THE FESTIVAL

RULES & REGULATIONS 53rd EDITION
October 8-18th, 2020

I) THE FESTIVAL

The Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is a competitive festival, specializing in fantastic genre, festival in accordance with the regulations established by the FIAPF.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood has also declared the Festival to be a “Qualified Festival” for the Oscar® Awards. This means that those shorts winning the awards for «Best Short Film» in the Official Fantàstic Selection and «Best Short Film» in the Anima’t section will automatically be taken into consideration by the Selection Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for the Oscar® Awards.

 

II) SECTIONS

The Festival consists of the following sections:

Official Fantàstic In Competition / Out-of-Competition

Special Screenings

Noves Visions

Panorama Fantàstic

Anima’t

Seven Chances

Midnight X-Treme

Brigadoon

Sitges Classics (retrospectives and tributes)

Serial Sitges

Sitges Coming Soon

Sitges Documenta

 

2. 1. Official Fantàstic In-Competition Section

Feature length films of all nationalities, previously unreleased in Spain, produced in 2019/2020 and fantasy-themed, interpreting this concept in a broad sense, while bearing in mind at all times that quality and the creation of tendencies are a priority objective.

An international jury, chosen by the Festival’s Direction team, will present the following awards:

 

Best Feature Length Film 

Best Director 

Best Actor 

Best Actress 

Best Screenplay 

Best Special Effects 

Best Photography 

Best Music 

Special Jury Prize 

Best Fantastic Genre Short Film (this short will automatically be taken into consideration by the Selection Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for the Oscar® Awards). 

 

If considered convenient, the jury will reserve the possibility of awarding up to a maximum of three special mentions. 

The audience will vote to decide on the Grand Audience Award for best fantastic genre feature film. 

The José Luis Guarner Critics’Award will be presented by the Associació Catalana de Crítics i Escriptors Cinematogràfics (Catalan Association of Film Critics and Writers) to the best feature film included in the Official Fantastic In Competition Section. This association will also present the Citizen Kane Award for Best New Director, for which all filmmakers presenting their debut film at the Festival, in its Official Fantàstic Section are eligible. 

In addition, the Carnet Jove jury, made up of young men and women between the ages of 18 and 30, will present the Carnet Jove Award for best fantasy genre feature film. 

This section contains a subsection for films programed in the official Out-of-Competition Section. 

The section also includes a subsection for short films produced in 2019/2020, with a maximum runtime of 30 minutes and previously unreleased in Spain, and which are eligible for the award for best Official Fantàstic In Competition Short Film. 

 

2.2. Special Screenings 

Films programmed as a tribute, for their suitability or other justified reasons, which don’t necessarily have to be a premiere in Spain. 

 

2.3. Noves Visions Section 

Fantasy-themed films of all nationalities, previously unreleased in Spain and produced in 2019/2020, with a commitment to experimentation, new languages and formats and generic hybridization. 

An international jury will present awards for best feature film, best Director and up to three special mentions. These awards will be cross-sectional within this section. The award for best Noves Visions Petit Format short will also be presented. 

On an exceptional basis, the Festival reserves the right to program films previously screened out of official competition at another Spanish film festival. 

 

2.4. Panorama Fantàstic Section 

Fantasy and Horror-themed films of all nationalities, previously unreleased in Spain, produced in 2019/2020 and with an independent inclination. 

On an exceptional basis, the Festival reserves the right to program films previously screened out of official competition at another Spanish film festival. 

By popular vote, the audience will present an award to the best fiction feature film in this section. 

 

2.5. Anima’t Section 

Animated feature films produced in 2019/2020, previously unreleased in Spain. 

On an exceptional basis, the Festival reserves the right to program films previously screened out of official competition at another Spanish film festival. 

Anima’t includes a subsection for short films produced in 2019/2020 with a maximum runtime of 30 minutes. The selected shorts must also be previously unreleased in Catalonia. 

The Selection Committee reserves the possibility of selecting advertising, promo or music video works that it considers to have sufficient artistic and cinematic value as short films, as long as they are thematically related to the Festival’s area of specialization. 

The Carnet Jove Jury will present the following awards: Award for Best animated short film (this short will automatically be taken into consideration by the Selection Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for the Oscar® Awards) and the Award for Best animated feature length film. 

 

2.6. Seven Chances Section

A section programmed in collaboration with the Asociación Catalana de la Crítica y la Escritura Cinematográficas (The Catalan Association of Critics and Film Writers). It consists of seven screenings focusing on fantastic films in its widest sense, as well as the other genres related to the Festival (thriller, spaghetti western, wu xia, etc.). 

The section revolves around non-contemporary films (preferably that are a minimum of fifteen years old) and whose singularity causes them to deviate from the official model of the history of genre. This way, the intention is to vindicate films that should be discovered or reviewed, and which will be screened in their original format, or a restored copy. The educational desire of Seven Chances also results in some of the screenings being currently produced documentaries about an outstanding figure or style of genre cinema. 

The films selected for Seven Chances must be premieres in Catalonia (and preferably in Spain); at least the screened version/copy. 

 

2.7. Midnight X-treme Section 

A selection of the best independent horror movies. By popular vote, the audience will present an award to the best fiction feature film in this section.This competition is limited to films produced in 2019/2020, previously unreleased in Spain. 

