Competition Requirements
BFFoundation requests this information because (i) it collects data to study inclusion and diversity representation in entertainment; and (ii) it provides confirmation that (a) the productions BFF is considering meet BFFoundation and BFFs mission and competition qualifiers and (b) the Applicant has read and agreed to the Rules.
One of the reasons BFF is unique, is because it was one of the first film festivals to exhibit diverse and inclusive productions both - in front of and behind the camera.
The BFF film program highlights stories and storytellers that are underrepresented in media. These groups would include: female or non-binary, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or people with varying abilities. Our program must include prominent representation of characters, stories, and storytellers in forementioned groups, and must adhere to the below qualifiers.
BFF Competition Qualifiers
In order for your production to qualify for competition, it must contain two (2) or more (does not need to contain all) of the following:
• Director is from an Underrepresented Group
• Writer is from an Underrepresented Group
• Producer is from an Underrepresented Group
• Lead Character/Subject is from an Underrepresented Group
• At least fifty-percent (50%) of cast, background performers, and crew are from an Underrepresented Group
• The storyline is about an Underrepresented Group
BFF’s definition of “Underrepresented Group” means:
• Persons who identify as female or non-Binary
• Persons who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• Persons who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community
• Persons with disabilities
The following are not requirements but BFF would like to also program films in the following possible special film programs:
• Women Empowerment
• Social Change
• International Origin
• Family Films
• Generational – representation of people over the age of 50
• Films that highlight BIPOC groups and communities
• Films created by filmmakers from Arkansas or the surrounding region and/or that highlight stories from these same areas
2021 BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
RULES AND REGULATIONS
By submitting a feature length narrative or documentary (hereinafter “Film”) to Bentonville Film Festival LLC and Bentonville Film Festival Foundation (hereinafter together “BFF Organizer”) for consideration in the 2021 feature film competition (hereinafter “2021 Feature Film Competition”) of the 2021 Bentonville Film Festival (hereinafter “2021 Festival”), the owner of the Film (hereinafter “Applicant”) agrees to be bound by these rules and regulations (“Rules and Regulations”).
1. FEATURE LENGTH REQUIREMENT:
The Film’s total running time must be at least fifty (50) minutes (exclusive of credits). If the Film’s final running time is projected to be less than fifty (50) minutes (exclusive of credits), the Film may NOT be submitted to the 2021 Feature Film Competition.
However, it might meet the requirements of one of the other competitions. Please go to
www.BentonvilleFilmFestival.com/creators for more information on other competitions.
2. SUBMISSION CATEGORIES AND ELIGIBILITY:
• The 2020 Feature Film Competition has the following categories:
U.S. Narrative Feature Film: Original voices from emerging and established American filmmakers. For purposes of the 2021 Festival, a U.S. Narrative Feature is any narrative work of U.S origin with a running time of 50 minutes or more. In order to qualify as a U.S. Narrative Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction; at least half of the project’s financing must originate from within the United States; the film must be produced in the U.S. and/or directed by filmmakers who currently live, have grown up or received their training in the U.S. (“U.S Narrative”).
U.S. Documentary Feature Film: Non-Fiction films from emerging and established filmmakers with distinct vision. For purposes of the 2021 Festival, a documentary feature is any non-fiction film of U.S. origin with a running time of 50 minutes or more. In order to qualify as a U.S. Documentary Feature Film, at least half of the submitted projects financing must originate from within the United States (“Documentary”).
International Narrative Feature Film: Fiction Films from around the world from emerging and established filmmakers with distinct vision. For the purposes of the 2021 Festival, an International Narrative Feature is any narrative work of International origin with a running time of 50 minutes or more. In order to qualify as an International Narrative Feature Film, at least half of the project’s financing must come from outside of the United States.
International Documentary Feature Film: Non-Fiction films from around the world from emerging and established filmmakers with distinct vision. For the purposes of the 2021 Festival, an International Documentary Feature is any non-fiction film of international origin with a running time of 50 minutes or more. In order to qualify as an International Documentary Feature Film, at least half of the project’s financing must come from outside of the United States.
• Both U.S. and International films may be submitted. Applicants submitting Films that contain significant non-English spoken dialogue must provide on-screen English subtitles. BFF Organizer reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film that contains significant non-English spoken dialogue that does not include accompanying on-screen English subtitles.
3. BFF COMPETITION QUALIFIERS:
BFFoundation requests this information because (i) it collects data to study inclusion and diversity representation in entertainment; and (ii) it provides confirmation that (a) the productions BFF is considering meet BFFoundation and BFFs mission and competition qualifiers and (b) the Applicant has read and agreed to the Rules.
