OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN #223 December 2021

OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN #223 December 2021

N.B. The information below is provided directly by the organizers of events, festivals, audio-visual organizations or independent film projects. The Royal Film Commission - Jordan (RFC) cannot be held accountable for it.

In this bulletin:

1. Call for submissions: Malmö Arab Film Festival 2022
2. Call for submissions: Beirut Cinema Platform
3. Call for funding: The World Cinema Fund
4. Call for submissions: The 37th DOK.fest München
5. Call for applications: The Film Independent Documentary Lab 2022
6. Call for submissions: The Palm Springs International ShortFest
7. Call for submissions: Neum Animated Film Festival

The 12^th edition of the Malmö Arab Film Festival (MAFF) will take place from 4 to 8 May, 2022 and is now accepting submissions. The selected films will be mainly shown in Malmo as well as in other cities in the region in parallel with the Festival’s days (maximum 4 screenings).

Rules and Regulations:

• Films longer than 70 minutes should be submitted as feature films, while films less than 70 minutes should be submitted as short films.
• Films that may participate in the Festival are selected by its judging committee.
• Applicants for participation in the Festival have no guarantee that the film will be shown during the festival.
• There is no fee for applying. No compensation will be paid by the Festival to showcase the film.
• Submitted films should be produced in 2021-2022. No contributions that have been produced before the year 2021 will be accepted in the official competition but will be accepted in programs out of competition.
• Submitted films should be subtitled into English or Swedish language.
• Submitted films will not be accepted if they have been screened in Sweden before.
• MAFF has the right to manage the use of film clips and photographs from submitted films selected for the Festival for all its image or print ads in all pages on the internet utmost to promote the Festival.

Awards:

Short Film Competition

Best Short Film – Prize value 15000 SEK (±1500 USD)

Feature Film Competition

Jury Award – Prize value 15000 SEK (±1500 USD)

Best Feature Film – Prize value 20000 SEK (±2000 USD)

For more information, please visit: https://www.maffswe.com/submit/

Beirut Cinema Platform (BCP) offers the opportunity for Arab independent filmmakers and producers working on feature-length films to meet with professionals from around the globe and build partnerships, collaborations, and co-productions.

 The 6th edition will be held virtually in April 2022.

 Rules and Regulations:

• The filmmaker is a citizen of one of the 22 Arab countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

• The filmmaker has at least one short film to their credit.

• The project is a feature-length film (fiction, documentary, or docu-fiction films).

• The project is in development or a work in progress.

• For projects in development: the film is the director’s first or second feature-length.

• For works in progress: an Arab producer is attached to the project.

• Filmmakers are able to communicate in English since some of the professional meetings are held with foreign experts.

• Projects can be submitted in Arabic, English, or French.

The selection committee will prioritize:

• Projects with an attached Arab producer.

• Projects participating for the first or second time in a co-production platform.

• Projects dealing with topics related to social justice, or the environment.

Deadline for submission: December 25, 2021

For more information, please visit: https://www.beirutdc.org/bcp  

Production Funding:

• Maximum funding: 60,000 euro per project.
• The funding amount cannot exceed 50% of the total production costs.
• The total production costs of the supported projects should lie between 200,000 euro and 1,400,000 euro.
• The funding must be spent on the production of the film in the aforementioned regions.

The deadline is on February 28, 2022

For more information please visit: https://www.berlinale.de/en/world-cinema-fund/funding-programmes/production-support/wcf-classic/wcf-classic.html

Dok.fest München looks for international artistically outstanding and socially relevant documentary films. After two online editions, the Festival’s 37^th edition is set to return to the cinema in 2022.

General entry conditions:

• Every documentary submitted for the Festival must fulfill the following requirements:
• Your film must have been completed after 1st January 2021.
• Film’s duration at least 52 minutes.
• Submitted films must not have been screened in Germany publicly, nor may they have been shown on German public television before the Festival. Furthermore, films that are freely available on internet platforms are automatically excluded from the selection process.
• The film must be submitted by 17th December 2021 via the online form and with confirmation of payment by email.
• For foreign films, English or German subtitles are mandatory. For the screening process, they are not obligatory for films in English, French, Spanish or Czech.
• All programme decisions are made by a selection committee. 
• In case of an online version of the Festival, the regular programme structure as well as an accompanying programme (opening, jury viewings, Q&As, award ceremonies, etc.) will be retained for the most part.

