Up to 20.000 German pupils and film enthusiasts as well as numerous experts of the international industry saw productions from all over the world at the last editions of IFF SCHLiNGEL. Be a part of it with your short, animated or feature film for children and young audience in 2024!

SCHLiNGEL is one of the largest platforms for international children’s and youth films in Europe. Every year in autumn, the SCHLiNGEL festival collects an overview of current productions from all over the world. The extraordinary, brand-new and diverse productions are accompanied with podium discussions, talks, workshops and the IFF SCHLiNGEL Industry Forum. There is a particular emphasis on educational sessions on film and media for kindergartens and schools through practical activities.

Beyond the festival week, SCHLiNGEL acquires licenses and supports dubbing versions in order to motivate distributors and broadcasting companies in Germany to integrate festival films in their programmes.

In addition to the annual staging of the SCHLiNGEL International Film Festival, matinee tours have been established across Saxony. Selected productions are brought to a larger international audience outside the festival as well. This is the aim behind diverse international film presentations, for example in China, Israel, Canada and Russia.

Opening Date for film submissions is February 1.

IFF SCHLiNGEL is co-organized by Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien (SLM)

More than ten professional and children/junior/youth juries award numerous prizes in national and international competitions. The selection of entries for the different categories is made after a screening by the program commission, which is appointed by the organizer.

Submissions can be made for the following competitions, in which cash and non-cash prizes will be awarded:

• INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION with the following categories:
Children’s Film Competition (Target audience: till 10 years)
Junior Film Competition (Target audience: 11 till 13 years)
Youth Film Competition (Target audience: from 14 years)
• COMPETITION GERMAN LANGUAGE FEATURE FILM German Focus (from 5 years)
• INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM COMPETITION (from 4 years)
• SHORT FILM COMPETITION (from 4 years) with the categories - screening in mixed
& age-graded programs for toddlers up to students and adults
Short Film National
Short Film International
Short Film Animation National
Short Film Animation International
• PANORAMA
• SPECIAL PROGRAMMES

*Top Award of the City of Chemnitz*

For the Participation in the Competition Focus Germany the FFA awards 25.000 reference points. In Addition, the Members of the Professional Jury Feature Film National awards the Chemnitz Top Award, which includes the purchase of worldwide non-commercial evalutation, for example via offices of the Goethe-Instituts.

*SLM Top Award*

The SLM's main prize is awarded by the Professionel Jury Feauture Film International. The award is a supporting award for distribution and to release the film in Germany.

*1. General Information*
The 29th International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience SCHLiNGEL will take place from 25th September to 3rd October 2024. It is organised by the non-profit organisation "Saechsischer Kinder und Jugendfilmdienst e. V." and co-organised by "Saechsische Landesanstalt fuer privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien (SLM)".
SCHLiNGEL is an independent film festival with international competitions and supporting programmes. It takes place annually. The festival conceives itself as a platform for international children’s and youth films in Germany.

SCHLiNGEL – International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience gives an overview of current international productions and aims at motivating distributors and TV stations in Germany to integrate these films into their programmes. Eastern European countries are one of the festivals geopolitical focuses. At the same time
the festival offers both its young audiences and professionals from around the globe insights into the latest German children’s and youth film productions.

*2. Programme structure*
SCHLiNGEL presents its films in national and international competitions as well as in supplementary programmes.

A committee nominated by the festival organiser will select the films for the festival programmes. In the competitions, money and material prizes will be awarded.

• INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION with the following categories:
Children’s Film Competition (Target audience: till 10 years)
Junior Film Competition (Target audience: 11 till 13 years)
Youth Film Competition (Target audience: from 14 years)

• COMPETITION GERMAN LANGUAGE FEATURE FILM German Focus (from 5 years)

• INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM COMPETITION (from 4 years)

• SHORT FILM COMPETITION with the categories (from 4 years) - screening in mixed & age-graded programmes for toddlers up to students and adults
Short Film National
Short Film International
Short Film Animation National
Short Film Animation International

• PANORAMA
• SPECIAL PROGRAMMES

The children's film competition honors among others the best acting performance of a child. Since this price is custommade, the personal presence of the winner to the award ceremony within the festival week is mandatory. Award winners undertake to mention the exact name of both the prize and the festival as part of their public relations work on advertising materials such as posters and flyers, and also to use the Laurels provided by the festival.

*3. Conditions of participation*
Only children’s and youth films completed after the 1st January 2023 can apply for the competitions.

For the selection process, films that are not produced in German or English must be subtitled in one of these two languages. All entries remain after the end of the festival for archiving purposes at SCHLiNGEL. Links must remain valid until the end of the festival. Online submissions are preferred and are also possible through the filmfreeway.com platform.

The films have to be available for our festival in the following formats:
• HD video files
• Blu-ray
• DCP (preferred unencrypted)
• Common HD & Cinema formats (4k is not supported)

All other formats can only be accepted in exceptional cases and in any case require consultation with the
programme department. DVD is usually excluded as presentation format.
We only accept progressive digital video files. Interlaced material (50i/60i) is not accepted.

Feature films (& Animated films): Feature films need to have a minimum length of 45 minutes. German premieres are required for the categories of international children's film, junior film and youth film.

