Santa Marina Film Festival is the annual international film festival, which aim is to show the best films from all over the World in the unique ecological, recreation, historical and cultural place of Bulgaria – Holiday Village Santa Marina.
Our inaugural festival took place on the 16th of August 2019 in Holiday Village Santa Marina, located in a few steps from the sea shore.
Watch the highlights of Santa Marina Film Festival 2019 here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x06-8qpeGs&feature=youtu.be
Santa Marina Film Festival 2020 will take place in August 2020.
Depending on the weather, we screen programs in cinema hall (indoors), and (or) at the amphitheater with the sea view outdoors.
The winner of Grand Prix of the Festival, presenting on the festival, will receive free stay in Holiday Village Santa Marina for the season 2021 (total cost of Grand-Prix approx. 1000$).

The winner of Santa Marina Film Festival Grand Prix, voted by the audience, will receive the certificate for 5 days of free accommodation in Holiday Village Santa Marina for 2021 season (total cost of Grand-Prix approx. 1000$).
Nota bene! Grand Prix will be given only if the winner will present at the screening of Santa Marina Film Festival 2020.
Every winner of Santa Marina Film Festival will receive special diploma. If the winner will not attend the festival, we will send electronic diploma by e-mail.
We will try to offer winners of Santa Marina Film Festival, who will attend the Festival, physical prizes (statuettes and etc).
Full nominations and awards will be announced later.
We will be glad to meet filmmakers at our festival. We will try to offer filmmakers of selected films special conditions for visiting Santa Marina Film Festival.

Submission to Santa Marina Film Festival implies understanding and acceptance of the following Rules and Regulations.

About the festival
Santa Marina Film Festival is the annual international film festival, which aim is to show the best films from all over the World in the unique ecological, recreation, historical and cultural place of Bulgaria – Holiday Village Santa Marina.
Our inaugural festival took place on the 16th of August 2019 in Holiday Village Santa Marina, located in a few steps from the sea shore.
Watch the highlights of Santa Marina Film Festival 2019 here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x06-8qpeGs&feature=youtu.be
Depending on the weather, we screen programs in cinema hall (indoors), and (or) at the amphitheater with the sea view outdoors.
The winner of Grand Prix of the Festival, presenting on the festival, will receive free stay in Holiday Village Santa Marina for the season 2021 (total cost of Grand-Prix approx. 1000$).

Santa Marina Film Festival competition
Competition is open to the:
– family-friendly fiction (narrative) films up to 20 min (including credits) from any country, made no earlier than 2017;
– family-friendly animation (any style) up to 20 min (including credits) from any country, made no earlier than 2017.

Films eligibility
Only films, completed no earlier than January 2017, can participate in the competition of Santa Marina Film Festival.
We accept only family-friendly animation and fiction. No film will be accepted if it features excessive violence or gore, foul language or nudity. We are especially welcome animation and films for children 3+.
We have no premier policy.
Films mustn’t be available in Internet in public free access (private access – private links, links with password, VOD e.t.c. is OK).
We don’t accept into the competition:
– documentaries;
– series;
– music and dance videos;
– commercials;
– experimental films;
– video-art;
- fiction and animation films with the duration more than 20 min (including credits), or made earlier than 2017, or not suitable for family audience.

Submission category
You should submit in one of these categories:
a) short animation (up to 10 min) without dialogs and text (no need to subtitle);
b) short animation (up to 10 min) with dialogs or text (need to subtitle);
c) short animation (more than 10 up to 20 min);
d) short fiction film (up to 10 min) without dialogs and text (no need to subtitle);
e) short fiction film (up to 10 min) with dialogs or text (need to subtitle);
f) short fiction film (more than 10 up to 20 min);
g) Bulgarian films (short animation and fiction films up to 20 min, made by Bulgarian directors)
h) focus on Russia (short animation and fiction films up to 20 min, made by Russian directors in Russian language)

Submission process
All submissions should be made only through the platforms.
We don’t accept submissions in any way besides the platforms, so, please, don’t send us submissions by e-mail or mail.
All submitted films (except Russian fiction and animation) should have burned-in English subtitles, if the language of the film is not English. Bulgarian films should also be submitted with burned-in English subtitles.
Important! You should be able to allow us to download your film from the platform for the selection process.
Submissions into the categories a, d, g, h are FREE till the Late deadline.
There is a small fee for submissions into the other categories. Fee is nonrefundable and will be used for the technical, administrative, organizing and marketing purposes.
You can submit as many films as you want, but each film should be submitted separately with the appropriate entry fee for each film. Entry fee is paid via submission platform.
Only final version of the film can be submitted.
Santa Marina Film Festival will not revise submitted films and will not answer letters with the questions about the selection process, of non-selection and so on.
All applicable licenses and waivers of copyrights, moral rights, trademarks and other such intellectual property rights have been secured by the submitter.
The festival keeps the viewing material in the festival archive for the sole purposes of documentation, and viewing by professionals on its premises.

