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You are in: Home > 2023. 71st Edition  > Film registration > Rules and regulations > Culinary Zinema Rules and Regulations
Culinary Zinema Rules and Regulations

The San Sebastian International Film Festival has its main offices at the following address:

FESTIVAL DE SAN SEBASTIÁN
TABAKALERA - Centro Internacional de Cultura Contemporánea
Plaza de las Cigarreras, 1, 2ª planta
20012 Donostia – San Sebastián (España)
Tel.: +34 943 481212
ssiff@sansebastianfestival.com

Detailed information can be found on the official Festival website: www.sansebastianfestival.com, which also explains how to contact the Festival and its different departments.

The Public Limited Company FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE DE DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIÁN S.A. consists in equal parts of the San Sebastian City Council, the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Education and Sport. Its chairmanship is held by the Mayor of San Sebastian. The San Sebastian Festival organisation is headed by its Director, José Luis Rebordinos.

The San Sebastian International Film Festival is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, FIAPF www.fiapf.org, in the "competitive film festivals" category.

ARTICLE 1

The San Sebastian International Film Festival seeks to make a positive contribution to the development of the film culture and industry.

ARTICLE 2

The 71st edition of the San Sebastian Festival will take place in the city of San Sebastian from the 22nd to the 30th September 2023.

ARTICLE 3

All films presented at the 71st San Sebastian International Film Festival will be selected by the Festival Selection Committee. The Committee is chaired by the Festival Director and is advised by a network of international delegates consisting of professionals, specialists in the world of film and in film festivals.

ARTICLE 4

All films selected for the 71st edition will receive a certificate of participation from the San Sebastian Festival Management.

ARTICLE 5

Culinary Zinema is a non competitive section created in collaboration with the Berlin International Film Festival and organised jointly with the Basque Culinary Center with a view to uniting cinema, gastronomy and the development of numerous food-related activities in the fields of education, science and agriculture.

ARTICLE 6

The deadline for receiving films submitted for pre-selection is June 19th, 2023. The Festival Management reserves the right to accept films submitted after this time.

ARTICLE 7

The Culinary Zinema Section is open to participation by films meeting the following conditions:

  1. Completed in the 12 months prior to the start of the Festival.
  2. Not having participated in any Spanish festival taking place prior to their presentation at the San Sebastian Festival.
  3. Not having been commercially released or publicly screened in Spain prior to their official presentation at the Festival.
  4. The inclusion in VOD platforms of films participating in the Culinary Zinema Section is not allowed, with the exception of cases where their use is strictly professional and with restricted access.
  5. The required format for films in the Culinary Zinema Section is, exclusively: DCP. The Festival's Technical Department will send the server certificate to the producers or representatives of the film, in addition to the coordinates for receiving the KDM.

ARTICLE 8

All of the films selected by the Festival must be presented in their original version.

The film subtitles can be in either Spanish or English.

The cost of subtitling the copy will be paid by the producers or representatives of the film.

The Festival will provide additional electronic subtitling in either English or Spanish depending on the language required. For films subtitled in Spanish whose original language is not English, we will require a DVD of the final original version of the film with subtitles in English and the corresponding list of subtitles in English.

The screening of this electronic subtitling will be carried out by the subtitling company hired for this purpose by the Festival.

ARTICLE 9

Taking part in the section implies:

  1. Having duly completed the online film submission form, which can be found on our official website: www.sansebastianfestival.com
  2. The producers or representatives of films with Spanish production or co-production must directly contact the film department at films@sansebastianfestival.com prior to completing the online submission form.
  3. The fee for each film submitted for pre-selection by the Festival is:
    1. Short and/or medium-length films (up to 59'): €70 (including 21% VAT)
    2. Feature-length films (more than 60'): €100 (including 21% VAT)
    3. DCP in physical format (2.5 hard drive, CRU or similar): €150 (including 21% VAT) no matter what the runtime.
    4. DCP submitted digitally (Signiant Media Shuttle or similar): €200 (including 21% VAT), no matter what the runtime. In this case, the Festival will provide with its Signiant Media Shuttle for the uploading without extra cost.

