Download the COMPETITION REGULATIONS

COMPETITION REGULATIONS

for the International Police Film Festival "Work, Brothers!"

1. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1.1. The International Police Film Festival "Work, Brothers!" (hereinafter referred to as 'the Festival') is established and organized by the All-Russian Public Organization "The All-Russian Police Association (IPA Russian Section)" in accordance with the aims and objectives defined by the Association's Charter.

1.2. The International Police Film Festival "Work, Brothers!" is held to expand cultural exchange and mutual understanding between peoples of different countries. The Festival aims to support authors and documentarians creating films and content that consolidate society in the fight against crime and terrorism, through stories about heroic individuals—police officers, Rosgvardiya (National Guard) officers, military personnel, as well as concerned citizens and civilian professionals.

2. MAIN OBJECTIVES

2.1. To present cinematic works on law enforcement themes.

2.2. To promote Russian and foreign cinema on law enforcement themes.

2.3. To expand cooperation between filmmakers, television journalists, and personnel of state law enforcement agencies.

2.4. To strengthen a positive public image of uniformed professionals through cinema and television.

2.5. To strengthen friendship and mutual understanding between representatives of law enforcement agencies from different countries.

3. FESTIVAL ORGANIZATION

3.1. The founder and organizer of the Festival is the All-Russian Public Organization "The All-Russian Police Association (IPA Russian Section)".

3.2. The festival is held in Moscow.

3.3. To provide general management for the preparation and execution of the event, ensure the selection of competition entries, and resolve ongoing organizational matters, a Festival Organizing Committee shall be established, consisting of at least four members.

4. FESTIVAL PROGRAM

4.1. The Festival Program is determined by the organizer, the All-Russian Public Organization "The All-Russian Police Association (IPA Russian Section)," and includes: 

    • competition screenings of documentary films and video clips;
    • online screenings of the competition program on social media;
    • round tables, masterclasses, and creative meetings.

4.2. The Festival competition, organized by the All-Russian Public Organization "The All-Russian Police Association (IPA Russian Section)," is held in 6 categories:

    • Best Russian Documentary Film on a Law Enforcement Theme.
    • Best Foreign Documentary Film on a Law Enforcement Theme.
    • Best Russian Amateur Documentary Film.
    • "Courage and Heroism!" (Best documentary film about law enforcement officers who have performed a heroic act or participated in conflict zones).
    • Best Social Video on Crime and Cybercrime Prevention.
    • Best Patriotic Music Video.

4.2.1 Special Awards (awarded by the decision of the jury, the audience, or festival partners):

    • Special Jury Prize
    • Audience Choice Award
    • Prize from Festival Partners

4.3. The Festival competition, organized by the All-Russian Public Organization "The All-Russian Police Association (IPA Russian Section)," accepts works produced by filmmakers no earlier than 2022.

5. FILM REQUIREMENTS

5.1. Authors of professional and amateur documentary films, music videos, and short videos on law enforcement themes are invited to participate in the Festival. The main condition is adherence to the theme and an engaging artistic execution. Films that promote peace and mutual understanding between peoples, regardless of their nationality or religion, are eligible to participate. Submitted films must not contain propaganda of violence, or national, racial, or religious intolerance. Films containing information prohibited by the legislation of the Russian Federation or containing profanity are not eligible.

5.2. The Festival competition accepts short documentary films with a duration of no more than 39 minutes, and music videos and short videos with a runtime of no more than 5 minutes, completed or broadcast no earlier than January 1, 2022.

5.3. Films must be submitted to the Festival in MP4 format (MPEG-4 container), with Stereo (2.0) sound.

5.4. Films in a foreign language must be accompanied by Russian subtitles in .srt format (as a separate file).

5.5. Detailed technical requirements for video content are available on the Festival's official website.

6. PARTICIPATION PROCEDURE

6.1. Each participant may submit any number of works to the competition. The deadline for submission is September 30, 2025. Films submitted after this date will not be considered.

