Festival ZUBROFFKA is an open event not restricted by anything, respecting diversity and variety so characteristic for the region of Podlasie/Poland, it’s a place bringing together artists open to the WORLD, PEOPLE who have a sense of humour , who value NATURE and its products. The festival tries to provide a platform for exchanging ideas and thoughts, which will enable creative meetings of people from whole wide world!

The screenings and accompanying events, just like in the previous years, are going to take place in FORUM cinema and FAMA club, as well as in other partner venues. During the Festival apart from the competition screenings we aim to present a series of film and music attractions from all over the world.

Come to Podlasie/Poland – the land of bison and film!

PRIZES
The Grand Prix of the Festival.
The Wild Bison Award (Audience Award).
Main Awards in competitions: Eastward Window, Whole Wide World, Music Video, On the Edge, MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Main Awards in competitions: KIDS and YOUTH
Awards for the Best: Animation, Documentary, Short Fiction, Cinematography, and Soundtrack.
New Europe Talent Award – funded by New Europe Film Sales
Award of the Polish Journalists.
Award of the International Journalists.

Rules and Regulations
of the 17th ZUBROFFKA International Short Film Festival
6 – 10 December 2023, Białystok/Podlasie, Poland
I. Competition
17th ZUBROFFKA International Short Film Festival (hereinafter called the Festival) will take place in Białystok between 6 – 10 December 2023, at the Forum cinema, 5 Legionowa St.; Białystok, Poland
During the Festival the following competitions will take place:
NATIONAL FORMAT (ONLY for FILMS directed by FILMMAKER from POLAND):
• FICTION.PL – competition for the best Polish fiction film from Poland*
• DOCUMENTARY.PL – competition for the best Polish documentary film from Poland*
• ANIMATION.PL– competition for the best Polish animated film from Poland*
*In case of lack of enough amount of short films to prepare set of films on high artistic level, Organizer has the right to unite competitions in one competition for The Best Polish Short Film.
INTERNATIONAL FORMAT:
• EASTWARD WINDOW – the competition for the best independent film directed to filmmakers from former block of socialist countries – independent artists, students and amateurs. The very name of the competition refers to charming windows of Podlasie region as well as to the fact that our city uniquely “hangs” between the East and West.
• WHOLE WIDE WORLD – the competition directed to artists from all over the world – with the exception of those participating in the national or EASTWARD WINDOW competitions – the competition will strive to present other regions of the world through short films made by independent artists, students and amateurs.
• KIDS (directed to audience at the age 4-11) – the competition for the best short film for children, directed to artists (students, amateurs, independent) from Poland and all over the world.
• YOUTH (directed to audience at the age 12-16) - the competition for the best short film for youth, directed to artists (students, amateurs, independent) from Poland and all over the world.
• MUSIC VIDEO – the competition for the best music video, directed to artists – students, amateurs, independent – from Poland and all over the world.
• ON THE EDGE – the competition for the best short film on the edge of experimental film orvideo-art directed to artists (students, amateurs, independent) from Poland and all over the world.
• MIDNIGHT SHORTS – the competition directed to artists – students, amateurs, independent – from Poland and all over the world who explore in their exploring in their creation spaces on the borders of horror, black comedy and absurd experiment.

One film may be submitted only in one competition in both national or worldwide formats!
In the course of selection when it turns out that a film has been erroneously submitted to a given category, the Organizer will move it to the correct category. The Participant is not entitled to object to such a move. Competition is not subject to the approval of the procedure set out in the Act of 19 November 2009 on gambling (Journal of Laws of 2009 No. 201, item. 1540, as amended).

II. Organizer
The originator and promoter of the Festival is Białystok Cultural Centre, registered at 5 Legionowa Street, Białystok (hereinafter called the Organizer). The person representing the Organizer is Grażyna Dworakowska, the director of the Białystok Cultural Centre. The persons coordinating the Festival on behalf of the Organizer are Maciej Rant and Krzysztof Sienkiewicz.
Only Białystok Cultural Centre is entitled to copyrights and intellectual property rights of the whole Festival.

III. Conditions of Participation
1. The Participants in the competition must be over 15 years old and be involved in making films.
2. The following individuals are not eligible: employees of the Organizer, their spouse, descendants, ascendants, brothers and sisters and spouses, descendants, ascendants, brothers and sisters of members of the Competition Committee. The Organizer reserves the right to verify compliance with the above conditions of participation.
3. The submitted film cannot be longer than 30 minutes (in special cases the Committee can qualify films longer than 30 minutes).
4. The film should possess all the qualities which commonly classify it as a short film.
5. The films will be pre-selected by the Committee, consisting of people selected by Organizer
6. The Committee will qualify and assess the films according to its own subjective criterion. Participant has no right to object to qualifications and assessment of Selection Committee.
7. Films must be submitted before 30th July 2023.
8. The Committee will only take into account films submitted through external contest submission service websites and www.zubroffka.pl before midnight 30th July 2023.
9. The list of films selected for the Festival will be posted on www.zubroffka.pl before 1 October 2023.
10. Aside of p.8 of Regulation, Organiser of Festival may put on list of shorts to select, films that not applied as it is written in previous points of this Regulation and it is possible if according to Organiser these films are on high artistic value or suit to the ideas of Festival.
11. The decisions of the Selection Committee are final and not subject to appeal.

