I - GENERAL PROVISIONS

The 3rd International Film Festival "Antares", dedicated to the Working Person, will be held in Moscow from September 12 to September 25, 2026.

Thematic Core and Selection Criteria: The Festival's program includes films and screenplays where the theme of labor is a central dramatic element, not a background circumstance. Special attention is paid to projects in which the protagonist's professional activity serves as the basis for revealing their character, internal conflicts, aspirations, and achievements. The Festival's focus is on stories about representatives of various professions (including workers, engineers, teachers, medical professionals, farmers, and many others) whose daily labor is an act of creation. Priority is given to works where labor appears as a calling and destiny, and the workplace — be it a factory floor, a school classroom, an operating room, or a scientific laboratory — becomes a space for personal transformation, overcoming, triumph, or drama.

Goals and Objectives: The Film Festival is held to develop national cinema, create a unique platform for comprehending the image of the Working Person in contemporary film art, as well as to popularize professions and enhance their prestige, develop international cultural exchange, and strengthen cooperation among filmmakers worldwide.

The Festival is addressed to a wide audience — from recognized film professionals to the broadest public interested in relevant social themes and inspiring stories about people who create the reality around us.

Screening the best international films focused on the theme of labor within the Festival is intended to enrich national filmmakers, providing a new impetus for creating high-quality films about professions in Russia. Familiarity with advanced creative and technical solutions presented within the festival program will contribute to the development of new approaches and allow the creation of Russian films on this topic that meet high world standards.

All rights to the films and screenplays presented at the Film Festival, including intellectual property, remain with their rights holders. Submitting an application means granting the Festival Organizing Committee a limited, non-exclusive license to demonstrate the work within the Festival's programs and its non-commercial events in accordance with these Regulations.

Organizers: The Festival is initiated by the "Safety and Quality" Association and is held annually with the assistance of a consortium of state, commercial, and industry structures. The festival operator is "Open Communication Group" LLC.

 

II - FESTIVAL PROGRAM

COMPETITION PROGRAM OF THE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

• • Feature films (duration up to 120 minutes)
• • Short films (duration up to 20 minutes)
• • Documentary films (duration up to 30 minutes)
• • Animation films (duration up to 20 minutes)
• • Screenplay competition (up to 30 pages) — works dedicated to the theme of labor and professional activity
• • Non-competition screening of films about professions
• • Retrospective screening of films dedicated to heroes of labor

NON-COMPETITION PROGRAMS. ONLINE PROGRAM "ANTARES LIVE":

In 2026, the "Antares" festival launches a special online program so that viewers from all over Russia can become part of our event in real-time. Participation in the online program is optional. By default, films will not participate in the online screening. Screening your work in the online program is carried out only after receiving your direct written consent, which the Organizing Committee will request separately after the official selection of the film into the competition program.

 

Why should authors participate in "Antares LIVE"?

By giving consent for the online screening, you not only expand the audience for your film but also get the opportunity to compete for additional awards:

• • Audience Choice Award: All films in the online program become participants in a special online voting. Viewers from Russia will be able to evaluate your work, and based on their votes, "Audience Choice Awards" will be presented in each of the festival's competitions.
• • Festival Certificate: Based on the voting results, the best films of the online program will also receive special festival certificates, which will be additional recognition of your work by a wide audience.

This is a unique chance to receive direct feedback from the festival's multi-thousand audience and be recognized with a special award.

 

Format and Safety of Screening in "Antares LIVE":

• • Competition films (in agreement with rights holders) will be streamed in a closed online hall on the festival's official website www.antares.film at the same time the film is shown in the main cinema hall. Thus, viewers in the hall and online will see the premiere simultaneously.
• • The online screening is available exclusively within the territory of the Russian Federation using geoblocking technologies.
• • The broadcast is conducted through a secure video service using digital protection measures to prevent unauthorized saving and distribution of content.

 

III - PARTICIPATION CONDITIONS

All competition films without exception must have been completed after January 1, 2024. For competition programs, priority is given to films that have not had prior public screenings (including on online platforms) in the territory of the Russian Federation. The production date is determined by the copyright indicated in the film or video copy.

Submission Dates — from January 1, 2026, to July 31, 2026 (for films produced in 2025, submission of a rough cut for selection is possible).

Participation in the festival's competition programs involves payment of a non-refundable entry fee, the amount of which depends on the category and submission timing according to the tariffs.

• • Payment of the entry fee is a mandatory condition for considering the application after the specified deadlines.
• • The entry fee is non-refundable under any circumstances.

 

IV - SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

Procedure for submitting and formatting an application

 

1. Ways to submit an application:

Applications for selection are accepted in the following ways:

• By filling out the electronic form on the festival's official website: www.antares.film
• Through specialized online platforms for filmmakers: "Our Festivals", FilmFreeway, Festhome, as well as others, the list of which is published on the festival's website.

 

2. Set of mandatory materials for films:

For consideration by the selection committee, the application must include a complete set of documents:

• Film (only digital copies of films) in DCP (Digital Cinema Package) format or files in QuickTime containers (with Apple ProRes 422 HQ codec or higher) or MP4 (with H.264 codec)
• Participant form, filled out according to the established form. The form must contain the following information: film title, director, country and year of production, and other details.

• Subtitles: All films must be provided with subtitles in Russian or English. The subtitle file (in .srt, .stl, or .vtt format) must be attached to the application.

• Poster for the film.

• Teaser (promotional video) of the film (up to 60 seconds).

 

3. Confirmation of application:

Participants who submitted an application through platforms can track its receipt status in their personal account on the respective platform.

When submitting through the form on the film festival website, confirmation is sent to the specified email address.

