Rules & Regulations

14th IFFK Entry Form Download : .pdf    .doc

14th IFFK Rules & Regulations Download : .pdf    .doc

REGULATIONS :

Article 1. Organisation:
The 14th International Film Festival of Kerala will be held at Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), the capital city of Kerala, from 11th - 18th December 2009. The international media and film professionals the world over have cherished the previous editions of the festival for its very enlightened and enthusiastic audience, wide representation of filmmaking countries and its warm hospitality. Chalachitra Academy or the Motion Picture Academy of the State of Kerala, which conducts this festival, is a body devoted to the promotion and propagation of quality cinema.

Article 2. Aims and Objectives:
The festival aims at presenting a selection of the best of World Cinema and a competition section especially devoted to films from Asian, African and Latin American countries. To encourage young and upcoming filmmakers, there is an award for the Best Debut filmmaker from these countries.

Article 3. Sections:
3.1 Competition Section Films (Films with a minimum length of 70 minutes produced or co produced from a country in Asia, Africa or Latin America in the last one year)
3.2 Rules covering the competition section:
A Selection committee selects films for the competition. Unless a special waiver is granted, only those films meeting the following conditions are chosen for invitation in competition.
1. Entry for the competition is for films produced or co-produced in an Asian, African and Latin American country.
2. Films that have been produced after 1st September 2008 and having English subtitles are eligible to participate.
3. Films selected for competition should not have participated in any other International Film Festival competition in India.
4. Selection of films for competition is at the discretion of the committee, set up by the Academy. The Chairman of the Academy as Director of the Festival has a special right to waive any condition for participation in the Competition.
5. No legal claim for participation in the competition can be filed.
6. No invited film shall be withdrawn from the festival programme.
7. During the entire period of the festival, none of the invited films shall be shown outside the festival venue, before its official presentation.
8. Selection at any other International festival does not ensure selection to IFFK.
9. Films submitted in a previous edition of the festival cannot be considered for competition again.
3.3 Non-Competition:
Films except those in English must be in their original version with English subtitles for all festival sections.
1. World Cinema
2. Retrospectives & Homage’s
3. Indian Cinema Today
4. New Malayalam Cinema

Article 4. Entry deadlines & selection of films:
4.1 The deadline for receiving applications and preview material: 30th September 2009.
The VHS (PAL, SECAM, NTSC) or DVD with English subtitles should reach the Academy before the above-mentioned date along with:
1. A duly completed Entry Form (also available on our website)
2. An undertaking certifying the date of completion of the film.
3. Synopsis in English
4. Press Book or Publicity Brochure
5. Stills from the film & Director’s photograph (very essential)
6. Name, address, telephone, fax & e-mail of the press attaché, if any.
4.2 Selection:
Rules governing selection committee for the competition section: a) The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy will appoint the Selection committee consisting of eminent persons including filmmakers and others from different fields.
b) No person with any involvement in the films will be present on the Selection committee. The committee member will provide this in writing.
c) The selection committee can suggest films for screening in Sections other than those applied for.
2. The selection Committee will preview submitted films on DVD.
4.3 Selection Material:
1. Last date for receiving preview material is 30th September 2009. While sending VHS or DVDs value may be declared as less than US$ 10. Inscribe ‘No commercial value. For Cultural purpose only’ on the parcel.
2 The Festival will not bear the cost of transportation of preview material. DVD’s will be returned on request at the owners cost
3. The jury will sit in judgment on films chosen by the selection committee for competition.

Article 5. Jury & Awards
5.1. Jury:
1. An independent international jury appointed by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy will determine the prizes. The decision of the jury will be final.
2. No one with any involvement in the making or the exploitation of an entry for competition may sit on the jury.
3. The jury will sit in judgment on films chosen by the selection committee for competition.
4. The Festival Director and the Artistic Director of the Festival are free to attend Jury deliberations but will take no part in the deliberations or decision making.
5. In addition to the cash awards the Jury is free to award special jury prizes and mentions to any aspect of filmmaking. These will not carry any cash prizes.
5.2 Awards:
The jury will be the final and only authority to judge the: Suvarna Chakoram (Golden Crow Pheasant) and the Rajata Chakoram (Silver Crow Pheasant) awards of the festival. The jury will award
(1) Suvarna Chakoram and a cash prize of Rs. 1,000,000/-
(about $US 20,000) to the best director and the producer
(2) Rajata Chakoram and a cash prize of Rs. 300,000/-
(about $US 6,000) to the best director and
(3) Rajata Chakoram and a cash prize of Rs. 200,000/-
(about $US 4,000) for the Best Debut filmmaker.
In addition to the above, a Rajata Chakoram and a cash prize of Rs.100,000/- (about $US 2,000) will be awarded as the Audience Prize to the director of a film that is voted by the delegates of the festival as the Best Entry in competition.
A FIPRESCI Award adjudged by an independent jury setup by FIPRESCI will choose the best film for the FIPRESCI Award the Best Malayalam Film in the competition and Malayalam Cinema Today sections.
An independent jury set up by NETPAC will adjudge the best Asian Film in Competition and the Best Malayalam Film in the competition and Malayalam Cinema Today sections.
An Independent Jury will adjudge The Best Debut Indian film for the Hassan Kutty Award instated by Mirabai Films.

