THE 355

FILM AWARD

2023

3 Filmmakers chosen by a professional international jury
5 To produce a five minute film
5 Shot, edit and posted in five days

One winner, who’ll be chosen live by the audience during the annual ceremony of the Foundation traditionally held in April.
The winner of The 355 Film Award will receive a statuette and 10 000 leva in monetrary value and production services for his next film. The prizes provided by the Stoyan Kambarev Art Foundation, and Nova Film. Audio and shooting equipment is provided by oour partners: UFO Film and Television Studios, Magic Shop Rental, Black Sea Film and ARS DIGITAL Studio.

1. The 3 finalists chosen will have to shoot a 5-minute film in 5 days with the following technical specifications:
   
   • Full HD / 1920x1080
   • 48KHz, 24bits
   • The film has to be sumitted with and without English subtitles.
2. Final credits are NOT counted for the 5 minute limit.
3. The logos of the Foundation Stoyan Kambarev, the Producer NOVA Film and the other partners must be present at the beginning and the end of the film in a specific order, which will be submitted to the finalist by the Project Manager. Files can be found in the Downloads section.
4. The new mandatory rule is for the film TO HAVE AN UNEXPECTED END, while each participant may choose their own topic or genre.
5. Each film must be based on the filmmaker's original script.
6. The Foundation will provide a Producer and Project Manager 355 who will assist the selected finalists at each stage.
7. The Foundation will donate to each of the finalists the amount of BGN 2,000 to support their films, and the Producer and Project Manager 355 must know the costs for which the amount will be used. A donation contract will be signed with each finalist.
8. For all participants the Foundation may provide if necessarry up to 2 shooting days at the studios and back-lot of our partner UFO Film and Television Studios, with the possibility of using sets, lighting, props and wardrobe. Shooting may be performed outside of the studios, however in that case the Foundation does NOT provide any shooting lightning or other props.
9. A representative of the Foundation will be present during production to verify the schedule and originality of the project for The 355 Film Award.
10. The Foundation provides audio equipment necessary for the shooting of the film, which is taken and returned to the studio only by the sound department, by signing a handover protocol.
11. The Foundation provides one day for audio post-production of the film in a studio partner of the Award. The sound can be made by the candidates themselves, outside the studio provided by us.
12. No material shot before the official start of the shootings will be accepted.
13. Every participant must coordinate with the project manager and inform him in respect to the start of the shooting. The film must be submitted no later than 11:59PM on the 5th day.
14. After watching the edited films by the Producer and Project Manager 355, it is possible to allocate an additional day for final audio post-production.
15. The official premiere of the 3 films will be held during the Annual Stoyan Kambarev Art Award's Official Ceremony, which traditionally takes place in April. Then the audience, by live voting, will choose the winner of The Film Award 355.
16. The films will be possibly broadcasted on a National TV Broadcaster thus all actors must have signed releases provided by the Foundation.
17. Apart from the film, the 3 finalists will have to shoot a 1-minute personal video presentation, different from the director’s vision. The presentation is a free form and the finalists must present themselves and the film in an attractive and memorable manner. For reference you can watch the presentations of Jordan Mihailovski and Stefani Raycheva.
18. The finalists are obliged, within 2 weeks after the submission of the films, to make a poster (in Bulgarian and English) of their film, in which the logos of the producer, the Foundation and other partners are present if necessary. Project Manager 355 will coordinate this process.
19. The finalists are obliged to upload the information about the films together with the poster in IMDb within 2 weeks after the submission of the films.
20. With each of the three finalists, the Producer will enter into a contract to settle the rights to the film.
21. Applications which do not comply with these rules may be disqualified without prior notice.

All Bulgarian filmmakers in the age between 18 and 30.

You must have produced/directed or shot at least 1 previous short film or music, dance video or impression.

The film could be made by a team, but the materials must be submitted by a single participant. Group submissions are not allowed. Every participant may submit only once.

Your application cannot be approved if you have been one of the three finalists for one of the previous years.

Everyone with a passion for cinema is welcome!

To apply for the competition, you need to submit:

1. A synopsis in Bulgarian and English up to 500 words.
2. A link to a video (uploaded on YouTube or Vimeo) with a director explication and a concept of the film, shot with a camera or a smartphone up to 60 seconds.
   The video must be subtitled in English. It’s only needed for the jury but we want it to be publicly available.
3. A link to a selected previous short film (music, dance video or impression) of the participant made in the last 3 years.
4. CV in Bulgarian and English up to 200 words.
5. The applicant must read and agree to the general terms and conditions by clicking on the specified place in the application form.

The three finalists will be chosen by a 13-member professional International Jury from the movie industry. During 2023 the jury's members are:

OSVALDO DE SANTIS - Honorary Jury Chairman - Paramount Pictures (Italy)

DESSY TENEKEDJIEVA - actress, director, producer - NOVA Film (Bulgaria)

FABIAN GASMIA - producer, jury chairman - Seven Elephants (DE)

GARY STRETCH - actor, director, producer - (UK)

PHILLIP ROTH - producer, writer, director - UFO Film and Television Studios (USA)

DON MICHAEL PAUL - director, writer - UNIVERSAL (USA)

IVAN TONEV - producer, cinematographer - ARS DIGITAL Studio (Bulgaria)

BEN CHARLES EDWARDS - producer, director, writer - Goldfinch Entertainment (UK)

KIRSTY BELL - producer, director - Goldfinch Entertainment (UK)

MARK SUMMERS - international casting director - Mark Summers Casting Directors & Management (UK)

STANISLAV SEMERDJIEV - writer, producer, rector of NATFA (Bulgaria)

VALERIA STOYKOVA - producer - MatchPoint Production (Bulgaria)

JEFFERY BEACH - producer, writer - UFO Film and Television Studios (USA)

More about the jury

Each member of the jury will choose his 3 favorites by voting with 3, 2 and 1 points respectively for first, second and third place. Then all the points are summed up and the 3 finalists with the highest number of points are selected.

We’re searching for participants with high motivation, desire and passion for cinema. The evaluation criteria of the applications will be quality and clarity of the synopsis, originality in the content, creativity in the task "FILM WITH AN UNEXPECTED END". Winning the jury’s attention with the 60-seconds director's explication video will be crucial for the final decision and choice of finalists. We also pay serious attention to the director's qualities of the candidate, shown in his chosen previous film, which we watch carefully.

The audience will have the final vote in choosing of the winner during the annual Stoyan Kambarev Art Award's Official Ceremony traditionally held in April in Sofia.

Applications are accepted between 1st of January and 1st of Fabruary 2023 (including)..

The three finalists will be announced on 15th of February 2023 on Art Foundation Stoyan Kambarev’s official website, on Art Foundation Stoyan Kambarev’s official Facebook page and on the media.
Films must completed within 5 days between 1st of March and 1st of April 11:59PM 2023. Every participant must inform the project manager in respect to the start of the shooting. Each film must be submitted no longer than 5 days after starting shooting.

Eleni Dikidis

Project manager

+359 88 804 1421

dekidisfilms@gmail.com