One of the reasons BFF is unique, is because it was one of the first film festivals to exhibit diverse and inclusive productions both - in front of and behind the camera.
The BFF film program highlights stories and storytellers that are underrepresented in media. These groups would include: female or non-binary, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or people with varying abilities. Our program must include prominent representation of characters, stories, and storytellers in forementioned groups, and must adhere to the below qualifiers.
In order for your production to qualify for competition, it must contain two (2) or more (does not need to contain all) of the following:
• Director is from an Underrepresented Group
• Writer is from an Underrepresented Group
• Producer is from an Underrepresented Group
• Lead Character/Subject is from an Underrepresented Group
• At least fifty-percent (50%) of cast, background performers, and crew are from an Underrepresented Group
• The storyline is about an Underrepresented Group
BFF’s definition of “Underrepresented Group” means:
• Persons who identify as female or non-Binary
• Persons who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
• Persons who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community
• Persons with disabilities
Applicants must fill out the BFF Diversity & Inclusion Questionnaire upon entry, which is found on the FilmFreeway submission page.
4. KEY DATES:
Submissions Open: January 19, 2021
Early Entry Deadline: February 23, 2021
Official Deadline: May 4, 2021
Late Entry Deadline: May 18, 2021
Extended Late Entry Deadline: May 31, 2021
5. SUBMISSION FEES:
Early Entry Deadline: US$60
Official Deadline: US$80
Late Entry Deadline: US$95
Extended Late Entry Deadline: US$100
6. APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY:
EACH APPLICANT MUST ELECTRONICALLY SIGN AND SUBMIT THE 2021 BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION “APPLICANT CERTIFICATION STATEMENT” (FOUND ON ?) WHICH IS IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME FORM AS EXHIBIT “A”, ATTACHED HERETO, BY WHICH APPLICANT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT APPLICANT HAS READ THE RULES AND REGULATIONS AND AGREES TO BE BOUND BY THESE RULES AND REGULATIONS, INCLUDING THE REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES BELOW AND THE INDEMNIFICATION PROVISIONS BELOW.
7. HOW TO SUBMIT:
• Applicants must fill out the questions and pay the submission fee on FilmFreeway.
• Applicants may either (a) upload the screener onto FilmFreeway, (b) email a password protected streaming link of the film to BFF Organizer at the email address: programming@bentonvillefilm.org. BFF’s mailing address is: 702 SE 5th Street, STE 8, Bentonville, AR, 71712. Please email submissions for more information. BFF Organizer is not responsible for submissions that are lost, stolen, or damaged in transit. It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure the streaming link or DVD, as applicable, is functional and active at least through August 8, 2020. Please include the entry number (the entry number is provided when you complete the FilmFreeway submission and pay the fee) and the film title clearly on the DVD or the body of the email.
8. CONTACT INFORMATION OF APPLICANTS:
Each Applicant must designate one person, 18 years of age or older, as their Applicant Representative (“AR”), and no Applicant may have more than one AR. The AR will act for the Applicant in all communications with BFF Organizer. During the selection process, BFF Organizer will attempt to contact the Applicant’s AR using the contact information provided on the submission form to notify the Applicant of the Film’s acceptance status. BFF Organizer disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any failure to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form. It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that the contact information provided on the submission form is correct throughout the entirety of the selection period (January 19, 2021 to May 4, 2021).
9. SCREENINGS DURING THE 2021 FESTIVAL:
Applicants acknowledge that BFF Organizer has the sole right to select the submissions that will be showcased, exhibited, and/or part of the competition at the 2021 Festival and has the sole right to reject submissions. Applicants that are selected must grant to BFF Organizer the limited license to screen/ exhibit the Film at the 2021 Festival, currently scheduled for August 2-8, 2021, in Arkansas and on a virtual streaming platform, for zero dollars ($0); All ticket sales and proceeds are property of BFF Organizer.
10. BFF RESEARCH:
Bentonville Film Festival LLC works with the Bentonville Film Festival Foundation (“Foundation”) and Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media (“Institute”). Both the Foundation and the Institute are research-based organizations. The Institute was funded by Google to develop a computer science tool that could quickly and efficiently assess how women and minorities are represented in films around a few different metrics including the amount of screen time and speaking time in a film. In conjunction with the USC School of Engineering, the Institute has developed a beta tool to assess these things. The teams at the Foundation, Institute, Google and USC are using both film scripts and downloadable versions of the films to gather this data.
