Szczecin Film Festival
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European Competition
The European Competition, the leading competition of the Szczecin Film Festival. In 2026, we are looking forward to receiving new documentaries as compelling as those presented in previous years. Only the latest productions are eligible — films completed no earlier than January 1, 2026, created by a European producer or director. Therefore, the documentaries selected for the competition may be filmed anywhere in the world, but their production must involve filmmakers connected to Europe. Last year, over 300 films were submitted to the competition, from which 20 were selected to compete for the awards — including 8 Polish productions and 12 European productions and co-productions.
We’re looking forward to your films.
The total prize pool of PLN 25,000 is funded by the Mayor of Szczecin, the Marshal of the West Pomeranian Region, and the Polish Film Institute.
The CALL FOR ENTRIES to the EUROPEAN COMPETITION is carried out in three stages, through:
OPEN CALL
Conducted primarily online via the festival website (www.szczecinfilmfestival.com), professional film submission platforms (Festhome: www.festhome.com, FilmFreeway: www.filmfreeway.com), social media, as well as through direct email invitations and recommendations from an international advisory team attending major film festivals in Poland and abroad. The European Competition call for documentary films reaches a wide audience, including Polish and international film schools, regional television branches, art academies, film institutions (such as film funds, associations, foundations), independent cinemas, film producers, and others.
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY TEAM
This team supports the film selection process for the competition. It consists of individuals from the international film community who maintain ongoing collaboration with the OFFicyna Association in organizing the Szczecin Film Festival. Thanks to their involvement, the festival can directly reach specific film communities in the countries with which the advisors are affiliated.
INTERNATIONAL SELECTION COMMITTEE
The selection of films for the European Competition is carried out by the International Selection Committee. The committee is composed of five professionals closely connected to the film industry—directors, filmmakers, film event organizers, and cinema enthusiasts. The committee’s work, including selecting films and curating the program, takes place in parallel with the open call process.
SHORTS FROM WEST POMERANIA AND MECKLENBURG-VORPOMERANIA Competition
The SHORTS FROM WEST POMERANIA AND MECKLENBURG-VORPOMERANIA Competition is a platform for showcasing independent short films (up to 30 minutes) by filmmakers connected to West Pomerania or Mecklenburg–Vorpommern. Genres blend freely here — documentaries compete alongside fiction films, film essays, music films, animations, and video impressions. The competition entries will be evaluated by an independent two-member jury and the audience.
The awards, with a total value of PLN 6,000, are funded by the Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship and the Mayor of Szczecin.
