Competition Specifications

GORDION ARCHEOFILM FILM FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL GORDION ARCHEOFILM FESTIVAL REGULATIONS

The Gordion Archaeofilm Festival will hold competitions in two categories: • Documentary Film Competition on Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Documentary films on archaeology, anthropology, and cultural heritage can apply for this competition. • Student Film Competition on Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Student films focused on archaeology, anthropology, and cultural heritage are eligible to apply for this competition.

Competition Schedule:

  • April 15, 2025: Festival Announcement and Start of Competition Applications
  • August 14, 2025: Final Submission Date
  • August 28, 2025: Announcement of Finalist Films
  • September 24, 2025: Opening – Student Film Screenings and Discussions
  • September 25, 2025: Film Screenings and Discussions
  • September 26, 2025: Award Ceremony and Festival Closing

Participation Conditions:

  1. Documentaries produced after January 2020 can participate.
  2. Individuals involved in festival organization, pre-selective or selective jury members, and their first-degree relatives cannot apply.
  3. Everyone aged 18 or older at the time of application can participate. For the Student Film category, participants must currently be students in formal education or must have been students within the last three years when the film was made.
  4. Participation in the competition is free.
  5. Participants must specify the category and subcategory they are applying for.
  6. Participants may submit multiple works, either in separate or the same category.
  7. Applications for the films must be submitted by the director or producer. If a film has multiple directors, the applicant must obtain written permission from the others and include it with the application. In such cases, the award will be presented to the applicant. Any disputes arising from award sharing are not the responsibility of the festival committee, secretariat, or jury.
  8. Submissions must be in a technical format suitable for TV broadcast (e.g., mxf, mov, mp4 in full HD or 4K).
  9. The duration of submissions must be:
    1. Documentary Film Competition on Archaeology and Cultural Heritage: Minimum 5 minutes, maximum 100 minutes
    1. Student Film Competition on Archaeology and Cultural Heritage: Maximum 30 minutes
  10. Promotional films made for commercial or tourism purposes will not be considered documentaries.
  11. Episodic or serial documentaries cannot apply.
  12. Films must have English subtitles.
  13. Finalist films are required to submit their SRT files.

Applications: Participants can apply directly at http://www.gordionfilmfest.org or via http://www.filmfreeway.com.

Required Documents for Application:

  1. Director’s biography (in Turkish and English) and photograph (300 dpi).
  2. A summary of the film in Turkish and English for domestic submissions and in English for international submissions.
  3. At least five high-resolution stills from the film.
  4. The film’s poster (300 dpi) (if unavailable, it can be uploaded after preliminary selection).
  5. A trailer of the film lasting no more than one minute.
  6. Additional documentation/information about the director or film may be requested by the festival secretariat if deemed necessary.
  7. Submitted documents are not returned and will be archived by the festival.

Evaluation: Films that fail to meet the criteria will not be evaluated by the pre-selective jury.

  1. Pre-jury and selective jury members are determined by the Festival Committee and Festival Secretariat.
  2. The pre-jury and selective jury consist of experts from fields like directing, cinema industry, critique, production, acting, art, academia, and members of cinema-related organizations. Qualified individuals from the Festival Committee may serve as pre-jury or jury members.
  3. The pre-jury will present up to seven documentaries per category that meet criteria and pass the evaluation to the selective jury. The selective jury will determine the winners among the finalists in each category.
  4. Decisions by the pre-jury and selective jury are final.
  5. Results of the preliminary evaluation will be published on the festival website http://www.gordionfilmfest.org. They will also be communicated directly via email and phone to the owners of the selected works.
  6. Films that pass the preliminary round and become finalists cannot withdraw from the competition.

Results Announcement:

  • Winning films will be announced at the award ceremony on Saturday, September 26, 2025.
  • Finalists must attend the award ceremony. If unable to attend, a representative from the production team must be sent.

Awards: • Winner of the Documentary Film Competition on Archaeology and Cultural Heritage:

  • Prize of 60,000 TL and Trophy • Winner of the Student Film Competition on Archaeology and Cultural Heritage:
  • Prize of 30,000 TL and Trophy • Organizations contributing to the festival may award special prizes if requested. • Cash prizes will be disbursed by the Gordion Foundation within three months of the festival, after submission of required documents and subject to legal deductions.

General Conditions:

  1. Participants are responsible for cargo, customs, freight, and insurance costs arising from their participation.
  2. The stated prizes will be transferred by the Gordion Foundation to personal bank accounts/IBANs specified in writing by the award recipients. If recipients fail to provide their bank account/IBAN information or required documents, the prize amount will expire after one year from the announcement date, and no claims can be made.
  3. Participation implies acceptance of all conditions and regulations outlined in this document. Any matters not covered in this regulation will be determined by the Festival Committee, which reserves the right to amend any provisions stated herein.

Copyright (Usage) Rights:

  1. Films will be presented to audiences and the jury in venues and schedules deemed appropriate by the festival committee.
  2. No additional permissions will be sought from producers for screenings during the festival.
  3. During screenings, film owners cannot suggest venue or schedule changes to the festival management or venue staff.
  4. All information provided in the application form is binding on the signatory. Legal responsibility for any issues arising from these details lies with the signatory.
  5. Responsibility for any copyright infringement claims arising from the use of non-original text, images, music, etc., within the submitted works rests with the applicant.
  6. No participation or screening fees will be paid for the submitted films.
  7. Portions of award-winning and screened films may be used in promotional materials or trailers for the festival.