Szczecin Film Festival
Competitions
European Competition
This competition showcases the latest European documentary film productions, created within the past two years and reflecting contemporary trends in the genre. Each year, through an open call, the competition features films that go beyond the traditional boundaries of documentary cinema—such as animated documentaries, mockumentaries, artistic and avant-garde documentaries, compilation films, direct cinema, political documentaries, home video, and video art. From the submitted entries, the Program Committee selects the best productions to compete. These are then presented in thematically curated screening blocks and evaluated by the Jury.
The awards in the European Competition at SFF are funded by the Mayor of the City of Szczecin, the Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, and the OFFicyna Association.
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.
West Pomeranian Shorts
The West Pomeranian Shorts Competition features popular films created by filmmakers connected to the West Pomeranian region. Each screening is accompanied by meetings between directors and production team members with the festival audience. This competition serves as an important platform for showcasing the region’s independent cinema—often debut works, amateur productions, and short documentaries, fiction films, film essays, music-video hybrids, and video impressions. It holds a well-established position in the region and is supported by the Marshal’s Office of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship.
The award for the competition winner is regularly funded by the Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship
Submit Your Film
<h4 ">Sign Up