Article 6. Insurance & Shipping:
1. The festival will incur shipping cost of the prints of invited films.
2. All films must be imported using the festival freight agent. The festival will not be responsible for films imported by any other means.
3. Films will be sent back to the participants only to the address indicated in the entry form or as instructed in writing, within two weeks of the festival closing date.
4. IFFK 2009 will pay storage and insurance costs for selected films throughout the period in which the cinematographic materials are in the festival authority’s custody. In case of print loss or damage, the liability of the festival authority will not exceed the value indicated in the official entry forms.
5. In the event of damage to a print, any claims lodged by the lender of the copy must be communicated to the festival at the very latest, within one month of return of the print to the lender.
6. The festival shields itself against liability for the oldness of a print, by informing the lender by letter or e-mail about any deterioration of the print, after receiving the same.
7. Reimbursement for any eventual damage will be sent to the lender of the print in the lending country upon presentation of the invoice.
8. If the insurance company is obliged to reimburse damages only to the festival authority, it shall immediately upon receipt of this reimbursement, remit the sum to the lender of the copy.

Article 7 Copies for archive:
1. Winners of awards will deposit an English subtitled DVD copy of the award winning film for use by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy for non commercial, academic purposes.
2. The winners of Suvarna Chakoram (Golden Crow Pheasant) and Rajata Chakoram (Silver Crow Pheasant) awards will be welcome to deposit a print of the Award winning film in the Academy Archive, by receiving the cost of the print from the festival authority.

Article 8:
The Chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy as Director of the festival has the authority to settle all cases not covered by the present rules.

Article 9. Promotional programme on Television:
1. Please send at least 4 different excerpts of maximum three minutes length each.
2. The film lender should indicate whether the excerpts should be sent to him at his expense.
3. If excerpts are not available, the film maker is requested to authorise the festival authority to tape four excerpts of a maximum length of three minutes each, under its supervision.
4. The Festival has the authority to give maximum publicity to films being screened at the Festival.

Article 10:
No cuts or changes will be made in the films by the festival management for any reason. The Festival abides not to hold for each film more than the three screenings as allowed by International Regulations.

Article 11:
The final print of each selected film must reach the sole shipping agent accredited by the festival authority before 25th November 2009 if prints are not received by 25th November 2009 screening can be cancelled.

Article 12:
The import, distribution & commercial exhibition of all films to be presented in any section of the festival will be exempted from customs duty.

Article 13:
Films will be presented within the official section of the festival, only if they have been produced following cinematographic professional rulings in the country of production and if their priority destination is for normal and continued theatrical exhibition.

Article 14:
A list of films selected will be posted on the Academy website by 10th November 2009. Only films selected will be informed in writing.

Article 15:
The festival will ensure that the films are screened at the best available theatres. The names of the theatres and their seating capacities will be made available for information. The festival will also make available a schedule of the entire program that will take place during the festival period.

Article 16:
All relevant information regarding a film should be furnished in the entry form for inclusion in the official festival book.

Article 17:
The festival will not present any film to any person or organisation (other than the International jury) before the official public screening or eventually, before the general screening for the journalists, unless specifically asked by the producer.

Article 18:
The promotional facilities in the Film Market organised by the festival authority can be made use of by the festival entrants.

Article 19:
(a) (1) The Director or one producer of a film selected for competition will be invited with full hospitality for participation in the festival.
(2) Director of films selected for World Section will be provided accommodation only during the festival. If the Director is unable to attend he may nominate in writing the producer or any other member of the cast or crew.
(3) Director or Producers of films selected in the Indian section will be invited to participate.
(4) Director or Producer of the films selected in the Malayalam section will be provided accommodation and IInd AC train fare.
(b) The address of the Director and Producer as mentioned in the entry form will be considered.
(c) Directors or Producers of films in any section who are residents of Thiruvananthapuram will not be provided any accommodation but will be given guest registration.
(5) The Festival Director reserves the right to invite as guests any person or persons involved in the films participating.

Article 20:
Participation in the festival implies acceptance of all aforementioned regulations and selection conditions.

Article 21:
All materials may be sent to the following address:

Secretary
Kerala State Chalachitra Academy
Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram 695 010, Kerala, India

Tel: +91-471-2310323, 2312214 Fax: +91-471-2310322

e-mail: iffkoffice@yahoo.co.in iffkoffice@gmail.com

Website: www.keralafilm.com