Film Submission – Regulations

To access the German original of this text, please click here.

For our three editing competitions, the Call for Entries for Edimotion 2026 starts 15 April 2026 and is open until 31 May 2026. The online submission form is here. Please read the following regulations and send any questions you may have to info@edimotion.de.

EDITING AWARD FICTION / EDITING AWARD DOCUMENTARY

Only feature-length cinema films may be submitted to these two award categories. The film must have received the majority of its production funding from either German, Austrian or Swiss sources. It must have had a regular theatrical release (not just festivals, cinema tours or one-off cinema screenings) in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, in the period from 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026. In the case of Switzerland, at least one of the three regional cinema releases (Deutschschweiz, Suisse romande, Ticino) must fall within this period. Each film may only be submitted once.

A complete submission includes:
1. Filled-in submission form. The details of the editors involved must correspond to the credits in the film. If the main editing credit names two or more equally responsible editors, they will be nominated on an equal basis. Secondary editing credits such as „rough cut“, „additional editing“, „associate editor“, etc., will not be nominated. Please tick the affirmative box for "Hybride Form", if the film has a mix of both documentary and fictional elements.
2. A short vita and filmography of the editor or editors.
3. A screening link as online stream (including valid access until 20 October 2026). Watermarks are to be avoided if possible or kept very discreet. German subtitles are required for foreign language passages. English subtitles may be submitted if a version with German subtitles can be guaranteed should the film be selected for festival participation.

Important Note: A submission in our two feature-length categories is free of charge.

FÖRDERPREIS SCHNITT (YOUNG TALENT EDITING AWARD)

This award category is for short films that do not exceed 20 minutes in length and were produced no longer than two years ago. Only films by editors living and working in Germany, Austria or Switzerland may be submitted. The film must be completed at the time of submission and a screening copy must be available as DCP or Blu-ray. At the time of submission, the editors involved may not be older than 35 years, or have edited more than one feature-length film (70 min. or longer). Each film may only be submitted once. Editors who have already won the „Förderpreis Schnitt“ in the past, are not eligible for submission.

A complete submission includes:
1. Filled-in submission form. The details of the editors involved must correspond to the credits in the film. If the main editing credit names two or more equally responsible editors, they will be nominated on an equal basis. Secondary editing credits such as „rough cut“, „additional editing“, „associate editor“, etc., will not be nominated.
2. A short vita and filmography showing the previous career as an editor (including their birth year, as well as the duration of each film).
3. A screening link as online stream (including valid access until 20 October 2026). Watermarks are to be avoided if possible or kept very discreet. German subtitles are required for foreign language passages. English subtitles may be submitted if a version with German subtitles can be guaranteed should the film be selected for festival participation.

Submissions for the „Förderpreis Schnitt“ are also possible via FilmFreeway. In this case, all relevant information must be filled out & uploaded there.

Important Note: The submission fee for the „Förderpreis Schnitt“ is 8 Euros and must be received no later than 15 June 2025 at the following account:
Account holder: tricollage gUG // IBAN: DE18 3705 0198 1933 6204 01 // Transfer reference: Foerderpreis Schnitt *title of film*.

NOMINATION PROCEDURE

The organisers and curators of Edimotion review all entries submitted in the three award categories and select approx. 15-20 films per category for pre-nomination. These are reviewed by specially appointed pre-nomination juries, each consisting of five experienced editors for fiction films and five for documentaries, as well as the respective category curator at Edimotion. Both pre-nomination juries will jointly review the pre-selected short films. The juries will select five nominated films per category. Nominated editors will be informed by us directly after the jury meeting; the remaining submissions will receive a rejection email in a timely manner (around mid-August). During the festival, the nominated films will be screened to the audience as well as to the main juries. The three winners will be presented at the award ceremony on 19 October 2026. All nominated editors will be accredited for the festival and invited to Cologne for the screening of their films and the award ceremony.