Africa in Motion short film festival - call for entries from African filmmakers
For the second year, Edinburgh's Africa in Motion (AiM) film festival is inviting African filmmakers to submit short films of up to 30 minutes for the festival's short film competition. In order to target the competition specifically towards young and emerging African film talent, filmmakers who enter a film for consideration must not have completed a feature-length film previously. Films entered must have been completed in 2006 or after.
A shortlist from all the entries will be selected in July and announced by the end of August 2009. From this shortlist, the competition winner will be chosen by a high profile jury and announced at an awards ceremony at the Africa in Motion festival in October 2009. The jury will consist of local and international film specialists and established African filmmakers.
All shortlisted films will be screened at the festival. In addition to the overall first prize selected by the jury, an audience choice award will be selected by the audience at the screenings and announced at the end of the festival.
The deadline for competition entries is 30 June 2009. Please see below for full submission guidelines and to download the entry form. Alternatively, visit http://www.africa-in-motion.org.uk/competition.html Please read carefully through the submission guidelines and email the festival director Lizelle Bisschoff for further enquires at:
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
- We accept entries from all filmmakers of African nationality working in Africa or abroad. We are particularly interested in giving exposure to young, emerging African filmmakers living and working in Africa. To this end, filmmakers who enter a film for consideration must not have completed a feature-length film previously. Films could be fiction, documentary, animation or experimental and shot in any format.
- Only recent films directed by filmmakers of African nationality will be accepted. The film must have been completed in 2006 or after and could have been screened on television, at festivals and in cinemas previously.
- Films should be no longer than 30 minutes.
- We will only accept films in English or with English subtitles. Participants are responsible for all translation and subtitling, but please get in touch with us if you need advice/support on this.
- The viewing copy should be on VHS PAL or DVD (any region). All films submitted should be accompanied by a completed entry form and all viewing copies should be clearly labeled with the title of the film and name of the director.
- Unfortunately viewing copies and promotional materials submitted cannot be returned to the sender and will be stored in our festival archive. These are kept exclusively for our own research and non-commercial purposes.
- All deliveries from outside the European Union should be marked with the phrase "no commercial value - for cultural purposes only". Applicants are responsible for the cost of posting the entry form and viewing copy to us.
- The completed entry form and viewing copy should reach us not later than 30 June 2009. There is no entry fee.
- We welcome stills, press releases and other promotional materials to accompany entries, which we might use for promotional purposes. Digital stills can be emailed to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the title of your film in the subject box. Please note that any digital stills submitted should be in JPEG format and must be at least 300 dpi and no less than 500KB.
- Please note that if your film is shortlisted it is a requirement to supply us with high res stills. This is essential in order for us to properly and professionally publicise the short film competition and your film.
- By submitting your film to the Africa in Motion short film competition, the copyright holder of your film authorises the festival to make clips of a maximum of three minutes available on online broadcast channels (such as the Africa in Motion Youtube channel and other online channels affiliated to the festival). The purpose of this is solely to promote the festival and your film.
- We will contact all applicants in August 2009. If your film is shortlisted we will get in touch with you to arrange for a screening copy to be sent to us (screening copies could be on dvd, but should preferably be on Betacam SP PAL, Digibeta, 16mm or 35mm). Participants are responsible for the cost of sending the screening copies to the festival. The festival will cover the cost of returning/forwarding screening copies.
- Completed entry forms and viewings copies should be posted by 30 June 2009 to:
Africa in Motion Film Festival
6 East Bay
North Queensferry, Fife
KY11 1JX
UNITED KINGDOM
To enter, please download, print and complete the 3-page entry form and post it to us with a viewing copy of your film.