Film Competition
The Gulf Film Festival (hereafter referred to as “GFF”) is an annual nonprofit cultural event that takes place in April in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The GFF is organized by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (“DCAA”).
The Festival will feature two main competitions – The Film Competition and the Script Competition. The Film Competition is open to films by gulf filmmakers (including Iraq & Yement), or filmmakers of other nationalities with a film that showcases the region and its landscape. The Script Competition is open to Emirati short films only.
The GFF, which will also feature a range of international cinema, has two overriding objectives:
(i) The Festival aims to develop the local and regional film culture in the Gulf, creating greater opportunities for filmmakers from the region to screen their films and develop future film projects.
(ii) The Festival aims to celebrate excellence in Gulf cinema and be a destination festival for the international film community to discover state of the art Gulf Cinema.
Dates: The Third edition of the GFF will be held from April 8 to 14, 2010.
1- FILM COMPETITION
The 2010 edition of GFF will continue to present the Film Competition in three different categories (A) feature films, (B) short films and (C) documentary films.
1. ELIGIBILITY FOR SELECTION:
A- General Eligibility
Unless a special waiver is granted by GFF:
(i) All entry films in the feature, documentary and short formats must meet at least one of the following conditions:
- Films must be directed by a filmmaker of Gulf Nationality or Origin as defined in the attached Appendix 1.
- The subject and storyline of the film should be centered on the Gulf region, Gulf history and/or Gulf culture.
(ii) Films must not have been screened in the UAE for any audiences before GFF. With exceptions for films that have participated in the 6th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (“DIFF”) and/or the Ibda’a Media Student Awards.
(iii) The film must have been produced after January 1, 2009.
(iv) The film must be submitted to GFF before February 25, 2010.
(v) Until the end of GFF, films must not have been broadcasted and/or made available on television, the internet, mobile phones and/or any other public viewing platform now known or thereafter devised.
(vi) All non-English dialogue films must have English subtitles.
(vii) The submitted work must NOT be a television programme or an episode of a series.
(viii) Films that have been submitted to earlier editions of GFF will not be considered.
In the event that a film is not selected by GFF for the Film Competition, GFF reserves the right to select said film for any of GFF’s Out of Competition sections.
B- Eligibility by Category
Feature Films: Films must be a work of fiction that equals or exceeds 60 minutes in length. The competition will only be held if a minimum of 5 feature films are selected, otherwise the films will be screened as “Out of Competition”.
Documentary Films: Films must be a work of nonfiction, regardless of the duration.
Short Films: Films must be a work of fiction that does not exceed 59 minutes in length.
2. SELECTION COMMITTEE & JURY:
Selection Committee:
GFF will solely appoint a selection committee to review submitted feature, documentary and short films. The committee will decide on the official selection to enter the three categories of the GFF Film Competition.
GFF Jury:
GFF will solely appoint five jury members to decide on prize winners for each of the categories in the Film Competition.
3. AWARDS & PRIZE MONEY:
A- Official Competition Awards:
There will be 2 Official Competition Awards awarded in the Feature Films category: Best Film - AED 50,000; Second Prize - AED 35,000 where the cash prize will be awarded to the Director(s) of each film.
There will be 3 - Official Competition Awards awarded in the Documentary Films category: First Prize - AED 25,000; Second Prize - AED 20,000 and Third Prize – AED 15,000, where the cash prize will be awarded to the Director(s) of each film.
There will be 1 Official Special Jury Prize for Feature or Documentary – AED 20, 000AED, where the cash prize will be awarded to the Director(s) of the film.
There will be 5 cash prize for the Official Competition Awards awarded in the Short Films category: First Prize - AED 25,000; Second Prize – AED 20,000; Third Prize– AED 15,000 and Special Jury Prize – AED 20,000 the cash prize will be awarded to the Director(s) of each film. For the Best Script – AED 15,000, the cash prize will be awarded to the Scriptwriter of the film.
B- Students’ Competition Awards:
There will be 3 - Students’ Competition Awards awarded in the Documentary Films category: First Prize - AED 20,000; Second Prize - AED 15,000 and Third Prize – AED 10,000, where the cash prize will be awarded to the Director(s) of each film.
There will be 3 - Students’ Competition Awards awarded in the Short Films category: First Prize - AED 20,000; Second Prize – AED 15,000 and Third Prize– AED 10,000where the cash prize will be awarded to the Director(s) of each film.
There will be 1 Official Special Jury Prize for Documentary or Short – AED 15,000, where the cash prize will be awarded to the Director(s) of the film.
C- Special Mentions:
Acknowledgements will be given in the various sections of the Competition to distinguished works and their makers.
4. SUBMISSION:
There is no entry fee to submit a film for the Gulf Film Festival.
Deadlines:
Entries must be submitted before February 25, 2010 by completing the application form online (www.gulffilmfest.com) in both Arabic and English. The 2 copies of the DVD of the film must reach GFF together with a signed copy of the online submission form before the same date of February 25, 2010. Any submission and/or material received after the above deadline will not be accepted.
