produced in the school.
The organizers are taking care of the accommodation (hotel and meals) for the entire period of the festival for the participants from non-Bulgarian schools.
The International Jury is 3 to 5 members. One of the members is the student who won Early Bird Grand Prize the previous year.
During the festival we provide different useful side events such as master classes, workshops and conferences. Guest-professors and specially invited participants from Bulgarian and foreign film institutions, even Oscar awarded guests, are discussing the problems of film/tv education and production and the perspectives for strengthening collaboration initiatives between the participating institutions.
The festival is divided in competition program of students’ films and non-competition additional screenings. All the screenings are open, free of charge and easily accessible to the mass audience.

Awards & Prizes

First Prize - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 1000$.
Award for best Bulgarian film - original sculpture and financing of the next film project - 500$.
Award for best Foreign film - original sculpture and financing of the next film project - 500$.
Award of the President of the Jury - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
Best Animation - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
Best Documentary -original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
Best Directing - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
Best Screenplay - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
Best Cinematography - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
Best Edit - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.

Rules & Terms

The International Student Film Festival “Early Bird”, founded in 2005, has now it`s 10-th edition.

The Festival is a result of the successful initiative of American Foundation for Bulgaria; The mission of the AFB is to support, encourage and contribute to improvement in education, natural sciences and humanities, culture and arts. AFB was established in 2004. The Foundation is an American non-profit public benefit organization, registered in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. AFB is working in Bulgaria, since 2004 and represents the philanthropic efforts and grantor gestures of the Bulgarian community in the U.S.
From the 2-nd edition of the festival in 2006 the original festival concept was created by Aleksey Hristov /AFB manager/ and prof. Dr.Stanislav Semerdjiev; Mr. Hristov has remained the festival’s Director until now; prof. Semerdjiev, now an Executive Director of CILECT (The International Association of Film and TV Schools), still supports the festival. For the 10th anniversary the festival is divided from the foundation and a special “Early Bird Association” was registered to care of the festival needs.
In the beginning their main goal was to encourage the development of the Balkan cinema – to support it in its most important phase, at the stage of its first steps - namely student`s films;
Nowadays “Early Bird” is the biggest Bulgarian international student film festival dedicated to supporting the creation of innovative student short films. And it's the only one fully devoted to help the best films of young filmmakers to reach their audience.

The International Student Film Festival “Early Bird” aims at increasing the \international\ film student’s share of inspiration, understanding and cooperating; at developing of young audiences` awareness and visual culture, especially those in the Film Academies; the Festival strives to establish higher criteria in young filmmakers work through creative contention of the films in the competitions;
The Festival aims also to support the new filmmakers to find their way in national film industrys and abroad; it is an opportunity for presentation of the most remarkable student`s works.
The Festival has two main parts - the International Competition and a program with Bulgarian professional films

In our workshops great artists and producers meet here with the young filmmakers who are eager to learn from their experience.

In addition to the competitions, the festival also has an interesting selection of special programs and screenings focusing on a wide range of the newest and most awarded films. There is a large number of unique events too.

The International Student Film Festival “Early Bird” will be managed and organized by “Early Bird Assotiation” with the support of American Foundation for Bulgaria and main sponsorship of the Foundation America for Bulgaria.

The Festival accepts all films made by students in any Film or Art Academy, University or College regardless of their courses of study and nationalities. It`s aim is to promote new talents in filmmaking, by showing their works to their colleagues, professionals, young audience and the members of the prestigious jury.

DATE AND PLACE OF THE 10-TH INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL “EARLY BIRD”

The 10th edition of this competition will be held from In the beginning of November 2014 in few cinema halls in the center of Sofia.