 

V - FESTIVAL JURY

Films and screenplays selected for each of the competitions are evaluated by a jury formed from leading Russian and foreign film industry professionals (directors, producers, cinematographers, screenwriters), as well as film critics and scholars.

For a comprehensive assessment of artistic merits and the authenticity of the professional theme, recognized experts in relevant fields may also be invited to the jury: representatives of professional unions, labor veterans, holders of honorary titles in their professions, as well as outstanding scientists and engineers.

The number of jury members for each competition is at least 3 (three) people.

The composition of the jury for all competition programs changes annually. The jury may not include persons involved in the creation or commercial distribution of films submitted for the competition. All jury members undertake to refrain from public statements regarding competition films (namely mentions and direct links to award-winning films, publication in open sources of indications and/or reviews of winning films or other references containing indications of competition winners) until the official award ceremony and announcement of winners.

All decisions of the jury are final and not subject to discussion.

 

VI - FESTIVAL PROGRAM

The official competition program of the film festival (Shortlist), including the screening schedule and list of films, is published on the website www.antares.film 30 days before the start of the festival.

The non-competition program of the film festival is also published on the festival's website www.antares.film.

For participants, guests, and partners of the festival, an electronic catalog with annotations of films and creative biographies of authors is published.

 

VII - PRIZES AND AWARDS

 

AWARDED WITH THE BRONZE STATUETTE "ANTARES":

• • Best film of the festival by jury decision - Grand Prix of the "Antares" Film Festival
• • Best Feature Film
• • Best Short Film
• • Best Documentary Film
• • Best Animation Film
• • Best Screenplay of the Screenplay Competition

 

 

AWARDED WITH DIPLOMAS OF THE "ANTARES" FILM FESTIVAL

In the Feature Film Competition:

• • Best Portrayal of a Profession in the Feature Film Competition
• • Best Screenplay of a Feature Film
• • Best Director of a Feature Film
• • Best Cinematography of a Feature Film
• • Best Actor in a Feature Film
• • Best Actress in a Feature Film
• • Best Song / Soundtrack / Music of a Feature Film
• • Audience Choice Award in the Feature Film Competition

 

In the Short Film Competition:

• • Best Portrayal of a Profession in the Short Film Competition
• • Best Screenplay of a Short Film
• • Best Director of a Short Film
• • Best Cinematography of a Short Film
• • Best Actor in a Short Film
• • Best Actress in a Short Film
• • Best Song / Soundtrack in a Short Film
• • Audience Choice Award in the Short Film Competition

 

In the Documentary Film Competition:

• • Best Portrayal of a Profession in the Documentary Film Competition
• • Best Screenplay of a Documentary Film
• • Best Director of a Documentary Film
• • Best Cinematography of a Documentary Film
• • Best Song / Soundtrack in a Documentary Film
• • Audience Choice Award in the Documentary Film Competition

 

In the Animation Film Competition:

• • Best Portrayal of a Profession in the Animation Film Competition
• • Best Screenplay of an Animation Film
• • Best Director of an Animation Film
• • Best Visual Realization of an Animation Film
• • Best Music / Soundtrack in an Animation Film
• • Audience Choice Award in the Animation Film Competition

 

In the Screenplay Competition:

• • Best Screenplay about a Profession
• • Best Screenplay about a Hero of Labor
• • Best Dialogue in a Screenplay
• • Best Original Plot
• • Special Diploma for Relevance of the Theme

  

 

VIII - TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES

Provision of Materials for Screening:

Participants whose films have been selected for participation in competition and non-competition programs are required to provide the Festival Organizing Committee with materials for screening in high quality by August 15, 2026. Transfer of materials is carried out exclusively through a secure online file-sharing platform, the link to which will be provided to selected participants. In case of failure to provide the film by the specified deadline, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to exclude the work from the Festival program.

Detailed technical requirements, including resolution, bitrate, and audio tracks, will be sent to each selected participant individually along with the official invitation.

Subtitles: Providing a subtitle file in English or Russian is a mandatory condition for including the film in the screening program.

The participant bears full responsibility for the technical quality and functionality of the provided materials for selection and screening. The Organizing Committee has the right to remove a film from the competition if the provided copy does not meet the stated technical requirements or has defects that prevent high-quality public screening.

 

IX - PROMOTION OF FILMS

Participants of the Film Festival gratuitously grant the Organizing Committee the right to use fragments of their films (up to 10% of the duration, but not more than 3 minutes), as well as stills, photographs, trailers, and textual materials for covering the Festival in the media (TV, internet, print) and in any official printed materials and online publications of the Festival.

 

X - ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES INVITATION TO THE FESTIVAL:

Directors of films included in the program will be invited to the Festival. If the director cannot attend the Festival, they may (in agreement with the festival organizing committee) transfer their invitation to another member of the film crew. The Festival provides representatives of competition films with an invitation for obtaining a visa to the Russian Federation or arranging a business trip.

The Festival reserves the right to invite honorary guests, participants of non-competition screenings and other programs, master class leaders, heroes of films presented at the festival, media representatives, and various cultural organizations.

 

XI - FORCE MAJEURE CIRCUMSTANCES:

The Festival Organizing Committee reserves the right to make changes to the dates, format (including transition to fully or partially online screenings), and program of the Festival in the event of force majeure circumstances, including but not limited to: orders from state authorities, threats to public health, natural disasters, technical failures of a global nature, and other situations beyond the control of the Organizing Committee. In such cases, entry fees are carried over to the following year.

 

XII - CONFIRMATION OF AGREEMENT WITH TERMS:

By submitting an electronic application to participate in the "Antares" festival, you confirm that you are the rights holder of the film or its authorized representative and agree to all the above points of these Regulations in full.

 

See you at the "Antares" festival!