ART FILM FEST 2012

International Film Festival Trenčianske Teplice - Trenčín

1. General information

The 20^th Art Film Fest will take place from 16 - 23 June, 2012 in Trenčianske Teplice and Trenčín.

This year’s festival will offer a multidimensional venue for the presenting the latest works of European and global cinema, in addition to notable titles from film history and an extensive overview of pictures from the Slovak cinematic tradition.

The Festival’s centrepieces are its two competition sections. The International Competition of Feature Films is open to film directors who have produced their first, second or third feature-length fiction film under professional conditions. The International Competition of Short Films focuses on short-length work of all genres.

2.  Competition sections and official awards

2.1  The International Competition of Feature Films

is open to feature films which are

• the director’s first, second or third feature-length fiction film,
• produced after 1 January 2011,
• available on one of the following formats: 35 mm print, BETA SP PAL, DV CAM, mini DV, DVD, digibeta PAL, Blu-ray disc
• and over 60 minutes in length.

A five-member International Jury will determine the winners of the Feature Film Competition for the "Blue Angel” Awards. The jury will decide by majority vote of the present and voting jurors.The jury will announce their results at the Festival’s Closing Ceremony.

The jury of the International Competition of Feature Films will confer four official awards:

• Blue Angel for Best Film
  given to the film’s producer
• Blue Angel for Best Director
  given to the film’s director
• Blue Angel for Best Female Performance
  given to the actress
• Blue Angel for Best Male Performance
  given to the actor

The jury has the power to grant additional awards called “special mentions” to other films in the International Competition of Feature Films.

Persons connected with a film in competition are not allowed to serve for the corresponding Jury.

2.2 International Competition of Short Films

is open to films which are

• up to 30 minutes in length (short films),
• fiction, documentary, experimental or animated,
• produced by professionals or students,
• produced after 1 January 2011,
• and available on one of the following formats: 35 mm print, BETA SP PAL, DV CAM, mini DV, DVD, digibeta PAL, Blu-ray disc.

A three-member International Jury will determine the winner of the Short Film Competition for the statutory "Blue Angel for Best Short Film" award. The jury will decide by majority vote of the present and voting jurors. The jury will announce their results at the Festival’s Closing Ceremony.

The jury of the International Competition of Short Films will confer one official award:

• Blue Angel for Best Short Film
  given to the film’s director

The jury has the power to grant additional awards called “special mentions” to other films in the International Competition of Short Films.

Persons connected with a film in competition are not allowed to serve for the corresponding Jury.

3. Terms and conditions of festival registration

Owners of screening rights (hereinafter called “the submitter”) may submit their films to the 20th Art Film Fest as follows:

by March 31, 2012 for both the International Competition of Feature Films and  the International Competition of Short Films.

Entry forms for both competition sections will be available at the Festival's webpage from January 31, 2012 latest.

A signed copy of the completed entry form must be sent together with a DVD preview screener of the submitted film before the corresponding deadline to the following address:

Art Film Fest – Programme Department
Omnipolis Centre (7th floor - Forza)
Trnavska cesta 100/II
821 04 Bratislava
Slovak Republic
tel.: +421/2 2085 5100

Sending of the entry form and DVD screener will imply the submitter´s full acceptance of the festival rules and regulations.

4.  Film selection

The films for the International Competition of Feature Films are selected by the Programme Director of the Festival.

The films for the International Competiton of Short Films are selected by a two-member Short Film Selection Committee of the Festival.

The films for the non-competition sections are selected by their individual coordinators in cooperation with the entire Programme Comittee of the Festival. 

Films submitted to the Festival are equally considered for competition and non-competition sections; their final inclusion in one of the programme sections is made by the Programme Director of the Festival.

In case a film has been accepted into the official Art Film Fest programme, the Festival informs all relevant submitters via e-mail at latest by April 30, 2012. For organisational reasons, the Festival reserves the right not to inform submitters of films that have been rejected.

5.  Requested documentation and promotional materials for films selected

For films selected for the official Art Film Fest programme, the applicant is required to submit the following materials before 11 May, 2012:

• a synopsis / brief summary of the film (in electronic form),
• the film credits (in electronic form),
• a press kit (in electronic form),
• the director’s filmography and CV (in electronic form),
• stills from the film (in electronic form with a minimal resolution of 300dpi),
• a photograph of the director (in electronic form),
• the timecoded dialogue list in English and the film's original language (in electronic form),
• posters, flyers, postcards (or other promotional materials),
• film trailer or excerpts from the film on either Beta SP PAL or DVD.

Provided documentation will not be returned to the submitter unless specially requested from the Festival before April 15, 2012.

If previously agreed upon their film´s acceptance into the programme, after this date the submitter has neither the right to withdraw the film from the official programme nor may they claim additional conditions.

6. Screening formats and their delivery

Art Film Fest will accept the following screening format media:

35mm film print, BETACAM SP PAL, miniDV, DVcam, DVD, digibeta PAL (not NTSC), or Blu-ray disc.

The submitter is responsible for delivery of the screening format to the festival address no later than 10 June, 2012.
Unless the film submitter has made different arrangements, the Festival will cover expenses related to the unidirectional shipping of the screening format, either to or from the Festival. If the screening format is travelling in the festival circuit, Art Film Fest will still only cover its shipping expenses in one direction; i.e., either to or from the Festival.

The Festival is not responsible for customs fees related to the import or export of the film print in any country other than the Slovak Republic.

The Festival will cover fees related to insurance covering loss and partial or total destruction of the screening material from the moment of its receipt by the Festival to the moment of its submission to the delivery service, as stipulated by FIAPF policy. If due to the damage new screening material needs to be produced, the Festival will take responsibility for the production of a standard print at a cost corresponding to current Slovak prices.

If the Festival is not informed of a film's export destination before July 31, 2012, it will be sent to the address of the submitter.

7.  Promotion of selected films

Art Film Fest reserves the right to use excerpts from selected films for promotional purposes as follows:

• feature-length fiction films – up to three minutes,
• short films – up to thirty seconds.

If the film applicant fails to provide a trailer to the programme department, Art Film Fest reserves the right to create a trailer from the provided DVD of the particular film within the time limits stated above.

During the Festival (and also afterwards if necessary), trailers of the selected films will be presented at festival venues, broadcast on TV channels promoting Art Film Fest, shown on the festival webpage and during multimedia presentations. If needed, Art Film Fest reserves the right to use chosen extracts from selected films (max. length of 10 seconds) for creation of the festival trailer.

Art Film Fest reserves the right to use stills from selected films for its own promotional materials (festival catalogue, flyers, posters, billboards, webpage, multimedia presentations) and to distribute reproductions of them for the Festival’s informational purposes.

8.  Guests

All issues connected with the invitation of guests are settled by the Festival Cammittee of AFF. Invitations are primarily extended to filmmakers of competing films (director, producer, actor, etc.). The Festival provides the invited film representatives with accomodation and accreditation. The travel expenses are dealt with individually and are covered up to an amount determined by the Festival´s current financial circumstances.

Hospitality terms for other official guests of the Festival shal be arranged individually and specified in their personal invitations.

9.  Deadlines and important dates

March 31, 2012 – Submission deadline of short films
March 31, 2012 – Submission deadline of feature-length films
April 30, 2012 – Film selection closed
May 11, 2012 – Delivery deadline for promo material of selected films
June 6, 2012 – Delivery deadline for screening media of selected films
June 16 - 23, 2012    The 20th edition of Art Film Fest
July 31, 2012 – Notification deadline of the export destinations of all screening formats