Your film at the HARD:LINE International Film Festival
Dear filmmaker! We would like to welcome you to the HARD:LINE Film Festival. On this page you will find all the information you need for your submission. The following menu should help you to find your way around.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The aim of the HARD:LINE Film Festival is to present extreme cinema in all its facets. The term "extreme" is often associated with a dedicated splatter aesthetic. However, in our opinion, this definition falls short. The term can also be used, for example, to describe an outstanding visual language or unusual narrative style. In order to represent the genre in its entire spectrum, we are looking for films that stand out. It doesn't matter to us whether your film is a fine pearl of independent cinema, a flawless terror film or a no-brainer. In short: we love special films.
So every year the HARD:LINE Film Festival presents some shining examples of everything extreme cinema has to offer. It's not about showing as many films as possible, but special ones!
AWARDS AND PRIZES
Conceived primarily as an audience festival, our main focus is to entertain festival-goers. Instead of letting an elaborate jury decide the weal and woe of a film, we prefer to give the audience a voice. Almost all films at the festival have the opportunity to win one of our coveted audience awards. Exceptions are the opening film and the closing film. These special evenings of parties and concerts are simply about celebrating the freest of genres! Also the older titles of the "Directors Spotlight" are not part of the audience voting.
Two awards are reserved for audience favorites: The "Golden Razor Blade" is awarded for the best feature-length film of the festival, while the "Silver Razor Blade" honors the best short film from an audience perspective. There is no prize money for either award.
Of course, we know how important it is for your work to be judged professionally. That's why an international jury of experts decides on the awarding of the "Méliès D'Argent", which is given to the best European genre short film. The "Méliès D'Argent" is determined on behalf of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) by each member festival in its own competition. The winners of the individual competitions then compete in a final contest at the renowned Sitges Catalonian International Fantastic Film Festival. The aim: to find the best European fantastic short film of the year.
In addition to the Méliès Short Film Competition, we make a careful selection of international short films. Eight to ten European short films are thus screened in the official competition, while six to eight other international productions are shown "Out of Competition".
Awards:
- Golden Razor Blade (Audience Favorite, Best Feature Film)
- Silver Razor Blade (Audience Favorite, Best Short Film)
- Melies D'Argent Award (Best European Short Film)
Special Selections:
- Directors Spotlight (Three films by one director)
- Opening film (Out of competition)
- Closing Film (Out of competition)
- International Short Film Highlights (Out of competition)
RULES AND CONDITIONS
HARD:LINE is an annual film festival held in Regensburg with a clear focus on genre cinema. In this case, that means we devote ourselves entirely to the fringe genres of horror, thriller and sci-fi.
I. General rules
a) The film must be a genre film (horror, thriller or sci-fi).
b) The film must be fictional. We do not show documentaries.
c) English subtitles are mandatory for films in non-English language.
d) Submitted films must not be older than two years.
e) Submitted films must not have been released in Germany yet.
f) The submitter must have full authority to submit the film.
g) All rights (music, based on, ...) have been fully cleared.
h) High-resolution material must be available for the screening itself (DCP, File, Blu-ray).
i) Submitted films must be made by humans. AI-generated films are not part of the festival.
If a film violates these simple rules, it is automatically rejected without consultation.
II. short films (competition)
a-i) See I.
j) It must be a European production (European team, shot in Europe or financed with European funds).
k) A film must not have won a Méliès D'Argent competition at another Méliès festival. Nominations are not an exclusion criterion.
l) If a film is non-European, it cannot run in competition. Nevertheless, a selection for the festival program is possible. Non-European short films will be labeled as "International Highlight".
m) All (!) selected short films can win the Audience Award (Silver Razor Blade).
III. the selection process
a) We will have screened and judged all submitted films by mid-February.
b) We will decide by then which films we want to show and contact you to clarify the legal framework.
c) The programme will be complete by the end of February. By then you will have heard from us whether your film has been selected or not. Either way: You will hear from us.
We look forward to your submission!
SUBMIT VIA FILMFREEWAY AND FESTHOME
OUR SUBMISSION FORM
Free submission form for 2024 is now closed!
ATTENTION: REGULAR DEADLINE ENDS ON JANUARY 10, 2024
We have reached the regular deadline and are currently in the selection process. Submissions for the extended deadline (until January 31) are only possible via the linked submission platforms.
