The Groninger Filmdagen is a three-day film festival, held in the historic Camera cinema. As an initiative by the Filmvereniging Groningen, the event seeks to connect filmmakers with each other and their audience. After a successful first edition last October, the second will yet again be made up of two components: a Showcase that offers a platform for makers to screen their work, as well as a FilmForum conference that provides a space for reflection, through workshops, masterclasses, and debates.

This year’s program focuses on Rooted Cinema, whereby we highlight the work of locally-rooted professionals, communities and stories. The Showcase is made up of four parts: ‘t Opzicht is a curated selection of rooted films produced in Groningen or beyond; Ain Proat spotlights professionals from our great province presenting their latest work; Mit Aksent features Groningen’s underexplored diasporic and migrant cinema; and ‘t Begun demonstrates the wonderful work being done by the city’s student population.

Aside from the aforementioned workshops, masterclasses, and debates, the rest of our bustling schedule is filled out by Q&A’s with filmmakers, research into the film sector, live musical performances, film criticism, and VR exhibitions. All of this is made possible through our partnerships with the University of Groningen, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Noorderpoort College, Filmschool van de Noorderlingen, and selected community-film projects, as well as our collaborators from the Beeldcoalitie, Stichting Beeldlijn, De Productie Groningen, and Bear Cinema.

Rules & Terms

PARTICIPATION

The festival invites the author(s) of the films or a delegate (any prominent member(s) of the filmmaking team) to be present in person during the screening of their entry during the Groninger Filmdagen 2026, held in Groningen on the 27th, 28th and 29th of November. This entails being present during the official screening, partaking in live Q&A sessions following said screening, and participation in the Filmforum Noord Program. Attending and participating is non-negotiable. The entry of any entrant unable to attend their screening (barring last-minute issues) shall be disqualified. Compensation for travel costs and accommodation are subject to discussion

ELIGIBILITY AND WARRANTIES

For the Groninger Filmdagen, films of any genre, language, release date / year are eligible, as long as they fit into one of the four categories

Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the festival and to use all music, images and content in the entry

Entrant confirms that their entry falls into the parameters set for the category they submit their film in
- t Opzicht
- Ain Proat
- Mit Aksent
- t Begun

Entrant will allow usage of clips from the entry for Promotional Use on social media, in print, and at ‘live’ festival events other than theatrical screenings

Successful entries may be used for private screenings prior to the festival

Use of the online Entry Form assumes acceptance of the Groninger Filmdagen Entry Regulations

ENTRY REGULATIONS

Only completed entries will be processed and considered for screening. Rough cut versions are accepted only if the final version will be delivered by 14 November

Entry details are submitted online. A new Entry Form must be completed for each film submitted

In case of difficulty using the online Entry Form, or other questions, please contact the coordinators of the Groninger Filmdagen at: groningerfilmdagen@gmail.com

Entrant’s name must be stated on all correspondence

The final selection and schedule will be published on the festival website by 1 November

SELECTION

Films are selected for public presentation as part of the Official Selection of the Groninger Filmdagen

If a film is selected for screening, the coordinators of the Groninger Filmdagen will contact the entrant by 31 October at the latest

All selected films will be made available for viewing. The final selection and program shall be curated by coordinators from the Groninger Filmdagen without outside input. All time, date and venue details will be shared with the entrant by the coordinators of the Groninger Filmdagen

For Publicity Purposes, entries selected will be asked to supply
- A list of information including; a full synopsis, production credits, year of release, runtime, language, genre and type of film
- A poster of the entry (if unavailable, a high-quality image of the entry selected by the entrant)
- A high-quality still of the film
- A trailer, if available
The coordinators of the Groninger Filmdagen will view all publicity material but is under no obligation to use it

The coordinators of the Groninger Filmdagen will contact all successful entrants regarding any arrangements concerning scheduling

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

We recommend you submit a high-quality, high-bit-rate MP4 or ProRes 4444 file of your film. If you have one, please also include a 5.1 audio track. The submitted version will be used for the screening

If your file exceeds the maximum size accepted by Filmfreeway, consider lowering the bitrate, reducing the resolution to 1080p or using a YouTube- or Vimeo password-protected link. If the latter is the case, then make sure the supplied link will allow the coordinators of the Groninger Filmdagen to download the entry in question

All entries must contain English Subtitles. Entries submitted without subtitles must find a way to deliver them prior to the festival or they shall be disqualified. Entries without dialogue require no subtitles

When uploading your submission, kindly use the following file naming conventions:
FirstNameLastName_FilmTitle.mov/mp4
Examples:
JaneDoe_MyFilm.mov
JohnDoe_MyMovie.mp4

ENTRY FEES

No entry fee required

FILMS BY INVITATION

The coordinators of the Groninger Filmdagen reserve the right to include films and makers that are at the festival by invitation in the final program

ENTRY FORM
Submission regulations for the Groninger Filmdagen are subject to change. The coordinators of the Groninger Filmdagen reserve the right to rule on all issues not expressly covered by these regulations