12. Ways of submitting films:

1) through our website www.zubroffka.pl

The entry should include: link with the film (with hard subtitles in English!) with password (if needed) and info according to the Form

2) online through external submission website FilmFreeway

The regular fee for film submission until 15.06.2023 is 6 EUR, the fee for film submission from 16.06.2023 to 30.07.2023 is 12 EUR.
The entry should include the film with hard subtitles in English!

We do not accept files to download from other internet sites!!!

13. Each participant can submit 2 films maximum. Entries without the attachments will not be qualified. For the competition one cannot submit films made before June 2021 nor those submitted for the previous editions of the Festival.

14. The Organizer provides free of charge accommodation between 5-11 December 2023 (for 1 or 2 people from each filmmaking crew) as well as free admission to all the Festival events during the visitor’s stay in Białystok.
IV. Films evaluation
15. Films qualified by the Selection Committee for the Festival will be evaluated by the Competition Jury selected by the Organizer.
16. The Jury’s task is to resolve the competition in each of the formats in accordance with the provisions of these Rules and Regulations and the principles of fairness and justice.
17. The Jury will award the winning films till 10.12.2023.
18. On 10.12.2023 the Committee will announce the competition results.
19. The Organizer provides awards for the best films of the Festival, granted in each of the competitions as well as Grand Prix. It is also possible there will be other awards granted by cultural institutions and the audience.
20. Provided that the Jury’s assessment may result in lack of identifying and picking the project for implementation, which is equivalent to the resignation of the award referred to in paragraph 5 of this point.
21. The Jury’s decisions are final and conclusive and not subject to appeal.
22. Non-cash prizes which are not collected during the Festival’s closing ceremony must be collected no later than 23 December 2023 at the Organizer’s offices.
V. Copyrights
23. The person submitting the film or its maker declares that they are the owner of the film or act on their behalf, with the copyrights’ owner consent and they personally, not the Organizer (mentioned in point 2 of these Rules and Regulations), will be subject to any possible litigation concerning this issue.

24. The person submitting music video in the competition for the best music video or its creator declares that is the owner of copyrights to presented music in video and has rights to screen it in public

25. The person submitting the film gives their consent to screen their production during the Festival and during other events promoting the Festival arranged by the Organizer.

26. The person submitting the film gives their consent to use pieces of their work in TV programmes covering the Festival.

27. The person submitting the film declares they will not demand any payment for screening their work during the Festival and post-Festival events promoting the Festival.

VI. Personal data protection
28. The administrator of personal data collected from participants and winners is Białostocki Ośrodek Kultury, 5 Legionowa St., 15-281 Białystok, Poland. The processing of personal data will be carried out according to the rules set out in the Regulation of the European Parliament and Council (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repeal of Directive 95 / 46 / EC (general regulation on data protection).
29. The personal data administrator appointed the Data Protection Officer supervising the correctness of the processing of personal data, which can be contacted via the following e-mail address: iod@bok.bialystok.pl.
30. Personal data of participants and winners will be processed in order to organize and conduct the competition, for tax purposes (applies to winners) – if there are tax obligations, as well as for marketing purposes.
31. Providing personal data is voluntary, but it is necessary to participate in the competition.
32. Competition participants who provide personal data have the right to access their personal data and subject to the law, they have the right to:
o rectification of the data
o deletion of data,
o limitations of data processing,
o data transfer,
o raising objections,
o withdrawal of consent at any time.
33. The organizer will collect from participants the following data:
o first name and last name;
o e-mail address;
o phone number;
o image
34. The organizer will also collect from the winner the following data:
o mailing address (sending the prize);
o correct tax ID (NIP or PESEL);
o name and address of the competent tax office;
o account number (to transfer a cash prize).
35. Competition participants have the right to lodge a complaint to the President of the Office for Data Protection.
36. The competition participant allows the use of his name and surname to inform (also in the media and social networks) about the results of the competition.
37. The organizer declares that the data of competition participants will not be processed in an automated manner and will not be profiled.
38. The data of competition participants will not be made available to external entities, except for provisions provided for by law and entities with which the Organizer has concluded relevant agreements.
39. The data of competition participants will be kept for the period necessary to achieve the above-mentioned goals.
40. The organizer applies technical and organizational measures aimed at adequate, appropriate to threats and categories of data covered by the protection of the entrusted personal data. The organizer has implemented appropriate measures to ensure the degree of security corresponding to the risk taking into account the state of technical knowledge, implementation cost and nature, scope, purpose and context of processing and the risk of violating the rights and freedoms of individuals with varying likelihood and severity of the threat. The organizer in particular takes into account the risks associated with the processing of data resulting from:
o accidental or unlawful destruction,
o loss, modification, unauthorized disclosure of data
o unauthorized access to personal data sent, stored or otherwise processed.
41. By entering the film, the Competition Participant accepts the provisions of these Regulations as well as agrees to place their personal data in the ad hoc Organizer database and for their processing by the Organizer only for purposes related to the organization of the competition, to the extent necessary to carry it out properly.
42. In the case of submitting to third parties, the applicant declares that he informed the persons reported about the data processing by the Organizer in accordance with these regulations.

