.artimu. International Experimental Film Festival
.artimu. is a non‑profit international culture and arts platform founded in 2020. It produces and publishes exhibitions, films and books. You can review our productions and publications at artimu.org.
.artimu. International Experimental Film Festival is an international short film event focused on experimental cinema, to be held with physical screenings in Türkiye, Italy, Spain and Greece. Below are the submission requirements and participation conditions for applicants wishing to submit a film to the festival. These rules and regulations have been prepared in accordance with international film festival standards. All applicants who submit a film to the festival are deemed to have accepted these conditions.
Screening Dates
* The University of Zaragoza, Spain – 4-5 December 2025
* Oolalala Art Gallery, Torino, Italy - 9-10 December 2025
* The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece – 13-14 December 2025
* Üsküdar Municipality Bağlarbaşı Congress and Culture Center, Istanbul, Türkiye – 20-21 December 2025
Submission Requirements
* Submission Platform: Festival applications are accepted online only through FilmFreeway. Film submissions sent by any other method will not be considered.
* Entry Fee: Participation in the festival is free of charge; no entry fee is required to submit a film. All filmmakers can apply without financial barriers.
* Technical Requirements: Submitted films must be in MP4 format only and must have at least 1920×1080 (Full HD) resolution. These technical standards are required to present films with quality projection during festival screenings.
* Film Duration: The films to be submitted must have a duration of at least 10 seconds and at most 20 minutes (including opening and closing credits).
* Subtitle Requirement: If the language of the film is not English, English subtitles must be included in the film. Preferably, an English .srt file should be attached to the submission. All films containing a language other than English, including Turkish‑language films, must have English subtitles (films in a foreign language without subtitles or dubbing are considered incomplete).
* Submission Dates: The final submission deadline for films is 9 September 2025. By 15 November 2025, the films that will be included in the selection will be announced on the website and social media platforms.
* Other Requirements: 2–3 sentence synopses of the films must be submitted during application. There is no production year limitation for the films to be submitted.
Categories
The festival programme comprises two main categories:
* Professional: The general category open to independent filmmakers of all levels and ages. This category includes films by directors who operate professionally in the film industry or who are not students. There is no genre or theme restriction in the Professional category; only films of an experimental nature are expected.
* Student: The category created to encourage students. Films by directors who are registered as students at an educational institution at the time of application or who shot the film during their education are eligible for this category. Applicants to the Student category may be required to submit proof that they are students (student ID, transcript, etc.) upon request. Applications in this category will be evaluated together with other student films.
(Note: Even if the director submitting the application is still a student, they may submit their film to be evaluated in the Professional category if they wish; however, the same film cannot be evaluated in both categories. The organisation reserves the right to change the category of the submitted film as it deems appropriate.)
Content and Evaluation
* Experimental Content: Only experimental films are accepted to the festival. Films should be innovative in form and narration; they are expected to present works that push the traditional boundaries of cinema or offer an alternative visual language. Works in the form of classical narrative fiction or conventional documentary that do not contain an experimental approach are not included in the festival selection.
* Evaluation Criteria: Submitted films are evaluated according to aesthetic and artistic criteria by a jury of experts. In particular, the films’ experimental quality, their presentation of an original aesthetic approach and their level of innovation are the main evaluation criteria. The jury will focus on the creative interpretation, technical and visual innovations and artistic expressive power that the films bring to the language of cinema. In this context, bold experiments, original ideas and formal quests are considered as important as other elements.
* Copyright and Originality: Films submitted to the festival must be completely original productions. The producers/director of the film must have all necessary rights over the submitted work or have obtained permission from the copyright holders for the work. Films that use copyrighted images, music or other materials without permission, or that contain plagiarism, are definitively disqualified and cannot be included in the programme. The festival accepts no legal responsibility for any legal disputes that may arise regarding the originality of the works; this responsibility lies entirely with the applicant.
* Artificial Intelligence may be used in the films, but an informative note regarding AI content must be indicated in the credits.
* No Premiere Requirement: The festival does not consider whether the films have been shown elsewhere before; a world premiere is not required. Films that have already been shown at another festival or platform or have won awards may also apply and, if selected, will be included in the competition. The fact that the film has previously been published anywhere (for example, shown on online platforms) does not prevent its participation in this festival. What is important is that the film’s content and form are suitable for the festival’s experimental film nature.
Screening and Usage Rights
* Transfer of Screening Rights: The screening rights of the films submitted and selected for the .artimu. International Experimental Film Festival are deemed to have been transferred to the organisation within the scope of the festival. The selected films will be presented to the audience on the festival dates at the venues determined. The festival management has the authority to plan the screening programme and sessions of the films. These screenings will be held free of charge to the public in venues such as universities or galleries.
* Programme Change Right: The festival reserves the right to make changes to the previously announced programme if deemed necessary. If changes in screening dates and times or session cancellations arise, the festival management may carry out these changes. In such a case, festival officials will try to inform participants within a reasonable time; however, the festival management cannot be held responsible for programme changes.
* Use of Trailer and Poster: Directors of selected films are requested to provide promotional materials related to the film. Specifically, a trailer (teaser/trailer) of up to 2 minutes and the film’s official high‑resolution poster must be delivered to the festival for each selected film. These materials will be used by the festival for promotional purposes on film programme announcements, the website and social media channels. The festival management also reserves the right to use short extracts from the films or film photos as promotional material when deemed necessary. The submitted trailers and visuals will be used only within the scope of the festival’s promotion and to announce the films to the audience, and no other commercial use is involved.
* Director Participation and Q&A: If the festival programme allows, short offline/online interviews or director messages may be announced, but a formal Q&A session is not envisaged.
Other Provisions and Information
* Festival Programme and Side Events: In addition to film screenings, the festival may organise various side events to enrich the experience of participants and audiences. Within this scope, workshops, panels, exhibitions, talks or experimental art performances may be planned. Such side events will support the festival’s understanding of experimental art and will be realised with the participation of artists from different disciplines. The festival programme and event calendar will be announced in advance on the festival’s official website filmfest.artimu.org and media announcements.
* Acceptance of Rules and Amendments: Everyone who submits a film to the festival is deemed to have accepted all the rules and conditions specified in this document. The festival management reserves the right to make changes to these rules or to add supplementary articles if deemed necessary. In such a case, the updated rules and conditions will be announced through the festival’s official communication channels. It is recommended that all participants follow notifications that may be made during the festival process.
* Jury: All decisions of the festival selection committee and jury are final and cannot be appealed. There is no obligation to provide feedback or justification for films that are not selected at the pre‑selection stage.
* Contact: For questions or support requests regarding the festival, please contact the email address artimufilmfest@gmail.com. Also, follow the festival’s website filmfest.artimu.org and social media accounts for current announcements and information.
