CALL FOR SUBMISSION - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

ABOUT

Every year, goEast transforms state capital Wiesbaden into one of the most important international centres for Central and Eastern European cinema. Around 110 feature fiction films, documentaries, shorts and VR-Works are screened to appeal to both professional visitors and local cinema audiences alike. As a project of DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, goEast has dedicated itself to the task of bringing the diversity and richness of Central and Eastern European cinema into “the heart of the West” and reinforcing these films’ place in public consciousness. In spite of critical success at international festivals, Central and Eastern European films are still underrepresented in regular cinemas. goEast sees itself as a bridge-builder on many levels. Hand-picked programmes connect the various topics: from current cinematic positions to historical rarities, from experimental to art-house and mainstream, all made in Central and Eastern Europe. The festival sees its work always within the context of refined debates on film aesthetics, socio-political and film-theoretical topics. goEast has the function of a dialogue forum between East and West, but also as a protagonist and disseminator for creative interaction, all of which can be seen in panels and workshops, lectures and film discussions and in the cooperation with other cultural and societal institutions. Particularly the up-and-coming generation within the industry shall profit from goEast. Numerous possibilities for networking, exchange and training are offered within the scope of the EAST-WEST TALENT LAB and other programms for young talents.  

Awards & Prizes  

MAIN COMPETITION  

> Golden Lily for Best Film  

> Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director  

> goEast Award for Best Documentary Film  

> International Film Critic’s Awards (FIPRESCI-Prize) for fiction feature AND documentary films 

> goEast Audience Award 

> ZDF/3Sat acquisition offer 

Regulations goEast 2026 – MAIN COMPETITION  

  1. goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film aims at increasing the international audience’s awareness for film-cultural developments in Central and Eastern Europe, at facilitating international contacts between filmmakers and supporting independent filmmaking in Central and Eastern Europe, raising international dialogue, understanding and cultural integration. goEast is organized by DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum (Schaumainkai 41, 60596 Frankfurt).
  2. The 26th goEast Film Festival will take place in Wiesbaden, Germany, from April 21–27, 2026. The festival presents current film productions – feature films, documentaries  as well as hybrid formats – from countries in Central and Eastern Europe (*eligible countries see list below) as well as co-productions with decisive contributions from those countries. The films will be shown in competition, out of competition and in special programmes.
  3. Films must meet the following criteria for entering the competition:
    * Formats: 35mm, DCP, minimum length of 60 minutes. Exceptions require an authorization of the festival.
    * Production year: 2025 or 2026.
    * No cinematic release or TV-broadcasting in Germany before the time of the festival.
    * The filmmaker has to have citizenship of one of the eligible countries in Central or Eastern Europe (see list below) and/or must be a permanent resident of one of these countries. 
  4. A selection committee chooses films for competition. The selection process will not be public and there is no legal right to enter the competition.
  5. The management of the festival appoints an independent international jury. The jury will decide about awards and prices. The jury’s decision is final, and the jury does not need to justify their decisions.
    The awards: Golden Lily for Best Film (10,000 Euro), Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director (7,500 Euro), goEast Award for Best Documentary Film (1,000 Euro), goEast Audience Award (tba). The award money for the Golden Lily Award, will be paid out to the film producer. In case more than one co-producer from Central or Eastern Europe (s. list of eligible countries) is attached to the film, the prize money will be split proportionally between the parties. Co-producers from other countries will not receive prize money. The Award of the City of Wiesbaden and the goEast Award for Best Documentary will be paid out to the directors of the film. The prize money will be handed out personally in cash during the festival or will be transferred via bank transfer to the account of the winner within six months after the festival. 
  6. goEast does not charge any submission fees for filmy entry.
  7. If a film is selected for the competition, goEast will invite and cover the full travel and hotel costs for one representative of the film team for the period between the first scheduled screening and the award ceremony. 
  8. Please note that goEast only pays screening fees for films out of competition. Exceptions for films selected in competition will only be made in rare, exceptional cases.
SUBMIT VIA FILMFREEWAY
  1. Once the rights-holders have agreed to participate in the competition, the premiere status of the competing film may not change. In case of a violation in the form of further screenings in Germany, online or a broadcast on national German television before the festival dates, the film will be taken out of the competition and the rightsholder will be asekd to pay 600 Euros in compensation. In case the rights holder withdraws the film after the competition line-up has been announced in the official press release, goEast will charge a fee of 1200 Euros.
  2. Films will only be screened in original language with English subtitles. The festival reserves the right to translate the selected features and documentaries in competition into German. The production of German subtitles is the responsibility of the festival.
  3. The festival confirms that for each film in competition there will be a total of no more than three screenings. Additional screenings, either in the cinema or online, can be agreed upon separately with the rights holders.
  4. The deadline for entering films is December 31, 2025. By then the selection committee must have received a full Film submisson via FilmFreeway. The right holders of selected films are requested to provide a digital version (screener) of the film with English subtitles.
  5. A print of the film is to be sent only after an official invitation has been received. The film print must arrive at least two weeks before the festival starts (April 7th, 2026).
  6. Screening copies are preferably sent digitally. In case the DCP is send on a hard disk or similar medium or the screening print is a 35mm copy,  participants have to cover the costs for transport, insurance and customs, unless negotiated otherwise.
  7. The festival covers the insurance of the film prints while they are on location in Wiesbaden, from their arrival until they are given back to the shipper.
  8. Only the rights holder or his representative can enter a film. With your film’s registration, you confirm to hold the rights and/or have permission to represent the rights holder in the competition of the 26th goEast Film Festival. 
  9. The festival is allowed to archive a digital version of the film and to upload the file to the online media library, which usage is limited to accredited guests only, during the festival week.
  10. For the purposes of festival communication (marketing and press) the submitters provide the festival with texts and images that can be used in the festival catalogue, the festival flyer, the festival website as well as in further advertising activities. Additionally, the festival is allowed to use trailers and excerpts of the films for marketing and press reasons. With the submission of these materials the submitters confirm that they hold the rights to use these materials, and may forward them to third parties, like the goEast film festival.
  11. Entering a film means the acceptance of the festival’s terms & conditions as stated on the website and on FilmFreeway.
  12. The management of the festival is authorized to change the festival’s regulations in special cases.
  13. The festival’s legal domicile is Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
  14. Deadline for submissions is December 31, 2025.

goEast countries: 

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia*, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan 

*goEast strongly condemns Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Films that received funding from any Russian state institution, or from organizations or individuals on the international sanctions list, will not be selected for the goEast competition.