Baghdad International Film Festival BIFF 2012

Rules & Regulations

 

The4th edition of the Baghdad International Film Festival (BIFF), which is scheduled to take place from October 3-7, 2012, in Baghdad, has launched its call for entries. As per the festival's press release, the festival is "looking for short-form, documentary, and feature film submissions in all genres. Entry forms, rules, and regulations are available on this website. The submission deadline is August 25, 2012.

 

The 2005 ,  2007 and 2011 BIFF received more than 750  submissions from all over the world, and 80 of these films were screened in the main competition categories of narrative, short and documentary films.

 

By organizing this festival, No-Borders Iraqi Cinematographers (NBIC) intends to establish a tradition in Iraq by offer Iraqi, Arab and foreign filmmakers the opportunity to join together and share their experiences. NBIC is dedicated to encouraging the new generation of Iraqi filmmakers to network with their colleagues around the world. The festival focuses on the values of freedom, democracy, human rights and justice through the support and screening of documentaries, shorts, and feature-length fiction films.

 

NBIC aims to support new cinema in Iraq by highlighting new films. In this view, we offer competition programs in the festival to discover significant films and filmmakers.

 

BIFF serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent and is dedicated to nurturing and developing new Iraqi filmmakers and their cinematic visions. The festival is also open to Arab and international filmmakers of any generation or experience level. The competition programs are reserved for first-time directors working with limited budgets, thus enabling the Festival's mission to give exposure to emerging filmmaking talent. BIFF is programmed through a unique democratic method, just one of many elements that make BIFF a pioneering standout among its festival counterparts. Every film is programmed by majority rule by a committee of filmmakers.

 

This “Cinema for Multiculturalism” offers more than a simple presentation of the works. It introduces an intercultural forum, gathering guests and participants to share their reflections and experiences, as well as the artistic and cultural (and often dramatically changing) contexts that have shaped their work. 

 

The BIFF “Cinema for  Multiculturalism” reflects specificities and convergences of art practices between new cinema and contemporary art. It also explores emerging media art practices and their critical purposes, and enables the space to allow these points of view to meet and be exchanged.

 

The event aims at presenting these works to a broad audience, creating circulations among different art practices and audiences, and creating new exchanges among artists, filmmakers and professionals. BIFF intends to contribute to a reflection on our contemporary culture of image via a demanding program open to everyone.

 

KEY 2012 DATES

 

May 1 – Submissions open

August 15 – Deadline for submissions

October 3 -7– 4thBaghdad International Film Festival

 

THE PROGRAM

 

3 official competitions: Long fiction, short fiction, and documentary.

 

Panorama: This section screens a selection of films produced in the guest of honor country and organizes seminars and meetings to give information about this country`s cinema, history, culture and filmmakers

 

New Horizons: This section is reserved for Iraqi filmmakers, including especially projects by students who have graduated from the Faculty and Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces.

 

Human Images: This section awards a prize for the best films about human rights in Iraq and the world. It aims to encourage Iraqi and non-Iraqi filmmakers to deal with this issue and use cinema to underscore the reality of Iraqis that suffer from the interruption of human rights in general, and especially the rights of women and children.

 

Arab Women Filmmakers: This section encourages Iraqi and Arab women filmmakers to be part of the cinema movement in Iraq and to demonstrate how they have been able to overcome difficulties and obstacles, competing equally with their male colleagues.

 

Photography Exhibition: This is an open space for photographers to exhibit their works under the title, “Baghdad stands up again.” Photography may focus on a number of themes, including social life, cultural life, people, children, women, nature, and landscape.

 

 

Juries and awards:

An international jury will select the winning fiction film in the competition, which will receive first prize for Best Fiction Film.

An international jury will select the winning short film in the competition, which will receive first prize for Best Short Film.

 

The winner in the Documentary film competition will be awarded first prize for Best Documentary Film.

 

The  international juries  will select fiction, short and documentary films for second,  third and other special prizes.

 

Other prizes will be awarded to:

 

• Best Screenplay
• Best Production
• Best Direction
• Juries special prizes
• Audiences special prize
• New Horizon: prizes for Iraqi filmmaker
• Human Image : prizes for the best films about human rights issues.
• Arab  Woman Filmmakers : prizes awarded to for  female Arab filmmakers.

 

The festival management and juries’ decisions are final. Entry and participation of fiction, documentary and short films implies unconditional acceptance of the regulations. In unspecified cases, the festival’s management will make a final decision.

 

The jury will grant prizes for the best non-Iraqi – Arab films in each competition section of the festival.

