RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR SUBMISSION

The 16th International Short & Independent Film Festival will take place in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, from December 24 to December 31, 2021.

The festival is being organized by Bangladesh Short Film Forum. This is a biennial festival of contemporary short and independent films (Short Fiction, Short Documentary, Short Animation, Short Experimental, Independent Fiction & Independent Documentary) from countries around the world.

A) GENERAL RULES FOR SUBMITTING FILMS:

  • Please register the film online at here.
  • Only films that have been registered online can be considered for selection.
  • If the Film’s final running time is projected to be less than 60 minutes, the film may only be submitted as International Short Film. It may compete in the “International Competition” section, depending on the selection, and it is applicable for both fiction and documentary.
  • If the Film’s final running time is projected to be more than 60 minutes, the Film may only be submitted as Independent Film, and it is applicable for both fiction and documentary.
  • International Fiction and Documentary Feature Films that have been released theatrically, broadcast on television, or screened at any number of film festivals within and outside their country of origin are eligible for submission to the Festival and all Festival program categories.
  • Films completed before 01 January, 2020, are not eligible for consideration for the 2021 Festival.
  • Film that have been submitted for festival consideration in previous term are not eligible for submission in this term.
  • It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to clear all content of the Film from any and all actual or potential legal claims and issues, including, without limitation, claims based upon theories of libel, defamation, invasion of privacy, violation of rights of publicity, theft of trade secrets, breach of confidence, breach of confidential relationship, and breach of express or implied contract (“Third Party Claim(s)”). The festival authority expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any content or materials within or relating to the submitted Film that are or may be the basis for any Third Party Claim(s) based upon any of the foregoing legal theories or others. The festival authority reserves the right to disqualify any Film that is or may become the subject of any Third Party Claim(s). In the event that any Third Party Claim(s) shall be asserted by any person or entity, Applicant shall fully indemnify and defend the Festival, and each of their representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any and all fees and expenses.
  • Upon completion of the Festival selection process, the festival authority will attempt to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form to notify the Applicant of the Film’s acceptance status. The festival authority disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any failure to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form. It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that the contact information provided on the submission form is correct throughout the entirety of the submission period (April 01, 2021 – September 15, 2021).
  • The decision of the festival authority regarding selection of the films, will be considered as final and binding on all and will not be subject to discussions.
  • Film once submitted and selected for final screening, will not be allowed to be withdrawn under any circumstance. Participation in the festival implies acceptance of festival rules and regulations.

B) FILM SUMISSION RULES:

  1. There is no entry fee for participating in the film festival. Films may be entered by any organization/ agency/ producer/ distributor/ director, who hold the copyright of the film. There is no restriction on number of entries.
  1. One entry form must be filled out for each film.
  1. In order to be considered for the Festival, the Applicant must fill out the Festival submission form located at here. The festival authority reserves the right to disqualify any Film that is not submitted through the mentioned channel.
  1. The submission form should be filled properly as asked. Otherwise the festival authority will not accept the application form.
  1. The preview copy of the film should be included in the submission form as web-link. The preview copy may be watermarked by “Preview Only”.
  1. In case of receiving film from applicants, the festival authority gives top priority on online submission rather than hard copy (DVD/Blu-ray). In some special/rare occasion, depend upon the discussion between the festival authority and the applicant, the festival authority may allow the applicant to send film by hard copy (DVD/Blu-ray/flash drive/memory card). in case of sending hard copy (DVD/Blu-ray/flash drive/memory card) applicant must follow the followings:
  • It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that the submitted disc arrives at the shipping destination provided to the Applicant upon completion of the submission form. In the event that a submitted disc/ flash drive/memory card does not arrive at the designated shipping destination within the deadline window selected by the Applicant, the festival authority will attempt, but is under no obligation, to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form in an effort to obtain a submission copy of the Film. The festival authority reserves the right to disqualify any Film that does not arrive at the designated shipping destination within the deadline window selected by the Applicant.
  • All expenses regarding processing of sending (or receiving at this end) the hard copy will be beard solely by the applicant. The festival authority will not be responsible in case of accidental damage or loss. The transport of the film will be at the applicant’s own risk and expense.
  • It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that the submitted DVD/Blu-ray Disc plays in its entirety on an industry-standard DVD/Blu-ray player prior to submitting it to the Festival. In the event that a submitted disc does not play in an industry-standard standard DVD/Blu-ray player, the festival authority will attempt, but is under no obligation, to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form in an effort to obtain a replacement copy of the Film. The festival authority reserves the right to disqualify any Film whose initially submitted disc does not play on an industry-standard DVD/Blu-ray player. This rule also apply in case of other means (flash drive/memory card) that contain the film.
  • The applicant must clearly write: ‘For festival screening only. No commercial value.’ on the package while sending both preview and final copy.
  1. After the film is selected, the festival authority will notify the applicant by mail. The weblink of the film’s final copy (the particulars of the final copy is mentioned below) has to be provided by the applicant as soon as possible in the festival’s official mail address.
  1. If the film is not selected, notification mail from festival authority will not be sent to the applicant.
  1. Films will be acceptable for screening with the following particulars only:

          File format – MP4, Mov
          Aspect Ratio – 4:3 or 16:9,
          Image Resolution – 720*1080 or Higher

  1. Applicants submitting Films must contain on-screen hard-coded English subtitle, regardless of any language film. No individual file for subtitle, with the film will be accepted. The festival authority reserves the right to disqualify any film that do not follow this criteria.
  1. The Festival Authorities will have the right to screen selective films in different cities of Bangladesh (as travelling festival) on non-commercial basis.
  1. For promotional / publicity purposes, clippings from any film entered in the festival may be shown on the National / International Television / Local network / Internet, etc.

C) THE SECTIONS OF THE FESTIVAL:

  • Competition Section : Short fiction and documentary films from around the world, originally made in digital format, are eligible for entry in this section. The films must have screening time not more than 60 minutes, and they must be produced/released after January 01, 2020.
  • Retrospective Section : The festival will have retrospective sessions of films either by outstanding film-makers or films on specific subjects, genre or films from a particular country or region.
  • Special Screening Section : There will be special film sessions on special themes such as tributes, country/reginal focus, other specially curate package (Bangladesh/Foreign), human rights/environmental issues, women & children issues, Premiers etc.
  • Tareqe Shahriar Independent Shorts : Films made in digital format with a maximum running time of 15 minutes are welcome in this section. This section is for Bangladeshi young and aspiring filmmakers only.

D) JURIES AND AWARDS :

  1. The festival authority will nominate an international jury of three members for the international competition section (Best Short Fiction and Best Short Documentary). The jury will award the following prizes:
  • Best Short Documentary (up to 60 minutes): Certificate + Crest + Cash (US$ 1000.00)
  • Best Short Fiction (up to 60 minutes): Certificate + Crest + Cash (US$ 1000.00)
  • A national jury of three members will award the Tareqe Shahriar Best Independent Short Award (Certificate + Crest + Cash BDT 25,000.00). This section is for Bangladeshi films of within 15 minutes running time and made by Bangladeshi young and aspiring filmmakers only.

Festival Office:
The 16th International Short & Independent Film Festival, 2021
108, Aziz Co-operative Supermarket (2nd floor), Shahbagh,
Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh.
Phone: +88-01828-230516, +88-01911-384911
E-mail: info@isiff-bd.org, festivaldirector@isiff-bd.org, 16th.isiff@gmail.com
Official Website : www.isiff-bd.org