6.2. Those wishing to submit a film for participation must send the following documents and materials to the Organizing Committee:

    • an application form for each film, which can be downloaded from the website  policekinofest.ru;
    • a copy of the film hosted on a dedicated online resource for the selection committee's review. The application must include a private link to a screening copy of the film on a cloud storage service such as Yandex.Disk, Google Drive, or Mail.ru Cloud. The link must remain active until the end of the Festival;
    • all materials can be sent via email to policekinofest@yandex.ru;
    • participation in the selection process is free of charge.

7. SELECTION OF FILMS FOR COMPETITION

7.1. The selection of films for participation in the Festival is carried out by the Selection Committee, whose composition is determined by the All-Russian Public Organization "The All-Russian Police Association (IPA Russian Section)". The final decision on including a film in the competition program is made by the Selection Committee. The Committee reserves the right to refuse an entry without providing a reason.

7.2. The Festival undertakes to inform participants of the inclusion of their films, music videos, and short videos in the competition program no later than October 31, 2025. An invitation and a filmography form will be sent to the producer or director of the selected films at the email address provided in the application.

8. DOCUMENTATION

8.1. For each film selected for the competition, the following materials must be submitted to the Festival in addition to the application and screening copy:

    • a brief synopsis (no more than 1,000 characters);
    • director's biography and photograph;
    • three (3) film stills;
    • a poster (if available);
    • a trailer or teaser.

8.2. For each music video and short video selected for competition, the following materials must be submitted:

    • a brief synopsis (no more than 1,000 characters);
    • director's biography and photograph;
    • performer's biography and photograph (for music videos);
    • songwriter's biography and photograph (for music videos);
    • a poster (if available).

8.3. All materials for films, music videos, and short videos selected for the competition must be received by the Festival no later than November 10, 2025.

8.4. The Festival has the right to use visual materials from participating films and film excerpts (not exceeding 10% of the film's runtime and/or no more than 3 minutes) for the purpose of informing the audience and promoting the Festival.

8.5. The time, date, and venue for the screening of a film in the festival program are determined by the Organizing Committee.

8.6. By submitting an application for the Festival's competition, the Rights Holder consents to the screening of the specified film at the Festival and confirms that they possess all necessary rights and authority to submit the application.

9. JURY

9.1. A Festival Jury is established for the final evaluation of the competition entries. 

9.2. By the decision of the All-Russian Public Organization "The All-Russian Police Association (IPA Russian Section)," the jury may include members of the association, representatives of veteran organizations, as well as active-duty law enforcement officers, including from friendly nations.

9.3. The jury may not include persons involved in the creation or commercial distribution of the films/videos participating in the competition.  

9.4. The Jury is obliged to determine a winner in each category. Prizes cannot be left unawarded or shared among participants. All Jury members agree to refrain from making public statements about the competition entries until the results are announced at the official Closing Ceremony.  

10. GUESTS

10.1. To present a film, up to two members of the creative team (producer, director, screenwriter, composer, performer) are invited. The invitation may be transferred to another member of the film crew. The Festival Organizer will cover the accommodation expenses for up to two creative team representatives in a 3-star hotel. To do so, participants must send an application to the Organizing Committee in the prescribed form, which can be downloaded from the website. Others wishing to attend may participate in the Festival events at their own expense.

10.2. The Festival provides representatives of foreign competition films with an invitation letter to facilitate obtaining a Russian visa.

10.3. Honorary guests, directors, actors, and prominent cultural figures are invited to participate in the festival to conduct masterclasses and creative meetings. The terms of their participation expenses are negotiated individually in each case.

10.4. Other matters concerning the invitation of guests, and the terms and conditions of their stay and accreditation at the Festival, are decided by the Festival's Organizing Committee.                                                      

10.5. All terms and deadlines are mandatory. Otherwise, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to exclude the film from the Festival program. 