1 : SELECTION CRITERIA

The competition is open to international and Bulgarian student short films;
Films submitted must satisfy the following criteria :

• There`s no entry fee
• To be in one of the categories - fictions, animations, documentary, experimental
• To be directed only by students : the Director must be a student during the shooting. Having students only on the rest of the film cast and crew will not be acceptable.
• Formats are DVD PAL, avi, mov, mpg2 and mpg4. Every other format will be rejected. The films have to be sent via internet. The copies’ quality must be high enough for screening. The format or file for submission will be used for a screening copy, if the film is selected; the acceptance is only between 15th of June and 15th of September 2014;
• Video files in SD (Standard Definition) or HD (High Definition)
• Subtitles should be burned in video, or in separate text file with proper timecode included.

• If there is a problem with this quality, films can be disqualified from the competition; this won`t happen without warning to the participant director.
• Each competitor can participate with maximum two films.
• English subtitles for non-English films are required;
It have to be done after January 1st 2011. Having previously participated in “Early Bird” competitions is an obstacle.
• The on-line entry form have to be duly completed with the clarified copyrights /especially about the music/;
• In the case whereby the Director, Producer or School Representative intends to submit more than one film for the competition, each submitted film must have separate registration form.
• A document – stamped and signed showing the student status at the time of the shooting.
• The full set should contain :

 Fully completed submission form
 The film with English subtitles
 Two stills from the film
 Picture of the director
 Poster (if available)
 Trailer (if available)
 Fully completed submission form
 The film with English subtitles
 Two stills from the film
 Picture of the director
 Poster (if available)
 Trailer (if available)
After the film’s entry is made, the films cannot be withdrawn from the competition;
• Submission implies the unconditional acceptance of all the rules and conditions in these regulations;

2 : PRESELECTED FILMS

The selection committee of the festival will determine the films that can participate in all competitions and in the representative sections. One film is allowed to take part in the selection under one single format. Once the registration is done, no changes to the format of the film could be done.
4 : PRESELECTION

The selection begins at 15th June 2014.
In order to take part in preselection the films must be sent to the Festival office before 15th September 2014. Films received after this date will not be accepted.
• The management of the festival chooses an independent international jury. The jury assigns the awards. The jury’s decision is final, and indisputable.

5 : AWARDS

During the Festival, 10 awards will be up for contention for the selected films.
 First Prize - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 1000$.
 Award for best Bulgarian film - original sculpture and financing of the next film project - 500$.
 Award for best Foreign film - original sculpture and financing of the next film project - 500$.
 Award of the President of the Jury - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
 Best Animation - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
 Best Documentary -original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
 Best Directing - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
 Best Screenplay - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
 Best Cinematography - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.
 Best Edit - original sculpture and financing of the next film project – 300$.

The money award will be paid by Early Bird Association by December 28, 2014 at the latest.
The comittee of the festival and the jury will not change the amount of the prizes. One film can receive more than one award. All prizes will be awarded. Prizes will be awarded after the final screenings of the festival. The jury members are required to keep secret their decisions about awards till the final ceremony of the festival.
6 : PRESENCE OF THE DIRECTOR

One person – preferably a director of the selected films would be invited to attend the Festival. The whole number of all representatives invited to attend the festival is limited.
Each representative can come with another person/s/ from the cast and crew. But, the festival will pay the accomodation and meals for only one person of the teamof the film. The representatives presence is strongly recommended.

The Festival will cover hotel accommodation, three meals per day and above-ground transportation in Sofia.

Note that the travel costs are visitor’s charge.

The festival will cover the expenses for one school representative as well.

7 : MEDIA

Competitors unconditionally assign to the Festival the right to use photos or extracts (less than three minutes long) from their films for the purposes of diffusion to the press, television stations and the Internet. And to show the films in projections, presenting the initiatives of the AFB, which will be with non-commercial purposes.

8 : LITIGATION
The ”Early Bird” organizing committee could change the rules, but the directors of the selected films will be immediately notified.
About anything not stated in this regulation the only decision-making authority is ”Early Bird” organizing committee.

Early Bird Association have the right to modify this regulations.
The Festival is not responsible for any cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances.

9 : ARCHIVE All films submitted to the competition will be kept in the archives of the competition