VII. Technical remarks
43. All the submitted competition entries will remain in the Organizer’s archives.

VIII. The liability of the Organizer and Participants of the Competition
44. The Organizer shall not be liable for violation of any law relating to the projects submitted by the Participants.
45. The Organizer is not liable for the third party claims of submitted films’ copyrights.
46. Participants bear sole responsibility for the events mentioned above.

IX. Statements of Participants, protection of personal data
47. Participants are required to comply with the provisions of these Regulations.
48. Participant by submitting the film also accepts the provisions of these Rules and Regulations and consents to the inclusion of their personal data in the Organizer’s temporary database and processing it by the Organizer in accordance with the Act of 29 August 1997 on the protection of personal data solely for the purposes of organizing competition, to the extent necessary for its proper conduct.
49. Organizer declares that at the end of the competition the above personal information will not be used by him and they will be destroyed.
By accepting these Rules and Regulations Participants also irrevocably declare that:
o voluntarily accede to participate in the competition,
o their identity presented to the Organizer is true,
o agree to the publication and use of the submitted film for competition the competition related purposes, under the conditions described in these Rules and Regulations as well as screenings promoting the Festival.

X. Final provisions
50. These Rules and Regulations shall enter into force upon publication on the website www.zubroffka.pl
51. Competition Rules and Regulations are available for the entire duration from the date of publication on the www.zubroffka.pl , subject to situations where there is a breakdown of www.bok.bialystok.pl site or the servers used by the Organizer. Competition Rules and Regulations are also available for inspection at the Organizer’s registered office.
52. All the information about the Competition contained in promotional materials and advertising are merely incidental, and the rights and obligations of Participants and the Organizer of the Competition shall be governed by law and the provisions of these Rules and Regulations.
53. Rules and Regulations may be subject to change. All the Participants will be informed about the changes in advance. The Organizer reserves the right to suspend, discontinue, extend or cancel the Competition without giving reasons.
54. Amendments to these Rules and Regulations shall apply from the date hereof.
55. Any disputes relating to this Competition shall be resolved by the Court of jurisdiction over the Organizer.
56. Matters not covered by these Rules and Regulations shall be governed by Polish law.
57. Both the Participants and the Organizer of the Competition will seek to resolve any disputes arising in connection with the Rules and Regulations in a consensual manner, by negotiation.
58. Competition Participant shall promptly notify the Organizer about a change of the address or other data provided for the Competition.
59. Submitting films through www.zubroffka.pl and external submission website is tantamount to reading these Rules and Regulations and accepting their conditions.
60. When in doubt, please contact the Organizer: contact: dkf@bok.bialystok.pl

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Mailuki Films

    Una de las sorpresas más bonitas del año en el circuito internacional de festivales de cine.

    December 2023
  • Philippe Roux

    Exceptionnel ! Bravo ! Excellente programmation ! Cinéma et Famille !

    January 2023
  • Andrej Kolencik

    Best festival! Greetings and salute to the whole team organising this great event. Also this year the competition program was full of amazing high quality films, so we are grateful that you selected our film 𝕽𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖔𝖋 𝕵𝖔𝖍𝖓 among them.

    December 2022
  • Vivian Papageorgiou

    Perfect communication! Although I wasn't able to attend the festival I felt that it is very well organised and I could tell from the photos on social means that the venues were full and our films were treated with respect! Looking forward to participate again with a next film and this time be able to attend in person! Congratulations to the whole team of the festival!

    December 2022
  • Amazing festival and great hospitality of the team. I was impressed with the whole organization and the consideration of every detail. The cinema was full, which is the best gift for a filmmaker! Thank you for having the short film "I win" in your festival program. One of the best experiences in festival events! Outstanding!

    December 2022