SIMFEST International Film and Television Festival (22)

Festival start: 29 September 2025      Festival end: 06 October 2025

SIMFEST is a TV and film festival – competition, the only one of this kind in Romania and one of the few in Europe. It is organized every year by "SIMFEST Cultural Association", which supports and promotes the creators in visual arts. SIMFEST stands for professionalism and for the freedom of expression of the journalists and the media producers. The festival promotes, at the same time, local journalism and community mass-media.

It is a complex manifestation for electronic mass-media. It is the annual meeting point of the TV's and film’s world specialists from Romania and from all of the world, of students, independent producers, and of media enthusiasts; it is a competition that it's designed to find and form values and talents, to give them the needed validation and for connecting them with the medium in which they can develop. It is a competition and, at the same time, a media school and a cultural event.

The SIMFEST components are:

- The Competition

- The Summer School for journalists and media creators

- The official program of the festival

The Competition is opened to all the media creators, reporters, cameramen and media producers from Romania but also from other countries, but is also opened to freelancers, to students and territorial correspondents of central televisions, production houses, as well as to all multimedia creators. It has eight sections.

- PUBLISHING (REPORTAGE/ DOCUMENTARY/ INQUIRY/ ESSAY / TALK-SHOW etc.)
- ENTERTAINMENT
- VIDEO
- MULTIMEDIA
- STUDENT PROJECTS (fiction and non fiction)
- TOURISTIC FILM
- FICTION (short movie and feature film)
- ANIMATION

The jury of the competition consists out of well-known personalities in the field of journalism, TV and cinema from Romania and from other countries.

The Summer School for journalists and media creators was founded and included within the festival in 2007, and through it, SIMFEST became in the past few years an institution of non-formal education of media creators, especially from the audiovisual section.

The journalists Romeo Couți and Brândușa Armanca (TVR), the writer Bogdan Hrib, Assoc. Prof. PhD. Ion Stavre (SNSPA), Assoc. Prof. PhD. Lucian Ionică (West University of Timișoara), the director Ștefan Fischer (Germany), Charles Fletcher, MBE (Scotland), TV producer Codruț Pânzaru, TV producer Tamas Barok (Hungary), the director Copel Moscu (UNATC Bucharest), Iulia Badea Gueritee and Raymond Clarinard (Courrier International Paris), Beata Biel (Google expert, Poland), Ovidiu Gyarmath (Director of photography), Prof. PhD. Laura Baron (UNATC Bucharest), grat Romanian actors like Marcel Iures and Dan Puric, JC Guest film producer 2023 Emmy Award Winner and many others held lectures and led workshops or held masterclasses within the Summer School.

The official program of the festival is available for the public with the purpose to, on one hand, construct a way of communication between the creators of media and those whom they serve: the consumers of information in order for the audience to correctly understand the messages transmitted through mass-media. On the other hand, it offers a space of free expression and a non-formal platform for professional development for the journalists and filmmakers. Therefore, SIMFEST is a festival not only a TV and film competition but also a cultural complex.

International recognition: SIMFEST is known and recognized in the Romanian mass-media as a role model in the promotion of artists' free expression and for the promotion and being an advocate of real media professionalism. Most of the creators attending SIMFEST for the past years, have also won international recognition at competitions organized in Sibiu, Prague, Belgrade, Bucharest, London, Kishinaw and Tel Aviv. SIMFEST is also in collaboration or in partnership with other similar manifestations: CRONOGRAF Chishinaw, DETECTIVEFEST Moskow, CINEPOLITICA Bucharest etc.

Cash Prizes: 2,000€

The official SIMFEST’s Prizes are:

- The Great Prize
- The prize for The Best TV Program
- The best documentary
- The best reportage
- The best motion picture
- The JEANA GHEORGHIU prize for talk-show
- The best touristic film
- The best video
- The best animation film
- The best fiction film (separated for short movies and feature films)
- The best production dedicated to minorities
- The best student project (separated for fiction and nonfiction)
- The prize for entertainment
- The best multimedia creation
- The Special Prize of the Union: the best production from Romania and Republic of Moldova
The jury has the power to grant the awards for the stated sections, as well as not grant awards for sections that haven't received, in their consideration, productions of the desired quality. The jury can also set up special prizes, other than those set out in the festival's record.

