Neisse Nysa Nisa Film Festival

For 2027, twelve Neisse Fish awards carry EUR 27,500 in total prize money. The Feature Film Jury awards Best Feature Film (EUR 10,000), Best Acting Performance (EUR 1,000), Best Production Design (EUR 3,000) and Best Screenplay (EUR 1,000). The documentary and short film juries award Best Documentary Film (EUR 5,000) and Best Short Film (EUR 1,500). A Special Award of EUR 1,000 recognises a film that examines cultural or ethnic differences, common ground or relations between neighbouring societies. A six-member German-Polish-Czech Young Jury awards Best Feature-Length Film and Best Short Film, each with EUR 1,000. Audience Awards for feature fiction, documentary and short film each carry EUR 1,000. Directors receive the film prizes; acting, screenplay and production design prizes go to the respective artists. Jury special mentions carry no prize money. All amounts are gross.

2027 regulations (version dated 1 September 2026). Submissions run from 1 September to 15 December 2026 through the festival website, FilmFreeway or Miralot. The fee is EUR 5 for films under 60 minutes and EUR 10 for films of 60 minutes or more; platform fees are additional and submission fees are generally non-refundable. Competition films and entries for Strange Waters, Big Fish and Young Waves must have a production company or producing film school in Germany, Poland or the Czech Republic, or at least one director with one of these nationalities. Minority and independently produced co-productions are eligible. Films normally need a first public premiere after 28 February 2026, or, if unpremiered, completion after 31 December 2025. Closed industry, university and test screenings do not count as premieres. Exceptions require festival approval. Feature fiction and animated competition films must run at least 60 minutes and be the director’s first, second or third feature fiction or animated work. Feature documentaries must run at least 60 minutes. Short competition films, including fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid work, may run no longer than 20 minutes including credits. Music videos, advertising, tutorials, series episodes and regular television formats are excluded. A film may be submitted only once; each director may submit at most two short competition films per edition. Feature films must have no regular German cinema release before the day after the festival ends, and no television, DVD, Blu-ray, streaming or VOD release in Germany, Poland or the Czech Republic before that day. Polish and Czech theatrical releases and earlier festival screenings are permitted. Shorts must remain unavailable for general public exploitation through the end of the festival; earlier festival screenings are permitted. Changes in release status must be reported. Regionalia accepts all lengths with a substantial connection to Upper Lusatia or the neighbouring Polish or Czech border regions; it is the only submission section accepting films between 20:01 and 59:59. Strange Waters, Big Fish and Young Waves accept features of at least 60 minutes. Fokus, Beyond the Triangle, Midnight Special and Panorama Weekend are curated without open submissions. Provide an accessible streaming screener, valid through 30 June 2027, with English subtitles unless English-language or dialogue-free. Shorts require a final cut. Feature works in progress must have picture lock and reach final version by 28 February 2027. All use of artificial intelligence must be disclosed. Selection notifications are due by 30 April; participation becomes binding only after a written invitation and written acceptance by the relevant rights holders. Selection remains confidential until the official announcement. Selected films provide an unencrypted DCP and a high-quality digital backup, final credits, synopses, director biography and photograph, at least three credited stills, and available poster, trailer and press materials. Separate English SRT subtitles are required even for English-language films, except dialogue-free work; supply available German, Polish and Czech subtitles and a dialogue list. Up to four screenings during the edition are agreed in writing. Later, online and hybrid screenings require separate permission. The festival may use promotional materials and up to three minutes of film excerpts. Selected shorts receive a flat screening fee specified in the invitation; feature competition screening fees are exceptional. Invited representatives receive accreditation; travel support requires a written agreement. The German regulations prevail in case of differences between language versions.