The Russian city of Saint Petersburg will host the 30th-anniversary edition of the Message to Man International Film Festival of International Documentary, Short and Animated Film Festival and competitions scheduled to take place from September 11 to19, 2020.
The Festival has the following categories of competition are available for the international competition::
- Full-length documentary films (from 40 to 120 minutes)
- Short documentary films (up to 40 minutes)
- Short and animated films (up to 30 minutes)
No film for the competition should have been produced earlier than January 1, 2019. English subtitles are required for all films with spoken dialogue unless English is the language of the film.
For the National Competition of Documentary Films, entries should be documentaries (up to 120 minutes), directed by Russian filmmakers or/and produced (co-produced) by Russian producers, finished after January 1, 2019. For this category of films selected into the competition, English subtitles are required while for those made in other languages, Russian and English subtitles are required (only Russian subtitles if the film is made in English).
Entries for the In Silico International Competition of Experimental Films should be short experimental films (no longer than 15 minutes) in any genre, which are technically suitable for screening in a regular cinema and were produced after January 1, 2019. Again, English subtitles are required for all films with spoken dialogue, unless English is the language of the film.
Films are submitted by filling the Entry Form or via online platforms.
Submissions will be accepted from January 27, 2020, to May 31, 2020 (for films that are to be finished in 2020 rough cuts may be submitted for selection). Entry attracts a submission fee to the International Competition and In Silico Experimental competition of 7 EUR (short films – up to 40 min) and 15 EUR (feature films 40-120 min) . The fee is to be paid via online platforms (FilmFreeway, Festhome, FilmFestivalLife). Submissions to the International Competition are not valid until the payment is received.
Accepted screening formats for the competitions are DCP or HD files (Apple ProRes). The detailed technical requirements and instructions will be sent to the copyright holders of selected films individually. The screening copy must have burned-in English subtitles unless English is the original language of the film.
Directors, whose films are selected for the programme, will be invited to attend the Festival. If the director is not able to attend, his or her invitation may be transferred (with the approval of the Organizing Committee of the Festival) to another member of the film crew.
Organized with the support from the Ministry for Culture of the Russian Federation, the St. Petersburg City Administration, the Committee for Culture of St. Petersburg, the Russian Filmmakers’ Union, and the Federal Foundation for Social and Economic Support of National Cinematography, the Festival is held annually.