The International Film and Television Festival SIMFEST, 22th Edition

# 1. SIMFEST is a Television and film competition – festival, the only one in South – Eastern Europe. It is organized each year by The Cultural Association SIMFEST for Supporting and Promoting the Media and Visual Arts Creators. SIMFEST advocates for professionalism and for freedom of expression. The XXIth edition of SIMFEST will be held in Tirgu Mures, Romania, since September, 28th until October 5th , 2025. The most of it will be held online too, on the official FB page of the festival Simfest Romania.

# 2. SIMFEST is a complex cultural manifestation, which includes, together with the competition, other events and special programs: The Summer School for Journalists and filmmakers, recitals, exhibitions, shows, movies and public screenings of films, debates.

# 3. Media productions may be submitted to the SIMFEST competition by reporters, editors, show broadcasters, producers, cameramen, operators, cinematographers etc. of any local, regional or national coverage television, with air or cable broadcasting, which produces its own programs; territorial correspondents of national or regional stations; free-lancers; independent video production studios; students; film companies or independent creators working in multimedia. The productions can be submitted by their producers, editors, directors or authorities entitled for representation of films.

# 4. The SIMFEST competition has eight different sections. Each participant may submit more productions at any section, but each production may be submitted at one single section and has to be produced in the last three years (after 2021, January, 1st).

a) TV PUBLISHING (separated subsections for Reportage, Documentary, Investigation, Essay, Talk-show.

b) ENTERTAINMENT: the productions will be accompanied by explanatory texts that shall offer all the information about it, the name of the series, if the production is part of one etc.

c) VIDEO: music video, video for advertising (commercials), promos and trailers. The productions can be submitted by their producers. Promotional videos may also be submitted by their beneficiaries, and the music videos may be submitted by their protagonists (singers or bands).

d) MULTIMEDIA: this section is dedicated to web pages - sites, blogs or any other productions which use multimedia technical. Each project will be accompanied by a brief presentation that shall also contain the producers and team members' names.

Multimedia events previously produced can also be submitted for the competition - for each piece we must receive a filmed summary of no more than 25 minutes.

Live multimedia events can also be registered: they shall be presented live during the festival; for their proper unfolding the responsibility lies with the competitors who will take the time to contact the organizers to ensure that they were included in the program and that they can be provided with the appropriate logistics.

e) STUDENT PROJECTS: students from any college, in Romania or abroad, regardless of their studying domain, may submit their projects, and that can be carried out by any technical means. The judging will value the creativity, the theme's originality and the project's specific approach. May also submit graduates, but it is needed that the works have been made when they were students. The competitors have to send the proof that they are/were students. The section is divided in 2 subsections: Student Projects Fiction and Student Projects Nonfiction.

f) TOURISTIC FILM: documentaries or reports presenting places, events or settlements that may constitute touristic attractions, can be submitted for this section.

g) FICTION: may be submitted movies made by independent producers, filmmakers or companies, which technically can be bought and broadcasted by TV stations. This section is divided into two subsections: Short movies and Feature films (long movies)

h) ANIMATION: may be submitted any kind of production which use the animation technique.

# 5. The SIMFEST jury consists of renowned journalism, television and film figures. It has full decisional independence. It has the power to grant the awards for the stated sections, as well as not grant awards for sections that haven't received, in their consideration, productions of the desired quality. The jury can also set up special prizes, other than those set out in the festival's record.

# 6. The official SIMFEST’s Prizes are:

- The Great Prize
- The prize for The Best TV Program
- The best documentary
- The best reportage
- The best motion picture
- The JEANA GHEORGHIU prize for talk-show
- The best touristic film
- The best video
- The best animation film
- The best fiction film (separated for short movies and feature films)
- The best production dedicated to minorities
- The best student project (separated for fiction and nonfiction)
- The prize for entertainment
- The best multimedia creation
- The Special Prize of the Union: the best production from Romania and Republic of Moldova

# 7. The prizes (money and/or objects) will be awarded to the registered reporters or filmmakers.

# 8. All submitted productions will be watched before by the Selection Jury. The Selection Jury will be appointed by the Festival Management, and will be charged for advice in the official selection of the competition. The selected productions will be announced on the festival’s website and directly, by email to the filmmakers, no later than September, 5th, 2024.