Deadline for submissions is 15th July 2024.
Preview copies of the submitted films must also have arrived in Chemnitz by 15th July 2024 at the latest.

Short films: (live action films, animated films; no: documentaries, music videos or advertising clips)
Short live-action and animated films are preferred to be German premieres and should not be longer than
45 minutes. Films with a maximum length of 30 minutes are preferred.

Deadline for submissions is 1st June 2024.
Preview copies of the submitted films must also have arrived in Chemnitz by 1st June 2024 at the latest.

The festival management reserves the right to decide on exceptions.

*4. Required material*
The following documents need to be attached to the registration:
The following documents need to be attached to the registration:
1. filled and signed application form (entry form)
2. stills and director’s portrait photograph for catalogue and press purposes (high-resolution!)
3. crew list
4. dialogue list in English and/or German language
5. short biography and filmography of the film maker
6. film poster

*5. Transport*
SCHLiNGEL takes on the organisation and bears the expenses for one route of transport, ideally for the shipment to the festival. The festival commissions a courier service to pick up the material. After the festival, the transport of the film to the next venue is to be organized and financed by the next recipient. The closing date for all selected festival contributions is 25th August 2024. The cinema prints of the
selected films have to arrive in Chemnitz by this deadline. We prefer to receive contributions via FTP-Upload. Submitted DCPs should be non-encrypted. For any encrypted DCP the festival will require a KDM valid for the entire festival week and all venues.

The shipments from non-EU countries must be marked with the following statement: “temporary import - for cultural purpose only, no commercial value”. Additionally, a “pro-forma” invoice declaring a value of 20 Euro/US $ needs to be enclosed. In case of misdeclaration the submitter has to bear any costs.

Shipping address:
Sächsischer Kinder- und Jugendfilmdienst e. V.
Internationales Filmfestival SCHLiNGEL
Neefestraße 99
D - 09119 Chemnitz/Germany

Fax: +49 371 444 74 79
www.ff-schlingel.de

Contact feature films: Gorica Kovacevic | info[at]ff-schlingel.de | phone: +49 371 444 74 40
Contact short films: Antje Schönfeld | shorts[at]ff-schlingel.de | phone: +49 371 444 74 26
Or in case of technical matters: Richard Geuter | technik[at]ff-schlingel.de | phone: +49 371 444 74 48

For the period of the festival, the film copies are fully insured at their print value by the organiser. This period is determined from the registration (arrival of the films in Chemnitz) until being handed over to a courier for the return transport.

*6. Digital film projection for jury members*
For SCHLiNGEL selected films primarily will be presented at different festival locations physically. In case of special circumstances, e.g. not having the option that jury members can watch the competition films physically on site, we will provide the films for evaluation on the festival-belonging platform to the defined group of persons in a time-limited period. The submitting institution / person agrees to that procedure and accept the digital film presentation under the defined conditions.

*7. Miscellaneous*
In order to submit a film properly, the application form, downloadable from the festival’s homepage, has to be duly filled and submitted.
Producers, distributors or other institutions that apply with their film have to obtain the approval of persons
involved in the production about participating in the festival. Films may not be withdrawn from the festival´s
programme after the committee has send out its confirmation.
The applicant/participant allows SCHLiNGEL Film Festival to pass on film excerpts (maximum length of 2 min) to
TV stations for the purpose of media coverage. The same holds for production stills or film trailer, which are used
for promotion purposes in print products and the internet (including social media) or by the organizer free of
charge. If in this context a special copyright is required, this has to be reported explicitly to the festival.

During the festival all submitted films (screeners) are presented in a film library and can be viewed by the
accredited guests unless expressly contradicted in time.
Every year “Saechsischer Kinder- und Jugendfilmdienst e. V.” organizes a SCHLiNGEL-Matinee. The approval to
the free presentation of the film during the matinee can be given in the application form. Also for this purpose
the usage of film stills is approved. Fees are not incurred.

By submitting a film to the 29th International Film Festival for Children and Young Audience
SCHLiNGEL, the applicants accept the preceding regulations.

These regulations are issued in German and English. In case of doubt, the German version is decisive.
Regulations are subject to change.

The agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with German law. Place of performance is
Chemnitz, Germany. The courts of Chemnitz, Germany shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Ulf Grenzer

    Friendly communication and a wonderful programming for the best audience in the world - children and young adults.
    Best wishes for the future editions of this nice festival in the South East of Germany and thanks once more to the whole Schlingel-team for organizing it all!

    November 2022
  • amir rooini

    Good good good festival film

    October 2021
  • Tihoni Brcic

    Very nice festival with great film selections. Good communication with the authors with selections visibly displayed on their website. Since it's IMDB eligible festival one can easily update selection/win status. The best of all, it's free to submit.

    October 2021
  • Lucila Riggio

    Great festival! Thank you for having our films one more year in your competition. Amazing quality of titles from all over the world. Unfortunately we couldn't be there due to covid restrictions.

    October 2020
  • Claudia Ruiz

    It is one of the most beautiful film festivals for children and adolescents! An honor to have had my film there! Hopefully one day I can stay there!

    October 2020