Submitted Material:
The submitted material consists of a signed copy of the online submission form, 2 copies of the DVD of the film (with English subtitles if applicable) and any other additional material submitted by the submitter. The submitted DVDs can be of any region. If the original version of the film is not in English, the submitted DVDs must be subtitled in English. DVD is the only accepted submission format.
Please label the cover of the DVD, with the following details:
1. Title of the film
2. The full name of the Director(s)
3. The duration of the film
4. The original language(s) of the film
5. Date of completion of production
Please ensure that the film title and all other requested information are provided in English.
Submission Shipping:
All shipping costs of the Submitted Material must be borne by the submitter/sender. For the avoidance of doubt, the Submitted Material will not be returned to the submitter/sender. All submissions should be sent directly to the hereunder address with “For cultural use only” and “Without commercial value” clearly marked on the envelope.
Gulf Film Festival
Dubai Media City, CNN Building
1st floor - Management Office
P.O. Box 502600
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Attention: Submissions Manager
RE: [film name], [online submission ID #]
Tel: +971 4 391 0069 | Fax: +971 4 367 2892
Email: submissions@tecom.ae
Submission of Work in Progress:
GFF does NOT accept Work in Progress.
Storage of Submissions:
GFF retains the right to keep all submissions as well as associated materials for its use. GFF reserves the right to transfer submissions to a master hard drive digital library, building a digital reference archive (“-GFF Permanent Digital Library”). GFF will not theatrically screen for commercial purposes any films without the express written consent of the appropriate rights holder(s).
Additional Terms:
For the avoidance of doubt, once a film is submitted, the submitter will not be able to withdraw nor to submit and/or present said film anywhere in the UAE before its selection and/or screening at GFF.
5. SELECTED FILMS:
The Selection Committee will at its own discretion select the films.
If a film is selected for the Film Competition, GFF will send an official selection letter by March 11, 2010 and will advise of further requirements and next steps.
The final Film Competition selection will be announced on April 1st, 2010.
If a film has not been selected, GFF will inform by letter within 1week of the announcement of the final Film Competition selection. For the avoidance of doubt, GFF shall not comment on the grounds of not selecting a film.
Material:
The final screening copy of the film can only be submitted in one of the following formats: (a) 35mm print; (b) HDCAM tape; (c) Digital Betacam PAL tape; or (d) Betacam SP PAL tape; Mini DV and DV Cam.
Deadlines:
GFF must receive the print or tape (as applicable) of the film for screening purposes on or before March 17, 2010.
Print Shipping:
Shipping costs to and from GFF’s premises will be incurred by GFF. GFF undertakes to return the prints within 2 weeks of the end of GFF.
Print Insurance:
Prints of all films selected for GFF will be insured throughout the period in which they are in the festival’s custody. In the case of loss or damage during GFF, GFF will be responsible only for the replacement value of the print, if said print was originally received by the festival in good condition.
Screenings & Scheduling:
Selected Films will be screened up to three times to GFF’s public audiences. The film may be screened in advance of the festival an additional (fourth) time for accredited press and industry members.GFF will at its sole discretion decide on the dates and order of the screening(s) of each film.
6. ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND UNDERTAKING:
Submission and participation in GFF and the Film Competition implies acceptance of the Regulations.
The submitter hereby represents and warrants that he/she holds all rights in and to the film and Material and that he/she has the authority and capacity to submit the film and Material for the GFF.
The submitter acknowledges that GFF shall not be held liable or responsible in any manner whatsoever for any loss or damage of whatever type or nature incurred as a result of the submission, acceptance and/or screening of the film and/or Material. Furthermore, the submitter undertakes to indemnify and keep GIFF indemnified against all liabilities, claims, demands, actions, costs, damages or loss arising out of the submission, acceptance and/or screening of the film and/or use or non use of the Material.
The submitter also understands and acknowledges that the GFF Submission Form and the present Regulations form a consolidated and unified document and that therefore the GFF Submission Form shall be considered as incorporated herein by reference.
7. ADDITIONALTERMS:
Censorship:
No editorial cuts or changes to any film will be made at any time by GFF for any reason or under any circumstances.
Anti-Piracy Precautions:
GFF undertakes to take all possible anti-piracy precautions. All prints and associated copyrighted materials will be securely stored while on GFF premises. Access is limited to GFF’s nominated staff only and all movement of prints will be strictly monitored. No duplication or loaning is permitted and no prints will ever leave the custody and care of GFF or its authorized agents during GFF.
Festival Management’s Discretion:
GFF will decide in its discretion on all issues and matters not foreseen by these Regulations. GFF further retains the right to permit exceptions to the application of these Regulations at any time in its discretion.
Promotional Material:
All GFF selected films including Film Competition winners undertake to include, in a clear and visible manner, on the Home Video release of their film (i.e. DVD. Blu Ray, online availability…) and on any and all promotional material (including but not limited to posters, banners, EPK’s, websites…) a specific logo to be provided by GFF.
APPENDIX 1
Gulf Nationality or Origin shall mean people from one or more of the following countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Kingdom of Bahrain, Sultanate of Oman, Qatar, Republic of Iraq and Republic of Yemen.