# 9. For each production it has to be paid a submission fee: $ 23 or 20 Euro.

#9.1. Exception 1: for Student project categories the submission fee is 10 Euro or 11 USD

#9.2. Exception 2: the students from Romania and Republic of Moldova may submit free of charge.

#9.3. Exception 3: the submission fee for the productions from Romania and Republic of Moldova is 10 Euro (equivalence in RON).
The payment may be made by Pay Pal or, for RON, in the SIMFEST Association’s bank account.

For Pay Pal: email: simfestmures@yahoo.com; CC Statement: ASOCSIMFEST.

For banking: Account holder: Asociatia culturala SIMFEST;
IBAN: RO76RNCB0188035655950001; BCR Tirgu Mures; SWIFT Code: RNCBROBU

# 10. Opening for entries: 04/15/2025. Deadline: 07/28/2025. Productions submitted/ sent after these dates will not be considered!

# 11. The festival does not pay screening rights for the productions registered in the competition. They shall remain in the SIMFEST archives in order to be used for documentary, educational and cultural purposes. For the purpose of promotion of the awarded films and the Festival itself, the Festival shall retain the right to screen the awarded films into cultural events; although no fee will be paid for that, the owner of the property rights will be notified. Will be also organized online screenings, but only with the allowance of the owners.

# 12. Application procedure:

12.1. The filmmakers, producers or retailers that owns the intellectual property rights may submit on Festhome.com platform or complete the online Entry Form on the official website of the festival at www.simfest.ro.

12.2. The competitors may send their productions by Internet, using a transfer method. If they choose to send their submission material as online link, it’s MANDATORY a private screening link protected by password (via Vimeo, YouTube or Google Drive). It’s also MANDATORY that it has the option to DOWNLOAD it, not only to SCREENING it. The link cannot be opened for public viewing and must have a password or be a private link. It is also MANDATORY to send a a trailer/teaser or at least an insert from a film of up to 3 minutes of running time (for them is also MANDATORY the DOWNLOAD option).
It’s the participant’s responsibility to provide link and password for viewing and download the material. The productions format acceptable is MP4, with a HD resolution 1920 x 1080 or at least the best possible resolution.
The productions have to be subtitled in English. The competitors shall also send a brief synopsis of the film in English language, the director's/reporter’s/producer’s biography and photos (of the quality suitable for press). By signing the submission form, the applicant authorizes the Festival to use and publish all the above specified materials in the festival catalogue, on Internet and in press. The Festival is also authorized to publish a trailer or insert from a film of up to 3 minutes of running time for promotional purposes.

12.3. For online multimedia productions (web pages, blogs etc.) we must receive the accessing address.

12.4. In order to register for the Summer School’s courses and master classes or for physical participation, send an email to the organizers at office@simfest.ro, with PARTICIPATION subject, until September, 10st, 2024.

# 13. Participation in the festival
The official program (the events' schedule, the projections screening hours as well as the related happenings' timetable will be established by the organizers and will be announced on the Festival's website.

The Festival is open to the public. Print and audio-video accredited journalists will also be present at the event.

For the participants, the SIMFEST Association provides the meals and can make, if they ask, the hotel reservation in agreeable conditions.

The act of submitting in SIMFEST 2025 is regarded as an acceptance of the above rules and regulation. The Festival’s direction reserves the right to make decisions about all matters that may not have been covered by this rules and regulations.

# 14. About the Festival
According to the public mission assumed by the SIMFEST Festival, the event proposes each year related cultural happenings such as exhibitions, workshops, film medallions etc. While the productions are being judged, public screenings of the submitted productions are organized, followed by debates. Their aim is both to encourage and facilitate knowledge and experience exchange among filmmakers and other media professionals present, and to create a communication bridge between people of the media and information consumers. The most valuable productions, as recommended by the jury or selected for the finale, and of whose producers will be present, will be the ones scheduled for the public screenings. The selected productions will also be screened online, on the FB page of the festival, with the allowance of the owners.

ORGANIZING:

The cultural Association SIMFEST
Unirii Street, No. 5, Bl. A, Ap. 7
547530 - Singeorgiu de Mures, Mures County, Romania
E-mail: office@simfest.ro, simfestmures@yahoo.com
Mobile: +40 722 214787, +40 726 776615