Rules and Regulations

Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS is organized by “Virtuālā studija URGA” and will take place from April 2 to April 8, 2027, in Riga, Latvia. By submitting a film to the Festival, the applicant agrees to the Rules and Regulations stated below.

1. General regulations

1.1. The submitted film must be completed on or after January 1, 2025.

1.2. The Festival has no premiere requirements. World, International, Baltic, and other premiere statuses are welcome but will not be considered an advantage in the selection process.

1.3. The submission must be made via FilmFreeway by December 1, 2026. Submission fees are non-refundable.

1.4. By submitting a film, the applicant:
- agrees that it may be screened during the Festival without receiving a screening fee;
- confirms that they hold all necessary rights and permissions required to submit the film and authorize its screening;
- confirms that they will be able to deliver all necessary materials as stated in these Rules and Regulations and in further communication with the Festival team.

1.5. A film may be submitted to multiple competition categories and will be evaluated separately in each category. The Festival reserves the right to reassign a submitted film to a different category if appropriate.

2. Category-specific regulations

2.1. International Short Film Competition
Films of all genres with runtimes of up to 30 minutes.

2.2. Baltic Short Film Competition
Films of all genres with runtimes of up to 30 minutes, made by directors who are citizens or long-term residents of Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia, or produced by production companies based in Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia.

2.3. International Mid-Length Film Competition
Films of all genres with runtimes of 30–60 minutes.

2.4. International Youth and Children's Short Film Competition
Films of all genres with runtimes of up to 30 minutes, with a specific focus on children, teenagers and young audiences. The competition will be judged by the attending audience on-site, and the awards will be based on a popular vote.

2.5. International Queer Short Film Competition
Films of all genres with runtimes of up to 30 minutes, that engage with LGBTQ+ themes, queer perspectives, identities, communities, histories or aesthetics. The competition is open to films made by directors who are citizens or long-term residents of Eastern and Central Europe, or by production companies based in these countries. The competition will be judged by a separate “Pure Queer” Jury. The following countries are eligible: Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Greece, Albania, Moldova, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

3. Confirmation of selection

3.1. The Festival will inform applicants about the selection of their film by sending an e-mail to the address provided in the submission form and by changing the status of the submission on FilmFreeway. The applicant is expected to reply in a timely manner and confirm participation by the deadline indicated by the Festival. Upon confirmation of selection, the applicant agrees to:
- authorize the screening of the film within the Festival without receiving a screening fee;
- authorize the use of the film’s promotional materials for communication and marketing activities related to the Festival;
- provide all necessary information, screening materials and promotional materials by the deadline indicated by the Festival team.

3.2. If a selected film has to be withdrawn from the Festival, the applicant must inform the Festival in writing within ten (10) days after the selection e-mail has been sent.

3.3. After confirmation of participation, the selected film may not be withdrawn from the Festival programme except in exceptional circumstances and with written approval from the Festival. The Festival reserves the right to claim compensation for direct costs already incurred due to a late withdrawal.

3.4. If the applicant does not provide the required materials by the deadline indicated by the Festival or agreed with the Festival team, the Festival reserves the right to withdraw the film from the programme.

3.5. The Festival reserves the right to remove a selected film from the programme if it is found to be unsuitable for screening due to legal, technical, ethical or other significant concerns.

4. Participation on-site

4.1. The Festival may invite a representative of a selected film to participate in the Festival on-site.

4.2. In case of an invitation, the Festival may offer accommodation in one room for a maximum of two nights, as well as grant a full Festival accreditation to the participant.

4.3. The participant is responsible for covering any other related expenses, including travel, insurance, local transportation, meals and other personal expenses. The Festival will not reimburse any additional expenses made by the participant.

4.4. The participant may extend their accommodation for a longer period, if necessary, by covering the additional expenses themselves.

4.5. The participant may request up to two (2) additional accreditations, as well as additional invitations to the screening of the film, if necessary. Each request must be submitted to the Festival team and will be considered individually. The Festival does not offer or cover additional accommodation.

4.6. Film delegates representing selected films must be confirmed as soon as possible, and no later than the deadline indicated by the Festival. The Festival reserves the right not to cover any of the complimentary aspects listed above in case of a late response from the participant.

4.7. By attending the Festival on-site, participants agree to follow the Festival’s Code of Conduct, available on the Festival website: https://2annas.lv/en/festival/code-of-conduct. Any misconduct may result in appropriate action by the Festival, including withdrawal of accreditation or removal from Festival events.

4.8. On-site participants are expected to take part in the Q&A session of the screening in which their selected film is included. All Q&A sessions will be held in English unless otherwise agreed with the Festival.

5. Awards and prizes

5.1. Selected films will be judged by international juries, and the award decisions will be made collectively by the respective juries. The only exceptions to this rule are the decisions regarding the winners for the Children’s Audience Award, Youth Audience Award and Emerging Critics’ Choice Award.

5.2. The awards will be presented during the Festival’s award ceremony, which will be livestreamed online.

5.3. On-site film delegates are expected to attend the award ceremony. If a film with an on-site representative receives an award, the prize will be handed over to the on-site delegate.

5.4. If a film without an on-site representative receives an award, the prize will be delivered via courier, postal service or any other appropriate means agreed between the Festival and the film representative.

5.5. If a film without an on-site representative receives an award, the representative of the film may be contacted before the ceremony and asked to provide a short video greeting by the director or another representative of the film, to be displayed during the ceremony.

6. Other

6.1. The Festival reserves the right to make changes to the programme, screening schedule, venues, format or dates if necessary.

6.2. The Festival will not be held responsible for changes, postponements or cancellations caused by circumstances beyond its control, including but not limited to force majeure, technical issues, safety concerns, public restrictions, venue-related issues or other unforeseen circumstances.

6.3. By submitting a film, the applicant agrees that the Festival may process the submitted contact details and film-related information for the purposes of evaluating submissions, communicating with applicants, preparing the Festival programme, promoting selected films, organizing Festival activities and maintaining Festival records. The Festival will not share personal contact information with third parties except when necessary for Festival-related organizational purposes or when required by law.

6.4. The Festival reserves the right to interpret or change these Rules and Regulations and to make decisions on any matters not specifically covered in this document.

6.5. In case of questions regarding these Rules and Regulations, applicants may contact the Festival team at info@2annas.lv.