Said fee will be payable in euros during the film submission process and can be paid either by credit card (Visa, American Express or Mastercard) or via paypal.

ARTICLE 10

Once a film has received an official invitation from the Festival Director, and prior to the event, the producers or representatives of the selected films must confirm their attendance by duly completing and returning the online submission form to the Festival, no later than August 1st, 2023.

The Festival will recognise the person who signs this confirmation as the sole representative in negotiating all aspects related to participation of the film in the event and as the sole responsible as opposed to other companies or individuals to have participated in producing the film.

Confirmation by the producers or representatives of the selected film means that they cannot withdraw their film from the programme and that they irrevocably accept all regulations established by the Festival Management.

ARTICLE 11

The invitation made to each film selected by the San Sebastian Festival will remain strictly confidential between the Festival Management and the producers or representatives of the invited film until the Festival decides to make an official announcement in this regard.

The complete San Sebastian Festival programme and all screening times are exclusively decided by the Festival Management Committee.

ARTICLE 12

The documentation required by the Festival for its press releases, official catalogue and website (synopsis, technical and artistic credits, bio-filmographies, pictures of the director/s and film stills) will be taken from the online submission form, which must be duly completed no later than August 1st, 2023.

All promotional material for the selected films requested by the different Festival departments must be sent without delay by the producers or representatives of the film.

ARTICLE 13

The producers or representatives of invited films must send the selected copies to be screened at the Festival, 15 days prior to the date on which the event is due to begin, to the Festival Film Department at its main offices:

Donostia Zinemaldia – Festival de San Sebastián
Departamento de películas
TABAKALERA Centro Internacional de Cultura Contemporánea
Plaza de las Cigarreras 1, 2ª Planta
20012 DONOSTIA – SAN SEBASTIÁN
Tel.: +34 943 481212
films@sansebastianfestival.com

The producers or representatives are free to send the Festival as many copies of the film as they wish.

The Festival Management reserves the right to reject copies found to be unsuitable for screening during control by its Technical Department. In the event of irregularities in the copies, the Festival Management will issue the film owners or representatives with the corresponding technical report.

ARTICLE 14

The transport and insurance costs of the copies of selected films will be paid by the participants until their arrival at the Festival offices or at the premises of its customs agent.

The San Sebastian Festival will insure the copies from the moment of their arrival at the Festival offices or at the premises of its customs agent, until they are returned.

The cost of generating KDMs will also be the responsibility of the producers or representatives of the film.

The cost of returning the copies of films selected by the Festival will also be paid by participants. Returns will only be made after the Festival closing date.

In the event of damage to a copy during the event, the Festival limits its responsibility to the cost of having a new standard copy made at current laboratory rates.

ARTICLE 15

Accredited industry professionals attending the Festival will receive special attention at the Industria Department. Here, a team of professionals will provide them with all possible means and contacts to facilitate their work, including film viewings in its film library after having obtained the corresponding written authorisation from their producers.

ARTICLE 16

In the event of disagreement (related to organisation or running of the event) or failure to comply with these rules and regulations, the Festival Management reserves the right to the final decision based on the FIAPF regulations for international film festivals.

In the event of discrepancy in the interpretation of these rules & regulations, the Spanish version will apply.

All doubts arising from the interpretation of these rules and regulations will be solved by the San Sebastian Festival Management.

 

FAQ - Film registration

General

Festival dates

The 71st edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival will run from 22-30 September 2023.