10.6. The official Festival hotel is the Beta Izmailovo Hotel. Hotel reservation requests must be sent to the Organizing Committee by email no later than November 10, 2025.

10.7. All international participants wishing to attend the Festival must send the following by email to the Festival address by October 31, 2025, to process an invitation letter: (followed by a list of items)

    • a scanned copy of their international passport
    • home address and phone number
    • work address and phone number
    • email address for communication
    • dates of visit to Russia
    • the consulate/city where the visa will be obtained
    • consent for accommodation at the Festival hotel (hotel booking form)

10.8. Applications for the accreditation of guests and nominee representatives are accepted by the Organizing Committee strictly until November 10, 2025. Accreditation grants the right to use the festival's press materials with proper attribution.

11. PRESS

11.1. Press accreditation for the festival is conducted by the Organizing Committee until November 30, 2025.

11.2. Official written applications for accreditation must be sent by e-mail to policekinofest@yandex.ru. Press accreditation is free of charge and permits attendance at all festival events, except for private ones. policekinofest@yandex.ru. Press accreditation is free of charge and permits attendance at all festival events, except for private ones.

11.3. The Festival's Organizing Committee reserves the right to refuse accreditation to a journalist/correspondent without providing a reason.

11.4. The Festival's Organizing Committee has the right to revoke a journalist's/correspondent's accreditation at any time and restrict their presence at Festival events without providing a reason.

11.5. The Festival's Organizing Committee does not cover the expenses of a journalist/correspondent sent to the Festival on assignment by their publication; such expenses are to be borne by the publication.

12. FINAL PROVISIONS

12.1. All films included in the list of nominees will receive a nominee's diploma. At least one prize is awarded in each festival category. The winner of a category receives a prize and a winner's diploma. At the discretion of the Jury, the festival press, partners, the audience, or the organizers, a nominee may be presented with special diplomas and special awards.

12.2. Participation in the Festival implies the applicant's compliance with all clauses of these Competition Regulations.

12.3. Liability for any third-party claims and lawsuits related to copyright and related rights lies with the legal or natural person who submitted the application and the film to the Festival.

12.4. The current and valid version of these Competition Regulations is available for public access on the official Festival website at policekinofest.ru.

12.5. The Festival organizers reserve the right to make changes or additions to the Festival’s Competition Regulations. Changes are made unilaterally by the organizers without notifying applicants or third parties. If these Competition Regulations are changed during an ongoing process, the version of the Regulations in effect at the start of that process shall apply.

12.6. By submitting an application to participate in the Festival, Rights Holders confirm that they have read these Competition Regulations, accept all their provisions, and waive any right to contest them.

12.7. The Festival's Organizing Committee has the right to resolve all issues not covered by these Regulations in accordance with the standard practices of international film festivals.

12.8. In the event of any disputes regarding the interpretation of these Competition Regulations, the Russian text of this document shall prevail. 

12.9. Participants in the festival's competition program voluntarily and knowingly consent to the processing of their personal data by the Festival's Organizing Committee in the manner and under the conditions defined by the Federal Law of July 27, 2006, No. 152-FZ "On Personal Data." Personal data includes information about the surname, name, patronymic, date of birth, address, details of the primary identity document, its date of issue and issuing authority, as well as any other information transmitted to the Organizing Committee by the participant or lawfully obtained otherwise.

12.10. The Festival's Organizing Committee is entitled to process the participant's personal data by any necessary means. Processing is understood as collection, recording, systematization, accumulation, storage, clarification (updating, modification), retrieval, use, transfer (distribution, provision, access), including cross-border transfer to third parties, as well as depersonalization, blocking, deletion, and destruction of personal data.

12.11. The Festival's Organizing Committee has the right to disclose information to internal and external legal advisors, as well as in accordance with applicable laws, court orders, or government regulations, or in response to lawful requests from government agencies.

12.12. Address of the Festival's Organizing Committee: Bldg. 1, 3-5 1st Golutvinsky Lane, Moscow.

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