 

2.8. Brigadoon Section 

A selection of independently produced horror and fantasy themed feature length films, documentaries and short films, made in 2019/2020. The selected works will be included in premieres, retrospectives, tributes and/or cult movies. It is not necessary for them to be previously unreleased in Spain. However, works that have been published on Internet will not be taken into consideration. A jury will present the Paul Naschy Brigadoon Award for the best fantastic genre short film. 

 

2.9. Sitges Classics Section 

Encompasses the Festival’s retrospective, particular tributes, anniversaries and collaborations. 

 

2.10. Serial Sitges Section 

A selection of genre TV series, TV movies, web series and other similar formats. 

 

2.11. Sitges Coming Soon Section 

A selection of upcoming Catalan, Spanish and Latin American productions. All proposals must be accompanied by a teaser or trailer. 

 

2.12. Sitges Documenta 

Selection of non-fiction feature film productions, made in 2019/2020, that are thematically related to the Festival’s specialization. An international jury will present the award for the best documentary. 

III) CROSS-SECTIONAL AWARDS & LABELS 

 

3.1. Focus Asia Award 

All films produced by Asian production companies included in any of the Festival’s sections, as long as their subject matter falls within the context of the popular genres (thriller, action, fantastic), are eligible for this award. 

All films must be previously unreleased in Spain. The Festival’s Selection Committee reserves the right to assess these criteria. 

 

3.2 Méliès de Argent Awards 

Awards presented to the best European fantastic genre feature film and short film included in any of the Festival’s sections and according to the Selection Committee’s nomination the winning featura longth and short films will be elegible for the Méliès d’Or Award, organized by the EFFFF (European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation). 

 

3.3. Blood Window Award 

All films of Latin American production included in any of the Festival’s sections, as long as their subject matter falls within the context of the fantastic genre, are eligible for this award. The Festival’s Selection Committee reserves the right to assess these criteria. 

 

3.4. Sitges Family Label 

Encompasses all films included in the Festival for children and young people, intended to be seen with family. 

 

3.5. Catalan Focus Label 

Encompasses all Catalan productions included in the Festival.

 

IV) PROCEDURE FOR OFFICIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE EVENT OF SELECTION 

 

4.1. The production company or distributor of the selected films will receive the entry form and a proposal from the senior staff regarding section, day and time of screening for their approval. 

The production company or distributor will then commit to filling in and sending the entry form back to the Festival at least 40 days before the start of the Festival. 

In the event that the Festival has to share the print with other festivals, it must be specified on the entry form, indicating the print’s availability during the dates of the Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia. 

 

4.2. The company loaning the film must provide the Festival with high quality advertising material: stills, posters, press-books, trailers, etc., so the Festival can promote the film adequately. The Festival reserves the right to not return this material. 

 

4.3. In the event that it is necessary to subtitle the film, the company lending it must also provide the appropriate material: download link, DVD or Blu-ray and dialogue and/or subtitle list. 

The Festival will not return this material, which will be destroyed once the Festival is over. 

If the film has distribution in Spain, the distribution company must provide the Festival with a screening print in its Original Version with subtitles. 

 

4.4. The screening formats for the selected films will be: 

Feature length films included in the Official Fantàstic, Special Screenings, Noves Visions, Panorama Fantàstic, Sitges Documenta, Anima’t, Seven Chances, Midnight X-Treme and Sitges Clàssics sections: 

35 mm 

DCP (in accordance with DCI standards). In the event that they are encrypted, the Festival will not cover the expenses derived from generating the DKDMs or KDMs. 

HDCam (except SR) 

DigiBeta 

Short films included in the Official Fantàstic, Anima’t, Noves Visions Petit Format and Nova Autoria sections: 

Non-encrypted DCP 

HD quality digital file (.mov) 

Feature length and short films included in the Brigadoon section: 

HD quality digital file (.mov) DVD/Blu-Ray 

Works included in the Serial Sitges and Sitges Coming Soon sections: 

HD quality digital file (.mov) 

 

4.5. The Festival will cover the shipping costs generated by the shipping of prints to be screened, except in the event that the print needs to be sent to another film festival. In this case, the other Festival will pay for shipping costs from our address to theirs. The Festival will not cover the costs of shipping or returning trailers or teasers. The Festival will not cover handling fees or digital delivery costs. 

 

4.6. The Festival agrees to return the print as soon as possible, up to 20 days after the end of the Festival. 

 

4.7. In the event that the print winds up getting damaged as a consequence of its screening at the Festival, the owner must inform the Festival within one month’s time, starting from the date the print was returned. 

The Festival’s responsibility will not exceed the cost specified on the entry form by the company lending the film. 

 

4.8. The Festival organization will decide each film’s screening dates and times. No film included in any of the Festival’s sections will be screened more than 5 times, including the press screening, without the owner’s previous consent. 

 

4.9. As regards the recording of film clips for use on television programs, the Festival will comply with the rules established in the FIAPF regulations for specialized competitive festivals. 

 

4.10. The Festival accepts all F.I.A.P.F rules & regulations for specialized competitive festivals. 

 

4.11. Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of the Rules & Regulations herein. 

 

4.12. Any matter or dispute arising during the Festival that is not covered by these Rules & Regulations will be resolved by the Festival organization in accordance with international rules.