XXI FILM FESTIVAL KAADER 2026 – PARTICIPATION TERMS AND CONDITIONS
These terms apply to the XXI Film Festival Kaader 2026.
1. General Provisions
1.1. XXI Film Festival Kaader 2026 (hereinafter the “Festival”) will take place in Rapla in October 2026 and its central event is a 24-hour filmmaking competition.
1.2. The official filming period of the competition is from 17 October 2026 at 12:00 to 18 October 2026 at 12:00.
1.3. Up to 50 film teams may participate in the Festival.
1.4. Participating teams will be selected by the organiser based on submitted motivation videos and/or motivation letters.
1.5. Teams may participate remotely, and being physically present in Rapla during the filmmaking period is not mandatory.
2. Participation Fee and Festival Passes
2.1. The participation fee is €160 per team.
2.2. The participation fee includes 7 Festival passes, valid for Festival events held between 17 and 25 October 2026, including the Festival afterparty.
2.3. If a team has more than seven members who wish to attend Festival events in Rapla, additional participants must purchase regular tickets according to the applicable ticket prices for each event.
3. Theme and Film Category
3.1. The film’s theme and genre may be freely chosen by the participating team unless otherwise announced by the organiser before the start of the competition.
3.2. To ensure equal starting conditions, the organiser will provide all participating teams with an additional requirement or element at the start of the competition, which must be incorporated into every competition film.
3.3. The exact form of the additional requirement and the rules regarding its implementation will be announced at the start of the competition.
4. Filmmaking Rules
4.1. All footage created specifically for the competition film must be filmed between 17 October 2026 at 12:00 and 18 October 2026 at 12:00.
4.2. Filming may take place anywhere in Estonia and does not have to take place in Rapla.
4.3. Preparatory work is permitted before the official filming period, including:
developing the screenplay and film concept;
selecting actors and crew members;
planning filming locations;
preparing props, costumes and technical equipment;
carrying out other preparations necessary for the production of the film.
4.4. All footage intended specifically for the competition film must be created during the official 24-hour filming period, unless the organiser has explicitly permitted the use of specific pre-existing material.
4.5. The maximum duration of the film is 5 minutes.
4.6. End credits may be up to an additional 30 seconds in length.
4.7. Technical requirements for the submitted film:
file format: MP4;
maximum submission resolution: 1920 × 1080 px;
a higher-resolution original file may also be submitted separately if desired.
4.8. There are no restrictions regarding the language of the film.
4.9. All elements used in the film, including music, photographs, video footage, graphics, text and other creative material, must be used lawfully and in accordance with copyright and other applicable laws.
5. Submission of Films
5.1. Completed films must be submitted through the platform specified by the organiser no later than 18 October 2026 at 12:00.
5.2. Information about the upload platform, technical instructions and other submission requirements will be provided to participants before the start of the competition.
5.3. The organiser reserves the right to exclude films submitted after the deadline from the competition programme.
5.4. The participating team is responsible for ensuring that the submitted file is complete, accessible and compliant with the technical requirements set out in these terms.
6. Screenings and Judging
6.1. All films submitted in accordance with these terms will be evaluated by the Festival jury.
6.2. Public screenings of the Festival films will begin on 20 October 2026 at Rapla Cinema. The detailed screening schedule will be published separately.
6.3. The jury will select the 10 best films, which will advance to the Festival final.
6.4. The final will take place on 24 October 2026 at Okta Centrum in Rapla.
6.5. The names of the films that have reached the final and their screening order will only be revealed during the final event.
6.6. The decisions of the jury are final.
7. Awards
7.1. The Festival’s main award is the Grand Prix.
7.2. The following main award categories will also be presented:
Best Visuals;
Best Actor;
Best Actress;
Audience Favourite;
Grand Prix.
7.3. The jury and the organiser reserve the right to present additional special awards.
7.4. The organiser reserves the right to modify or supplement the award categories before the Festival and to announce further details regarding the awards separately.
8. Content Restrictions
8.1. Films must not contain unlawful content.
8.2. Pornographic or otherwise sexually explicit content is prohibited. A zero-tolerance policy applies to any sexual content, sexualisation or sexual references involving minors.
8.3. Content whose primary purpose is to:
incite hatred or violence;
discriminate against individuals or groups;
promote racism or other hateful ideologies;
glorify unjustified violence;
depict extremely graphic violence without a justified artistic or narrative purpose;
promote unlawful activities;
provide instructions or encouragement for dangerous or unlawful activities
is not permitted.
8.4. The organiser reserves the right to reject or remove any film that does not comply with these terms from the competition, screening programme or other Festival activities.
9. Rights and Obligations of Participants
9.1. By submitting a film, the participating team confirms that the film complies with these participation terms and with applicable laws.
9.2. The team is responsible for ensuring that it holds all necessary rights and permissions for any material used in the film and, where applicable, permission to use the image and performance of persons appearing in the film.
9.3. By submitting a film, the participating team grants the organiser a free, non-exclusive right to:
screen the film during the Festival;
show the film at Festival-related events;
use the film for the promotion and marketing of Film Festival Kaader;
publish the film on the Festival’s website and social media channels;
use the film for the presentation and preservation of the Festival’s history and archive.
9.4. The rights granted under the previous clause do not transfer ownership of the film or copyright from the film’s authors and do not restrict the authors from using the film elsewhere.
9.5. Teams may participate in the Festival and submit their film without being physically present in Rapla.
10. Rights of the Organiser
10.1. The organiser reserves the right, where reasonably necessary, to make changes to the Festival programme, schedule, venues or technical arrangements.
10.2. The organiser reserves the right to clarify or amend these terms before the start of the filmmaking competition. Registered participants will be informed of material changes by email.
10.3. The organiser reserves the right to remove a team or film from the competition if it breaches these terms, endangers other persons or significantly disrupts the organisation of the Festival.
11. Final Provisions
11.1. By registering for the filmmaking competition and paying the participation fee, the team confirms that it has read, understood and agrees to comply with these participation terms.
11.2. Before the start of the competition, the organiser will provide participants with detailed information regarding film submission, the additional competition requirement and other relevant organisational information.
11.3. The organiser of the Festival is MTÜ Filmipidu.
Contact: info@filmifestivalkaader.ee
