CALL FOR ENTRIES – PaderPorn

With the deadline for our short film competition passed, we want to thank everyone who has submitted! We’re honoured to have received and watched wonderful films from 15 different countries!

For our second festival edition, which includes our first short film competition, we’re all about FANTASIES:

The human ability to create an inner world through dreams and imaginations is often hampered by strict social norms and internalized taboos. But one place where sexual fantasy can be freely unfolded is the sphere of pornography. The processes of producing and experiencing acts, sensations and emotions that can’t be expressed otherwise can be freeing and even lead to a strong sense of self-knowledge, empathy and empowerment. At the same time, pornography is a complex hub where dreams and realities converge in fascinating and often messy ways. It is both the representation of fantasies by a creative team as well as their openly shared realization by flesh-and-blood performers. On the level of fantasy, it also provides ideal images which can have visceral effects on viewers who might struggle with their own fantasy lives, ideals and self-perceptions. There’s an exciting but always risky element of chaos which is related to dreaming – the ‘primal mass’ of fantasy that cannot be controlled – whereas conscious fantasies can choose to be either obsessive or disciplined, real or unreal, joyous or frustrating, and everything in between. Whether you depict your own or external sexual fantasies, try out new methods of representation, use adventurous blends of fact and fiction – we’re open to anything which moves us and opens up new perspectives on personal and mutual fantasy worlds.

Submission Process

You can submit your film or performance via paderporn.filmfestival@gmail.com until February 20, 2023.

Films can be entered to the following selection categories:

Short film (Competition)
Submit you short film here to participate in our first short film competition. The length of each individual short cannot be over 35 minutes. The films submitted to this category should be produced after December 31, 2020. Filmmakers/Artists of any nationality can submit films.

Feature film
The length of each individual film cannot be less than 35 minutes. The films submitted to this category should be produced after December 31, 2020. Filmmakers/Artists of any nationality can submit films.

Installations and Performances
Do you want to present your artwork during this festival? We welcome submissions of installations and performances from artists/artist collectives of any nationality in areas such as arts, music, design, new media, theatre etc. Your submission should include: a short abstract with a description or a viewing link. Documentation such as images, sketches, drafts, books, videos, etc. are welcome. If possible, please add a technical requirement description to the PDF document.

Historical features and shorts (up to 1998)
The length for the historical feature cannot be less than 35 minutes. The length for the historical short cannot be over 35 minutes. Films submitted to this category should have a production date not later than December 31, 1998. Filmmakers/Artists of any nationality can submit films.

The application is free of charge. At the same time, the PaderPorn Filmfestival cannot be charged with a screening fee. A selection committee will make a selection among the submitted films/works for the festival.

Regulations:

In general, our current shorts competition is open to any films which meet the criteria described above and which are produced after December 31, 2020. If your intended submission precedes this date, please contact us beforehand.
The entries must not be available on public online-platforms.
Films (written or spoken) produced in a language other than English must have English subtitles.
Films can be entered in all common formats (.mp4, H.264, ProRes, etc.). DCPs cannot be accepted until further notice.
If there is a preferred physical copy of your films and we are equipped to screen them (8mm/16mm/35mm/analogue video formats), we would love to make it happen! In this case, we will discuss the details of shipments, handling and so forth if your film gets selected for a screening. If there is no digital viewing copy available, please contact us before submission.
By submitting your films, you guarantee that all participants are of legal age and that any performance recorded was completely consensual. Also, any use of intellectual property in your films as well as the agreement of participants to public screening are to be cleared by you beforehand. You further declare that no rights of third parties are infringed and that any potential legal claims or charges connected to the film/work itself are handled by you.
If selected for the competition, you automatically transfer the rights to screen your film at the festival and at our future best of programs for the year 2023. We are also allowed to use images and short instances of the video (not longer than 10 seconds) in new materials which are strictly used to promote the festival and the competition. These materials can be used on the website and social media accounts of the festival and other appropriate virtual or actual places. Your data will only be stored for as long as it is required for the above-mentioned purpose and will not be passed on to third parties.
By submitting your films/works, you allow us to process the data you have provided for the purpose of organizing and executing our festival. This consent is the legal basis for the EU General Data Protection Regulation – GDPR/DSGVO). Your data will only be stored for as long it is required for the above purpose and will not be disclosed to third parties.
The submitting parties will be contacted until mid-February 2023. A selected film may not be withdrawn from the respective competition. If entries receive distribution or aditional rights holders after selection, the PaderPorn Filmfestival agrees to contact this group or person for consent to participate in the competition.