Submission dates
  • General: January 16, 2023 - June 19, 2023
  • Culinary Zinema: January 16, 2023 - June 19, 2023
  • Nest: June 1, 2023 - July 3, 2023
  • WIP Latam: June 1, 2023 - July 3, 2023
  • WIP Europa: June 1, 2023 - July 3, 2023
  • Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum: April 14, 2023 - June 15, 2023
  • Zinemaldia Startup Challenge: April 17, 2023 - June 1, 2023
  • Ikusmira Berriak: July 1, 2023 - September 1, 2023 

Can I submit a documentary?
The Festival makes no distinction between fiction and non-fiction and both options will be considered for all of its sections.

Can I submit a short or medium-length film?

Yes, but only for the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section.

  • Full-length film More than 60’
  • Medium-length film From 30’ to 59’
  • Short film Up to 30’

If you have a short film made at your school, you can participate in Nest.


¿Can I submit a Project under development?
If you have a project under development, you can register it in the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum or Ikusmira Berriak residence program, as long as you meet the registration requirements.

Can I submit a film/short film to more than one section?
With the exception of the specific sections (indicated above), short films and medium-length films, all others can be submitted to any of the Festival sections. The Festival Committee will then decide which section is most suitable for the film submitted.

Pre-Selection

What formats do you accept for pre-selection?
  • Link/Screener with password
  • DVD
  • Blu-ray
  • DCP

Does my film have to be subtitled?
Films whose original version is Spanish, Basque, English or French do not require subtitles. All other languages must have subtitles.

Can I submit a work in progress?
Yes.

Can I submit a trailer?
No. We don’t accept trailers as pre-selection material.

What do you understand by premiere status?
  • World premiere
    The film has never been officially screened before an audience.
  • International premiere
    The film has been screened in cinemas or at a national festival in its country of origin, but in no other country.
  • European premiere
    The film has been screened or released in cinemas outside Europe, but has never been screened in a European country.
  • Spanish premiere
    The film has never been screened in Spain.
  • No premiere
    The film has been screened and/or premiered in cinemas including Spain. In this case its only option is inclusion in the Made in Spain or Zinemira Panorama sections.

Can my film participate if it has been released in DVD or Blu-ray?
Yes, but only in the Made in Spain or Zinemira Panorama sections (the latter only in the case of Basque productions).

Can my film participate in the Festival if it has been released in VOD?
Yes, the film can participate in the different Festival sections according to the rules on release corresponding to each section.

Submission Fee

How much is the submission fee?

The fee for each film submitted for pre-selection by the Festival is:

  • Short and/or medium-length films (up to 59'): €70 (including 21% VAT)
  • Feature-length films (more than 60'): €100 (including 21% VAT)
  • DCP in physical format (2.5 hard drive, CRU or similar): €150 (including 21% VAT) or
  • DCP submitted digitally (Aspera, Media Shuttle or similar): €200 (including 21% VAT), no matter what the runtime.

Said fee will be payable in euros during the film submission process and can only be paid by credit card (Visa, American Express or Mastercard) or PayPal.

The submissions for WIP Latam, WIP Europa and Nest is free.

The projects submission in the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum or Ikusmira Berriak residence program is for free.


Do I get my money back if the film is not selected?
No.

How can I pay if I don’t have a credit card or PayPal?

If you don’t have a credit card you can pay by bank transfer. In this case, please contact us at films@sansebastianfestival.com for instructions.


I’m a student, do I qualify for a discount?

No, students do not qualify for a discount on the submission fee. However, if you have a short film made at your school you can submit it free of charge to Nest.


Communication

When will I know if my film has been selected?

Films will be considered during the pre-selection process. Films not selected will be informed of the decision by email.


Will I receive feedback?
No. The Festival receives more than 2,500 films every year and does give the reasons for its decision.

Selection

When will the announcement that my film has been selected go public?
The calendar for announcing the films will be decided by the Communication Department, which will first of all inform the person responsible for its submission.

What is the deadline for sending the DCP?

The deadline for receiving the final DCP is 1 September 2022.


I want to correct the information I initially provided on the form, how can I do it?

In the event of wishing to change any of the details provided you can contact us at films@sansebastianfestival.com, telling us what you want to change.



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