Waivers
All fees will be spent for the technical purposes (translation, subtitling, etc.), administrative, organizing and marketing purposes and so on. So we can’t give any fee waivers or refund entry fees in any circumstances except listed below.
We can give special offers for film distributing companies, film schools and so on for the multiple submissions. Feel free to write us santamarinafilmfestival@gmail.com to receive your special offer.

Selection
All submissions are evaluated by Selection Committee. Their reports and decisions are final and confidential.
Submitters of all accepted films will be informed by e-mail in July 2020.
The list of selected films will be published on the festival’s website and at the festival’s Facebook in July 2020.
Submitter of the accepted film should send by e-mail santamarinafilmfestival@gmail.com not later than 15.07.2020:
– projection copy (downloadable link) of the film (25 FPS, FULL HD (1920*1080), H264, MP4), if your film needs subtitling in Russian (the main audience of the Festival are Russian) we need to have projection copy WITHOUT subtitles (or you can also send us the copy with Russian subtitles);
– if your film needs subtitling in Russian – file with English subtitles and time-codes in .srt format;
– press-kit: trailer, poster, stills of the film, synopsis, photo/biography/filmography of the director, screening/award history of the film, premier status of the film (World, International, European, Bulgarian).
The authors and-or right-holders of selected films cannot withdraw the accepted submission.
Once a film is selected, the right-holder automatically authorizes Santa Marina Film Festival:
– to screen it in the Festival program. The right-holders of the films selected for competitive or non-competitive sections of the festival agree to the screenings of the film free of charge, and will not request a screening fee;
– use a maximum of 10% of the film offline and online to promote the film and the festival;
– publish press-kit and the film trailer offline and online to promote the film and the festival;
– to screen selected films in the extended promotional screenings during the 12 months from the end of the festival free of charge.
Santa Marina Film Festival make final selections and determine in which section selected films are presented. Designation of a selected film’s program category, exhibition date(s), time(s), and location(s) is at the sole discretion of the Festival.

Jury Santa Marina Film Festival
Santa Marina Film Festival will have an international jury. Exact persons will be announced in 2020.

Awards of Santa Marina Film Festival
The winner of Santa Marina Film Festival Grand Prix, voted by the audience, will receive the certificate for 5 days of free accommodation in Holiday Village Santa Marina for 2021 season (total cost of Grand-Prix approx. 1000$). Nota bene! Grand Prix will be given only if the winner will present at the screening of Santa Marina Film Festival 2020.
We will try to offer filmmakers of selected films special conditions for visiting Santa Marina Film Festival.
Every winner of Santa Marina Film Festival will receive special diploma. If the winner will not attend the festival, we will send electronic diploma by e-mail.
We will try to offer winners of Santa Marina Film Festival, who will attend the Festival, physical prizes (statuettes and etc).
Full nominations and awards will be announced later.

Place and dates of Santa Marina Film Festival
Santa Marina Film Festival will take place on the 16th of August 2020 at the unique ecological, recreation, historical and cultural place of Bulgaria - Holiday Village Santa Marina, located in a few steps from the sea shore. Depending on the weather, we will screen programs in cinema hall (indoors), and (or) at the amphitheater with the sea view outdoors. The venues and the date can be changed due to the unseen circumstances.

Attending Santa Marina Film Festival
We will be glad to meet filmmakers at our festival. We will try to offer filmmakers of selected films special conditions for visiting Santa Marina Film Festival.

Submission to Santa Marina Film Festival implies full acceptance of the terms and provisions of the present Rules and Regulations with all changes, which will be published on the site of the Festival and on the platforms.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Thank you for selecting and awarding MOON DROPS! Of course, due to the COVID19, we couldn't attend the festival, but communication was great all along and we were well informed. Looking forward to collaborating with you again in the future.

    September 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you and congratulations with the Grand Prix! Wish to meet you at Santa Marina Film Festival 2021 :)

  • Thanks for selecting our movie for the festival screening! Great communication and support during the whole process!

    September 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you!

  • Ivaylo Grancharov

    We submitted our short films on Christmas Eve 2019 and we thought - what a wonderful adventure it would be if we qualify for a festival at the seaside in the summer. And then a few months later the pandemic hit the world... but we also qualified. And here we are at this beautiful place with wonderful hosts. We fully enjoyed the venue, the summer, and the sun - and of course the award we were honored to receive from the international jury. Thank you for the memories. Always in our hearts, Santa Marina, you will become a huge internationally acclaimed film festival. They're gonna have to build for you a bigger Roman theater!

    August 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Ivaylo, for your review, for submitting such beautiful films and for visiting the festival!

  • Wonderful event, perfect communication! We got Special Mention for TRUST EXERCISE - thank you all for the TRUST! looking forward for many more editions to come :)

    August 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you!

  • It's a great festival with wonderful selections. Very good communication and PR on social. I was so lucky that my film 'Ringo Rocket Star and his song for Yuri Gagarin' won a Special Mention at the festival. Thanks for all!

    September 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you!