CineMart project submission

Regulations and selection criteria

• CineMart: General conditions and project requirements

  CineMart has no rigid rules and each individual project will be considered on its own merits. There are certain limits to the field in which CineMart operates:

  • The main criteria for selection are the viability and quality of the plans, and the demonstrable talent of the directors and/or producers.
  • The feature film is intended for theatrical release (minimum length of 60 minutes).
  • The project can be from any part of the world.
  • The project must have a team of both a director and a producer.
  • The total budget of the film should not exceed 8 million euros.
  • The project should have at least national (development) funding or third-party investment secured when submitting the project.
  • The project is set up as a co-production, and there should be a potential international market for the project
  • Projects submitted must be new to the market. Our industry delegates expect CineMart to deliver a highly curated selection of film projects fresh to the international market. CineMart therefore prioritises works that will have their first market showcase in Rotterdam.

  • • Projects that have been previously selected for one national or regional market may still be eligible for CineMart consideration, but world premiere market status is preferred
    • In some cases, the previous participation of a project in a national / regional market will be allowed. For examples of this please check our FAQ.
    • Projects that have been presented at more than one co-production market will be considered ineligible. In case of doubt, please email us at cinemart@IFFR.com to discuss the possibilities before submitting your project.

  • Applications can only be submitted more than once when specifically invited to do so.
  • All information provided should be in English, including subtitles.
  • A complete screenplay should be available during CineMart.
  • The selection committee’s decisions can not be appealed.

• Selection process

  The selection process for CineMart (features) has two phases.

  Phase 1

  • Fill in the form through the link in the sidebar of this page. This form will allow you to include detailed project information. Please make sure to check the Selection Criteria & General Rules first. The deadline is 4 September at 23.59 CEST (features).
  • 4 – 6 weeks after the deadline, the CineMart selection committee will reach a decision on all submitted forms. The contact person indicated in the submission form will receive the decision by email.

  Phase 2

  • If your project progresses to the next phases of conideration, you are given one week to submit your full dossier by email as a PDF, including links to previous work. It is not possible to extend this one week period. 

  The selection committee will reach its final decision on all projects in consideration in phase 2 by early December 2026.

  Read more about submitting a project and what materials to provide here.

• Specific conditions

  • Once a project has been selected, both the director and producer(s) must be present during the four days of CineMart. 
  • CineMart offers one hotel room for the duration of the market.
  • Finished film projects realised after CineMart meetings should mention CineMart or display its logo in their credits.
  • Preferably, the following sentence should be mentioned in the credit list: “[film title] has been presented at CineMart of International Film Festival Rotterdam”.

• Submission fees

  • Early fee: until 6 July 2026, 17.00 CEST – €25 (ex. VAT)
  • Standard fee: until 20 August 2026, 17.00 CEST – €35 (ex. VAT)
  • Late fee and final submission deadline: until 3 September 2026, 23.59 CEST – €55 (ex. VAT)

  If you are submitting from a country with international payment restrictions for both credit card and Paypal payments to and from the Netherlands, please get in touch with cinemart@IFFR.com to discuss a solution, as your submission should not be prevented for this reason. For more information, see the regulations for IFFR festival submissions which CineMart follows, and can be found here.