1. General Provisions

1.1. The VI International Festival of Rural Cinema "Pechka" (hereinafter – the Festival) takes place in the village of Shelota, Verkhovazhsky District, Vologda Region, from August 13 to 16, 2026.
1.2. "PECHKA" is the first and only film festival in Russia with a thematic focus on the village and rural lifestyle. It has been held annually since 2021 on the initiative of the head and students of N.V. Kotyash's directing workshop at SPbGIKiT.
1.3. The Festival organizers are the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "Center for the Development of Culture, Education and Tourism 'Bratchina'" and the Limited Liability Company "Creative Association Kinokommunа". The Festival Producer is Nikolay Kotyash, film director, member of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia.
1.4. These Regulations govern the organization and holding of the Festival and remain in effect until its completion. These Regulations may be amended, supplemented, or extended by decision of the Founders. All changes and additions are published on the Festival website: http://pechkafest.ru, as well as in the VKontakte social network group: https://vk.com/pechkafest.

2. Festival Goals

2.1. The Festival aims to draw audience attention to the contemporary village and rural lifestyle in different regions of the world, as well as to create a positive image of the Russian village in the information space.
2.2. Festival objectives:

• Creating a platform for interaction and cultural exchange between filmmakers interested in the theme of rural areas in various regions of Russia and abroad.
• Drawing attention to rural life, initiatives, and the creative labor of rural residents.
• Introducing young Russian directors to the culture and traditions of the rural hinterlands of the Russian North.
• Introducing Festival participants and guests to traditional rural culture and contemporary trends in the development of rural areas in various countries and regions.
• Introducing rural residents of the Verkhovazhsky District of the Vologda Region to the culture of watching short films, broadening their horizons through the screening of cinematic works addressing current aspects of contemporary village life.
• Creating a cultural event that contributes to the development of the territory and domestic rural tourism in Russia.

3. Organizing Committee

3.1. The Festival Organizing Committee is formed from the founders and directorate of the Festival, as well as partners invited by decision of the founders.
3.2. The Organizing Committee prepares and distributes documentation on the holding of the Festival, forms the Festival program, organizes the Festival on the announced dates, and posts necessary information on the Festival website and in the VKontakte social network.
3.3. The Festival Organizing Committee may make additions and adjustments to the program in order to improve the quality of the Festival, and compiles the results of the audience vote.
3.4. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to use Festival video materials (including trailers of participating films, excerpts from films up to 1 minute) and photographs of Festival works for the purposes of advertising and promotion of this Festival, including on television, in the press, and on the Internet.
3.5. The Organizing Committee undertakes not to use the submitted materials for commercial purposes.
3.6. The Festival Organizing Committee undertakes not to transfer Festival program films to third parties for commercial purposes, but reserves the right to organize non-commercial screenings as part of post-festival screenings ("Echo of the Festival") at venues in Russia and abroad without prior notification of the authors. It also reserves the right to share private viewing links and contact information of rights holders with program directors of other film festivals for consideration of films for those festivals' programs (in the event of selection, they will be required to coordinate this with the rights holder).
3.7. The Festival Organizing Committee has the right to engage partners, information partners, and sponsors for the implementation of the Festival project.

4. Festival Jury

4.1. The Festival Jury is composed of cultural and cinematic figures from Russia and abroad, as well as experts in rural geography, upon invitation from the Festival Organizing Committee.
4.2. The Jury evaluates the films and selects winners in the following categories:

• Best Fiction Film
• Best Documentary Film
• Grand Prix of the Festival

4.3. The Jury may also award diplomas with individual citations.
4.4. Films in the competition program are evaluated by audience vote, based on which an award is given in the following category:

• Audience Award

4.5. Winners receive a diploma and a Festival statuette. Prizes from Festival partners and sponsors are also possible.

5. Formation of the Festival Program and Terms of Participation

5.1. The main film screening program consists of short fiction and documentary films with a thematic focus on the village and rural lifestyle.
5.2. In addition to film screenings, an educational and cultural program is provided, introducing filmmakers and festival guests to the life and traditions of the Russian North village.
5.3. The film program is divided into a Competition Program and a Non-Competition Program. The Competition Program is evaluated by the Festival Jury and audience vote.
5.4. The Festival Program is formed by the Program Directorate. Participation in the Festival is free.
5.5. Films selected for the Festival program must comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation and meet generally accepted moral and ethical standards; they shall not contain propaganda of tobacco, alcohol, drug addiction, pornography, or other antisocial phenomena. Texts featured in the film shall not contain profanity.
5.6. Films of any year of production are accepted, however, when forming the Festival program, preference is given to films created within the two years preceding the Festival.
5.7. Film runtime: up to 30 minutes.
5.8. The Festival program may include Russian and foreign films. Films in foreign languages must have Russian or English subtitles.
5.9. The Festival program may include films made by professional filmmakers as well as students of film schools.
5.10. Authors of films meeting the requirements specified in clauses 5.1–5.9 may submit their film for consideration by submitting an application on the Filmfreeway website: https://filmfreeway.com/pechkafest. Russian authors may also submit an application on the "Nashi Festivals" platform: https://нашифестивали.рф/festivals/106070 or the website, or send a set of documents by email to entry@pechkafest.ru (email subject: "APPLICATION – film title"):

• Completed application form (see Appendix to these Regulations)
• Three stills from the film
• Poster (if available)
• Trailer (if available)
• Dialogue lists, if the film is in a foreign language

5.11. Submission deadline: April 15, 2026. Submission within the stated deadline is free of charge.
5.12. The Festival organizers allow the submission deadline to be extended by no more than one month. An organizational fee of 1000 rubles may be established for reviewing applications submitted after the main deadline.
5.13. The Festival Program is published on the PECHKA Festival website: http://pechkafest.ru, and in the VKontakte social network group: https://vk.com/pechkafest.
5.14. Authors of films selected for the festival program are invited to present their film at the festival.
5.15. Submitting an application for participation in the Festival implies unconditional agreement with all clauses of these Regulations.
By submitting an application to the Festival, the participant agrees to these Regulations and gives consent to comply with them. By submitting an application to the Festival, the participant gives consent to the processing of the specified data, in accordance with Article 9 of Federal Law No. 152-FZ of July 27, 2006 "On Personal Data."

Contact Information

• Participant inquiries: info@pechkafest.ru
• Media accreditation: submit an application via email to pr@pechkafest.ru. Free form of application.