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Goethe-Institut

Science Film Festival - Knowledge Through Entertainment

Submission

Submit Films
There are no submissions fees, but the festival principally also does not pay for licensing fees due to the educational non-commercial nature of screenings and in light of the translation and synchronization/subtitling costs to process the films where applicable, which are carried by the Science Film Festival. All films are synchronized or subtitled into local languages to offer viewers access to the content without language barriers. 

During the festival period, the films are screened non-commercially in museums, schools, universities and other educational venues in participating countries through coordinated efforts of partners with existing networks and the capabilities to organize such screenings. Submitted films do not need to relate directly to the annual theme. 

All films accepted into the annual official selection of the Science Film Festival are in competition for six awards bestowed at the festival. The awards are complimented with a cash prize of 500 Euro each. The Prize of the Jury is complimented with a cash prize of 1 000 Euro.

Frequently Asked Questions

General questions about submissions are provided on the general FAQ page in the Metanavigation. These relate to frequently asked questions about film submissions, the methodology of the festival and how to organize a performance.

The Science Film Festival is open to worldwide submissions from broadcasters, producers, filmmakers, film students, researchers, scientific organizations, NGOs, public organizations, and online channels. To submit an entry, please follow the instructions on this website and use the online application form during the period when the festival is open to submissions.
The Science Film Festival is open to all formats of films incl. VR and online interactive films, as well as all genres of films on science, technology and the environment. However, the festival program focuses primarily on edutainment programs for young audiences and documentary films for the general public, which have been broadcast on television or online.
The Science Film Festival call for entries runs from Mid-January to late March for a period of ten weeks each year. To submit an entry, please follow the instructions on this website and use the online submission form. Please note that submissions can only be accepted during the annual call for entries period.
There are no fees for submissions to the Science Film Festival. However, the festival as a rule does not pay for screening rights either. This is because all screenings are non-commercial and educational in nature and the Science Film Festival makes no revenue from the screenings or any other related activities. The festival also invests considerably in translating and subtitling or synchronizing films into local language where applicable and makes these versions available to the rights owners after the festival period.
It is possible to submit multiple entries to the Science Film Festival. In case the submissions originate from a series, only one submission form needs to be filled out with all pertaining information and materials for the individual films or episodes within the entry. In case the submissions are standalone films or different series, please use a separate form for each entry. Films can not be submitted again if they have already been selected into the Science Film Festival in previous years.
Over 30 pre-jury members with expertise in science education and science communication in the participating countries and in-depth knowledge of the local target audience are closely involved in the selection process of the Science Film Festival. When an entry is selected in at least one participating country, the film is considered part of the official selection of the festival in that year and is eligible for one of the six Science Film Festival awards.
The Science Film Festival receives between 250-300 entries from 30-40 countries annually. However, the festival is limited in the number of entries it can accept into the official selection due to the fact that selected films are translated and synchronized into the local languages of participating countries in order to facilitate accessibility for viewers as an educational initiative. The investment that this effort entails consequently restricts the number of films that can be chosen for the annual festival program. The official selection of the Science Film Festival averages annually between 80 and 100 films of varying length.
The Science Film Festival pre-jury committees in the participating countries are looking for outstanding examples of contemporary international science communication and filmmaking approaches. Other considerations taken into account, also include local factors regarding the core festival audience of children and youths, which is why local science education experts are involved in the selection process.
The Science Film Festival also functions as an educational outreach initiative within the countries in which it takes place and therefore makes the effort to provide the greatest possible degree of accessibility. In many countries in which the event is organized, English or other languages, may not be a widely used language and so for the sake of inclusion, the films are subtitled or synchronized into local language.
The Science Film Festival puts together an international jury each year to select six award winners from the official selection. The jury is composed of international experts in the fields of science communication, science education, factual broadcasting, children’s media and scientists in the field of the annual festival theme. The award winners are chosen for their outstanding achievement in the six award categories amongst the entries in the official selection. Please visit the awards section for more information on the six Science Film Festival awards.

Submission Guidelines

The application form must be submitted by March 18, 2024. A pre-screening copy should be submitted no later than March 22, 2024. Please use a separate application form for each film, unless the films are part of a series of films being submitted in which case one form can be filled out mentioning the submitted films or episodes. Please fill in all parts of the application form. Only content that has been produced since January 1, 2021, is accepted. There is no submission fee, however, the Science Film Festival principally does not pay licensing fees for films submitted into competition.
We kindly ask you to submit a pre-screening copy of your film as downloadable file (MP4, MKV or MOV) through WeTransfer, Dropbox, Vimeo, FTP Server or other secure file sharing service (please send to recipient: andreas.klempin.extern@goethe.de) or by sending a DVD to:

Science Film Festival 
Goethe-Institut Thailand 
18/1 Soi Goethe, 
Sathorn Soi 1 
Bangkok 10120 
THAILAND
+66 (0) 2 108 8200

We kindly ask that films not in English or German provide English subtitles.

This copy of the film is used for the selection process only.
We kindly ask that you are able to provide a minimum of two still images of the film for the festival catalogue and website whenever possible. These should be high-resolution (300 dpi). The images can be sent to us per e-mail or download link together with the pre-screening copy of the film.
Should your film be selected into the official festival program, we kindly ask you to make available a Master copy with separate music and effect audio track (separate from the dialogue and narration track) of the film if possible for synchronization purposes to ensure maximum quality. However, mixed-track versions are still accepted if necessary. Please note that we will approach you for the HD file and/or audio track if and after your film has been selected into the official festival program. Notifications will be sent out in August 2024.

Please note the following technical specifications for the final festival screening copy:

Accepted file formats:
  • mxf
  • mov
  • mp4
  • mkv
  • avi
  • ProRes
We kindly ask you to provide an English or German language MS Word dialogue script of the film if possible for accurate translation into local festival languages. The dialogue script can be sent to us per e-mail or per download link with the pre-screening copy of the film.

All festival films are translated and synchronized or subtitled into local languages where applicable to offer access for the audience without language barriers.
Please send the festival screening materials directly to the Goethe-Institut in Thailand:

Science Film Festival
Goethe-Institut Thailand
18/1 Soi Goethe,
Sathorn Soi 1
Bangkok 10120
THAILAND

+66 (0) 2 108 8200

Or electronically in case of upload with recipient andreas.klempin.extern@goethe.de

The expenses for sending materials must be covered by the applicant.
Results of the official festival selection will be announced in September 2024. Notifications will be sent per e-mail, unless requested otherwise. Please kindly communicate any inquiries via e-mail to andreas.klempin.extern@goethe.de

Since the film selection may vary from country to country, participating filmmakers, producers and broadcasters will be notified of the countries in which their film will be screened in the notification.

Award winners are publicly announced on the website in January of the following year. A comprehensive Science Film Festival report is sent to all applicants in February of the following year as well.
i. The Science Film Festival does not pay for screening fees. Submission of a film means consent for screenings in the context of the event as outlined in the application form.

ii. Entries do not necessarily have to be related to the festival theme.

iii. Due to the cost of translation and synchronization, only about one-fifth of all entries can be accepted into the final competition. The selection of the festival program is made by a collective of over 30 pre-jury members consisting of experts in scientific fields, education, television and filmmaking representing all participating countries.