 

Sponsors’ logo(s) will appear on the festival’s posters and other publications . For more details about the levels of sponsorship, please contact the festival’s management.

 

1. ELIGIBILITY FOR ENTRY

 

All sections, with the exception of the Iraqi Film Competition, are open to filmmakers from all nations. Eligibility, awards and prizes for the section are listed in the separate Rules & Regulations. All submitted films must be produced after October 2010 with the exception of films from the guest of honor cinema and a few selections for the Panorama section.

 

2. HOW TO ENTER

 

2.1 No entry fee is required to submit your film to the Festival.

2.2 All entries must be submitted on or before 25 August 2012 by completing the entry form and mailing a DVD of the film. All materials must be received by the Festival offices on or before the deadline. 

2.3 Submissions must include the following materials:

• Two multi-zone or region-free DVD copies of the film with English or Arabic subtitles. Each DVD must be clearly marked with the film’s title, director’s name, year, country of production, and running time.
• Press materials, including production credit list, synopsis in English and/or Arabic, director’s biography, director’s filmography, high-resolution photograph of the director, one printed full-color still, and any other relevant background information on the film.
• Entry form.

 

NOTE: Incomplete entry forms may not be considered. The information entered on the entry form is essential for your film’s consideration.

 

2.4 Shipping costs for submissions must be covered by the sender. Submission materials will not be returned unless previously agreed upon by the sender and the Festival.

2.5. Submission of a film implies unconditional acceptance of the Rules & Regulations.

2.6. Submissions should be sent to the address below in envelopes clearly marked with “For cultural use only” and “No commercial value.”

 

BIFF Directory

P.O. Box 84005

Faculty of Fine Arts Post Office

Alwazerya

Baghdad

Iraq

Email :

Tel:

Baghdad :6

                 

Europe   :

Adress EU:

50 Rue de Gaz

1020 Bruxelles

Belgium

Facebook:

 

3. IF YOUR FILM IS INVITED…

3.1 The Festival reserves the right to assign each film to the section it believes most appropriate.

3.2 Notification of acceptance for invited films will be sent out by the Festival no. Later than 1^st September 2012 Correspondence will be conducted via email.

3.3 The invitation will include a Film Information Form and a list of materials to be duly completed and sent back to the Festival within two weeks of receiving the invitation and no later than 15^th September 2012 . The Film Information Form, to be signed by the filmmaker, will stand as a legally binding acceptance of the invitation by all concerned and will be considered definitive and irrevocable. It will also serve as a binding agreement that all materials related to the presentation of the film will be sent to the Festival.

3.4 The invitation must remain strictly confidential until the Festival’s program is officially announced by the Festival. Any exception must be approved in writing by the Festival.

3.5. Any changes to the information in the entry form must be communicated to the Festival without delay. Email any changes to:

3.6 The Festival will announce its program in ten days before the festival date.

3.7 If your film is not selected, the Festival will do its best to inform you before the announcement of the program. Festival programmers may communicate with filmmakers regarding their films, but the Festival reserves the right not to comment on the reasons for not selecting a film.

3.8 After selecting a fiction, documentary or a short film, the festival reserves the right to use up to three minutes from the films for broadcasting purposes, on BIFF-related websites or in theatres. The festival also reserves the right to use the film’s publicity materials (press books, posters, stills, etc.)to promote the festival.

 

4. REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION FOR INVITED FILMS

4.1 The exhibition copy must be in one of the following formats:; (a) Digital Betacam PAL tape; (b)Betacam SP PAL;(c) DVCAM;or

4.2 A screening copy with English or Arabic subtitles must be provided for all films not in Arabic or English.

4.3 Films that are selected must also provide a completed film information form and list of materials.

4.4 A DVD copy of the final version of the film must be provided for the Festival’s archives.

4.5 The Festival reserves the right to screen each film up to three times. A fourth screening may be held for accredited press and guests.

 

5. SHIPPING AND INSURANCE

5.1 The Festival will cover the cost of shipping the exhibition copy after the festival’s closing.

5.2 The Festival covers insurance costs for the exhibition copies of all invited films while they are in the Festival’s possession. All insurance costs for shipping the exhibition copy to and from the Festival must be covered by the shipping agent or sender. In the case of loss or damage, the Festival will only be responsible for the replacement value of the print if it was originally received by the Festival in good condition and if notification of the damage is received no later than November 30, 2012.

5.3 All exhibition copies must reach the Festival offices no later than September 15^th 2012  . If the exhibition copy is not in perfect condition, the Festival may refuse to present it.

5.4 The Festival reserves the right to change the above rules and regulations without notice.

 

Taher ALWAN

BIFF Director