Rules COOP!-competition

The international co-production competition will be organised for the first time in 2022 and focuses exclusively on Belgian and Dutch co-productions. Inspired by local culture, the FFO programmers look for remarkable and exciting film productions that take international collaborations to a new level. We want to give recognition to Belgian and Dutch producers who creatively look for collaborations to make their projects successful. Collaborations/COOPerations that go beyond financial constructions, but in which craftsmanship and creativity from Belgium and The Netherlands prevail.

The hand of Belgium and the Netherlands at home and abroad.

Every year, a selection of at least eight eight (documentary/animation/fiction) films is evaluated by a professional jury, presided over by a Belgian or Dutch film professional. They determine which production will be awarded the title 'Best co-production' in the COOP!.

Prizes / categories

  • The Best Co-production receives 5,000 EUR. The cash prize will be transferred to the Belgian/Dutch distribution/sales agent to support future projects. 
  • The films in the COOP!-competition are also eligible for the UFK press award, determined by jury members appointed by the Union of Film Critics.

Eligibility

Are eligible for the COOP!-competition:

  • Films for which at least 10% of the total budget is financed by Belgian or Dutch funding through any legitimate form of financing. 
  • Films with a clear Belgian or Dutch creative input, be it in front of or behind the scenes. Clear examples are a Belgian or Dutch director, chief actor, screenwriter, etc. 
  • Films with Belgian co-producers
  • Films with Dutch co-producers

Belgian and Dutch co-productions can be submitted through the Ostend Film Festival visitors page. The FFO programmers actively search worldwide for films in which Belgian and Dutch film professionals cooperate. The producers/distributors of the selected films provide promotional material as much as possible or give permission to use film fragments for promotional purposes. No compensation is provided for this. The selection of a film in the COOP!-competition implies the permission of the rights owners to screen the film a minimum of once and a maximum of 5 times during the duration of the festival, after agreement of a BO split or screening fee. The distributor/sales agent will provide a version with different subtitles for the jury free of charge if necessary.

Selection procedure

The team of FFO programmers makes the selection of the films in competition. The inclusion in the COOP!-competition is confirmed to the rights owners by e-mail prior to the festival. The selection is not linked to a fee. 

A laurel 'Official Selection COOP!-competition - Ostend Film Festival' will be provided which the producer can use in the selected film and its promotional material. 

The decision of the selection committee to select or reject a film is final.

No correspondence will be conducted about this decision.

Award ceremony

Every year, a professional Young Talents jury is composed of people who are working on their first or second (short) film. People with a fresh, unbiased view who are able to assess the quality, the 'métier' and the creativity of a film production. Presided over by an experienced Belgian/Dutch film professional, who besides the judging process also takes on a mentoring role during the COOP!-competition.  An uneven number of jury members guarantees a win by simple majority of votes. After the award ceremony, the jury members provide a short motivation text in which they substantiate their choice for the awarded film(s).

Code of ethics for jury members

The jury members commit themselves not to communicate anything to the outside world about the choice of the winner(s), voting behaviour of fellow jury members or their own voting behaviour. The jury members commit themselves not to leak information about the closed meetings and the results. In case the jury members have direct ties with a production that is eligible for a prize, or in case of doubt, they must mention this beforehand and, if necessary, abstain from voting when the film in question is discussed. 

Awarding

The award ceremony takes place during an official moment before a film screening in the presence of the jury president, the festival director and the audience present during the second half of the festival. The producer and distributor will be informed of the win and kindly asked to delegate someone to attend the ceremony. Any travel expenses will be reimbursed by the festival.

Partners

The official COOP!-competition by FFO is realised in collaboration with Pandemie (Film, Branding & Marketing agency). The partner will be mentioned in all communications regarding COOP!.

Organisation

The Ostend Film Festival and the COOP!-competition are organised by Les Films du Bord de Mer vzw.