SUBMISSION
2025 Regulations
These regulations are only valid for La Semaine de la Critique’s selection.
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The final deadline for short and feature films registration is March 14, 2025.
Selections of the Official Selection (Competition, Out of competition, Un Certain Regard) Directors’ Fortnight and ACID are managed by distinct entities.
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Article 1 - Dates
The 64th edition of La Semaine de la Critique, organized by the French Union of Film Critics, will be held in Cannes, from May 14 to 22, 2025 during Cannes Film Festival.
Article 2 - Eligibility
To be eligible for La Semaine de la Critique, the film must comply with the following requirements:
For feature films :
- Must be the director’s first or second feature film.
- First feature: a first cinematic film (fiction, documentary or animation) with a duration over 59' from a director who has never directed a full-length film before (over 59'), theatrically released, released on a platform or selected in an international festival.
- Second feature: a cinematic film (fiction, documentary or animation) with a duration over 59' from a director who has previously only directed one full-length film (over 59'), theatrically released, released on a platform or selected in an international festival.
- Must have been completed within the 12 months prior to the date of the Festival (between May 2024 and Cannes 2025).
- For foreign feature films: must not have participated in any festival outside its country of origin (whether it is in competition or out of competition) or film event (excluding film markets).
- For French feature films : must not have participated in any festivals (in or out of competition) or film event (excluding film markets) anywhere in the world, including France.
- Must not have been shown on the Internet or broadcasted on TV, or commercially released.
For short films:
- Must have been completed within the 12 months prior to the date of the Festival (between May 2024 and Cannes 2025).
- For foreign short films: must not have participated in any festival outside its country of origin (whether it is in competition or out of competition) or film event (excluding film markets).
- For French short films: must not have participated in any festivals (in or out of competition) or film event (excluding film markets) anywhere in the world, including France.
- Must not have been shown on the Internet or broadcasted on TV, or commercially released.
All short films are eligible, with no restrictions based on the number of short films previously made.
Article 3 - Selection committees
Films will be chosen by two selection committees: a short film committee supervised by a short film Coordinator, and a committee for Feature Films. Both committees are under the responsibility of the Artistic Director. The Artistic Director and the committees’ members are all journalists and film critics from the French Union of Film Critics, which has appointed them.
Article 4 - Entry fee
An entry fee applies for short films and feature films submissions. The films won’t be considered until the entry fee has been paid. Entry fees are not refundable. The payment is made through secured online payment upon registration (with cards such as Visa, Mastercard or any debit cards). American Express is not accepted.
Article 5 - Submission confirmation
Film registrations will be considered as confirmed when the online submission is done on our website and the entry fee is paid. La Semaine de la Critique reserves the right to refuse any registration that hasn’t followed all the submission steps. Films or links sent without any registration will be refused.
Article 6 - Submission deadlines
Feature films submissions:
• The deadline for the submission and reception of feature films is March 14 2025.
Short films submissions:
• The deadline for the submission and uploading of short films is March 14 2025. Please note that the uploading will have to be proceeded during the submission process.
Please note that the uploading will have to be proceeded during the submission process.
Article 7 - Screening material for previews
FEATURE FILMS
Feature films can be either considered via an online link or downloaded on Semaine de la Critique platform during the registration process.
A theatrical screening (DPC) can be exceptionally authorized upon prior validation by the Head of the Film Department.
To submit a feature film, please check our submission requirements here.
SHORT FILMS
Short films are uploaded on the Semaine de la Critique website during the registration process. Any short film submitted via another medium (such as a link) will not be considered by the selection committee.
To submit a short film, please check our submission and upload requirements here.
Article 8 - Prints insurance / preview and selection
Shipping and insurance costs as well as customs taxes and customs broker’s fees (to and from Paris and/or Cannes) including "temporary admission" rights are at the expense of the producers. La Semaine de la Critique won’t cover any transportation costs. The responsibility of La Semaine covers the cost of storage and insurance in our screening rooms. The right-holders must make sure they’ll be able to cover every shipping expense that a selection in Cannes implies.
Article 9 - Prints specifications / Selection in Cannes
Films selected at La Semaine de la Critique will be screened in Cannes on Digital DCP (2 physical identical copies). French-speaking films are to be screened in their original version with English subtitles while foreign films are to be screened in their original version with French subtitles and English electronic subtitles (under the image), including English-speaking films. Subtitling is at the right holders’ expense.
Article 10 - Programming
Dates, times and screening venues of selected films will be communicated to the right-holders early May 2025
During the festival, selected films cannot be screened anywhere in Cannes before La Semaine de la Critique’s official presentation.
Article 11 - Jury and Awards
La Semaine de la Critique’s Jury will give awards to both feature and short films amongst the competition. First feature films are also competing for the Caméra d’Or Prize, awarded during the Official Award Ceremony of Cannes Film Festival. Documentary features compete for the Oeil d'Or Prize.
Article 12 - Next Step
The short film directors selected at la Semaine de la Critique who haven’t made their first feature yet can participate in the Next Step programme. Held in December, Next Step is a week-long training workshop that gives the filmmakers the opportunity to benefit from the advice of international consultants on their first feature film project.
Article 13 - Reruns
Following Cannes Film Festival, the selected films will be screened in various reruns in France and abroad.
The list of reruns is subject to change and will be confirmed in the invitation.
Right-holders of the film must provide prints for each rerun, until the end of all the reruns. The producer must inform their sales agent, their French distributor and the distributor of the rerun country of these obligatory reruns.
Article 14 - Promotional materials
Selected films must use La Semaine de la Critique’s annualized logotype on all their promotional material (posters, press kits, teasers, film prints). If a film is awarded during La Semaine de la Critique, it is mandatory that the awarded films replace La Semaine de la Critique's generic logo by the corresponding Prize logo after the festival.
Article 15
La Semaine de la Critique reserves the right to make unilateral decisions about situations not mentioned herein and/or make exceptions to the rules.
Article 16 - Responsibilities of the organizers
La Semaine de la Critique reserves the right to use all data from registration forms as provided for by the law nº78.17 of 6 January 1978 (in accordance with the data processing, files and freedoms act, any participant has the right to access and correct only data concerning him. This right is exercised by the French Union of Film Critics (SFCC).
La Semaine de la Critique declines any responsibility for registration applications not received. The board of the French Union of Film Critics (SFCC) has the right to settle all cases not provided for, by the present regulations. It reserves the right to suspend, cancel, or postpone the event or to modify the regulations, at any time, according to the requirements of its exploitation. No compensation of any kind can be made to the participants.
Article 17
Participation in La Semaine de la Critique implies acceptance of the foregoing rules and regulations.
For any information concerning the submissions, please contact the Film Department
Head of Film Department: Rémi Bigot
In charge of short films | Film Department : Juliette Canon
Tel. +33 1 45 08 81 56