The deadline is December 17, 2021

For more information, please visit: DOK.fest München (dokfest-muenchen.de)

Through a series of meetings and workshops, the Film Independent Documentary Lab provides creative feedback and story notes to participating filmmakers, while helping them strategize for the completion, distribution and marketing of their films. The program advances the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to film professionals, who can advise on both the craft and business of documentary filmmaking.

Over the course of two weeks in May, Fellows attend multiple workshops and sessions with guest speakers, established documentary directors, institutional funders, legal professionals, festival programmers and distributors. Fellows are paired with an experienced Creative Advisor, who can provide one-on-one support and insight as they ready their projects for release. The Lab culminates in a final pitch event that offers further opportunity for individualized feedback and discussion with industry executives.

Who Can Apply?

The Lab accepts applications for non-fiction films or series that will be in late post-production in the spring of 2022. Applicants must submit a work sample which should include a minimum of a polished trailer and scene selects, all the way up to a rough cut. Filmmakers who have yet to complete the majority of principal photography and those who do not yet have any footage assembled are not eligible to apply.

Film Independent is looking for talented filmmakers with documentary projects that are compelling, original and demonstrate a unique vision. Both experienced and first-time directors are welcome to apply. Creative partners on the documentary (e.g. co-director, producer, editor) can apply with the filmmaker as a team – only one joint application needs to be submitted in such cases.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit the following materials for consideration:

• A cover letter explaining what inspired you to apply to the Documentary Lab and why this is the right time for you to participate in the program.
• A project description that includes a logline, story summary/synopsis, topic summary, artistic approach, project stage and timeline.
• A summary of distribution/marketing strategy and intended audience.
• A summary of key creative personnel, including bios for each creative team member and a list of attached advisors or consultants.
• Overall fundraising strategy and funding to date.
  Budget information.
• A sample of the director’s prior work or a current work sample.

The deadline is February 11, 2022

For more information, please visit: https://www.filmindependent.org/programs/artist-development/documentary-lab/

The Palm Springs International ShortFest is one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America. The seven-day competitive festival is Academy Award, BAFTA and Goya-qualifying, annually screening hundreds of shorts from approximately 60 countries. ShortFest accepts submissions up to 40 minutes in duration, in the form of both fiction and non-fiction shorts. Categories include Animation, Documentary, and Live Action.


Rules & Terms:

• Shorts must have been completed in 2021 or 2022.

• Shorts must be no more than exactly 40 minutes in length, credits included.

• If selected, shorts must be available for projection in DCP.

• All non-English-language shorts must have English subtitles.

• Student shorts are eligible for all awards.

• ShortFest accepts work-in-progress cuts that are picture locked and include an opening slate listing what still needs to be completed (color-correction, sound mix, special effects, etc.). Please note that we will only review one cut.

• ShortFest does not require a premiere status, so online shorts are eligible.

 The deadline is on December 31, 2021

For more information, please visit:https://filmfreeway.com/PalmSpringsInternationalShortFest

Submissions are now open to the Neum Animated Film Festival, which will take place from June 25^th until July 2^nd, 2022. The Festival aims to create positive influence on development of film industry and culture through creative meetings and corporation of young people.

Rules and Terms:

• Animated films (duration 15 minutes) can participate.
• Each author can submit 3 films (produced over the last three years).
• Films that propagandize racism and pornography will not enter competition program.
• Filled and signed entry form are required.
• Photography and biography of director must be submitted.
• Photography of film is required.
• Declaration of author if he/ she is willing to work with children during the camp.

The deadline for submissions is on March 1, 2022

For more information please visit: https://filmfreeway.com/NeumAnimatedFilmFestival