If your Film is selected to participate in the 2021 Festival, you will be required to submit the selected Film’s script and a downloadable version of the selected Film for such research purposes. BFF Organizer will send an email to the AR with delivery instructions. If a response with the required information is not received within forty-eight (48) hours, BFF Organizer may rescind the acceptance of the film.
11. EXHIBITION DELIVERABLES:
In order for a Film to be showcased at the 2021 Festival, BFF Organizer will need certain deliverables, such as a DCP or Blu-ray Disc (“Exhibition Deliverables”), exact deliverables depend on the screening venue. BFF Organizer will notify the ARs of the selected films with details of the format, due dates, and delivery instructions. The Exhibition Deliverables must be delivered on time.
12. PUBLICITY DELIVERABLES:
If a Film is selected for the 2021 Festival, Applicant will deliver Publicity Deliverables to BFF Organizer. BFF Organizer will notify the ARs of the selected films with details of how to deliver and the due dates of the Publicity Deliverables. “Publicity Deliverables” are: the trailer of the Film, the Film’s digital poster, and at least two stills from the Film.
By submitting a Film to the 2021 Festival, Applicant permits BFF Organizer and Festival Entities to use the following:
the Film’s title, the Film’s synopsis and other Publicity Deliverables, and any of the principal cast members’, director(s)’s, writer(s)’s, producer(s)’s, crew members’ names, voice, biographical information, and/or likeness, in the following media:
BFF’s Website, BFF’s Social Media (including twitter, instagram, facebook, youtube), and press releases throughout the universe, in perpetuity, without compensation, permission, or notification, solely for the purpose of advertising, publicizing, and promoting the Bentonville Film Festival and the Film’s screening at the 2021 Festival.
Applicant represents and warrants that all Publicity Deliverables delivered to BFF Organizer are legally cleared for such above mentioned purposes.
“Festival Entities” shall mean: Bentonville Film Festival LLC, Bentonville Film Festival Foundation, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and the 2021 Festival sponsors, and their respective advertising and promotion agencies, and any other entity involved in the development, administration, promotion, or implementation of the Festival.
13. BFF PRIZES:
The culmination of the Bentonville Film Festival is the award ceremony. The competition juries comprised of individuals from the worldwide film community with original and diverse points of view select films from each of the 6 categories to receive a range of awards. Decided by Festival goers’ ballots, Audience Awards are bestowed upon films in each of the Festivals 6 categories. The Bentonville Film Festival provides the following awards:
• Grand Jury Prize: Narrative Feature (U.S. or International)
• Grand Jury Prize: Documentary Feature (U.S. or International)
• Short Film Grand Jury Prize
• Episodic Series Grand Jury Prize
• Audience Award Narrative Feature
• Audience Award Documentary Feature
• Audience Award: Best of Fest (decided by the audience; may go to either a Narrative or Documentary Feature)
• Audience Award Short Film
The winning films will be formally announced at the close of the 2021 Festival.
The Bentonville Film Festival works to guarantee that offers for theatrical, television, digital and/or retail home entertainment distribution will be given to at least one (1) of the winning films. A BFF representative will contact the AR of the one of the winning films within fifteen (15) days from the close of the 2021 Festival to present the distribution offers.
PRIZE RESTRICTIONS:
• The BFF 2021 Festival Distributors each have their own specific distribution agreements and cannot pre-determine the material terms, including but not limited to the number of screens, markets, dates of releases, amount of advances, etc.
• The BFF 2021 Festival Distributors will require additional deliverables, including but not limited to:
- original audio and video files used during production
- final audio mix and/or separate audio tracks for dialogue, music, and effects
- Chain of Title: All documents showing chain of ownership from source material to Applicant.
- Production contracts and releases.
- Music cue sheet.
- Music clearance documentation.
- Errors & Omissions Insurance.
• Unless an exception has been explicitly granted in writing by a BFF 2021 Festival Distributor, a distribution prize may be revoked if the distribution agreement is not fully executed within sixty (60) days of the close of the 2021 Festival.
14. Errors and Omissions Insurance:
If Applicant’s Film is selected to screen at the 2021 Festival, Applicant must sign a non-exclusive limited film festival screening license agreement to allow BFF Organizer to screen the Film at the 2021 Festival and Applicant must have Errors & Omissions insurance (E&O) for the Film and add the BFF Festival Entities as an additional insured. The E&O must have minimum limits of at least $1,000,000 for any claim arising out of a single occurrence and $1,000,000 for all claims in the aggregate and a deductible no larger than $25,000.
15. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES:
Applicant represents and warrants that (a) he/she/it has the full right, power, legal capacity, and authority to license to BFF Organizers the Film’s rights for the purpose of exhibition at the Festival and to license clips of the Film and publicity photos to the Festival Entities for advertising the Festival for no compensation to Applicant or any third party; (b) the Film, and all parts thereof, does not violate any third party’s copyright or other intellectual property or other rights and does not violate any individual’s right of privacy or publicity; (c) the Film, and all parts thereof, is in compliance with any and all relevant laws, rules, regulations, whether state, federal, international, local, and those imposed by any union, guild, or labor organization; (d) Applicant will not submit to BFF Organizer (whether through FilmFreeway, email, dropbox, BFF’s website, etc) the Film and/or any parts thereof (including but not limited to trailers, clips, publicity photos, loglines, summaries) if such materials violate any third party rights and/or any laws; (e) if any third party fees become due such as union or guild fees, then Applicant will pay for such fees and costs. Additionally there is no claim or litigation pending or threatened with respect to the Production that would adversely affect the BFF Organizer.
16. INDEMNIFICATION:
Applicant agrees to release, hold harmless and indemnify Festival Entities from and against any and all liability, loss, damage, cost and expense, and causes of action (however named or described) with respect to or arising out of (i) Applicants’ Film, and/or (ii) any breach or alleged breach, or claim by a third party with respect to any warranty, representation or agreement made by the Applicant.
17. DISPUTE RESOLUTION:
Entrant expressly acknowledges and agrees that the Bentonville Film Festival shall be entitled to injunction or other equitable relief (“Relief”) to restrain, prevent or enjoin any breach of this agreement by Applicant.
Without in any way limiting the provisions or scope of the agreement set forth above, Applicant further agrees that any claim, dispute or controversy arising out of, in connection with, or otherwise related to the Film, the Festival, or these Rules and Regulations, including, without limitation, any claim or cause of action of any nature arising from the actual or alleged breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity of these Rules and Regulations, as well as the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate, will be governed by the internal, substantive laws of the State of California and will be subject to and submitted to exclusive, binding arbitration before a single arbitrator in Los Angeles, California, which shall be the sole and exclusion forum for determination of such claim, dispute or controversy. Such arbitration will be administered by JAMS pursuant to its Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures then in effect. The arbitrator will be selected by mutual agreement of the parties or, if the parties are unable to agree on an arbitrator, will be appointed by JAMS pursuant to its Arbitration Rules and Procedures then in effect. The arbitrator shall issue a written award and shall have the right to award monetary relief, however, that the arbitrator shall not have the power to award punitive or exemplary damages, nor shall the arbitrator have the power to order the Festival Entities to include the Film in the Festival or to award other injunctive or non-monetary relief to Applicant. The arbitrator shall have the power to award, and shall be required to award, to the substantially prevailing party in any such arbitration, its reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses incurred in connection with the arbitration (including, without limitation, reimbursement of that party’s share of the arbitrator’s fees and JAMS administrative charges). The arbitrator’s award shall be final, binding and non-appealable. Judgment on the arbitrator’s award may be entered in any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction in the United States. Applicant hereby waives, forfeits and relinquishes, any right or entitlement that Applicant might otherwise have had to bring or litigate any claim or claims encompassed by this paragraph in any federal or state court against the Institute, the Festival, or any Festival Entity, and further waives, forfeits and relinquishes any right to a trial by jury with respect to such claim or claims.
18. MISCELLANEOUS:
Applicant hereby acknowledges that Applicant has the right to consult with an attorney of his/her/its own choosing with respect to these Rules and Regulations. Applicant hereby acknowledges that above Rules and Regulations does and shall supersede any information obtained elsewhere, including, but not limited to, information contained in any Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents and/or rules and regulations documents from prior years. Applicant acknowledges that no oral representations, inducements, promises or assurances of any kind, and no representations, inducements, promises or assurances not set forth in these Rules and Regulations, have been made to Applicant.
19. NOTICES:
All legal notices to BFF must be in writing and delivered by hand delivery or postage prepaid delivery service with delivery confirmation (e.g., certified mail, registered mail, FedEx, etc.) to the following address: Bentonville Film Festival, LLC, ATTN: Business and Legal Affairs, 3435 Ocean Park Boulevard, Suite 107-628, Santa Monica, California 90404.
All submissions must be delivered to the address provided in Paragraph 7 above.
All exhibition copies must be delivered to the address provided in Paragraph 11 above.
For any questions regarding submissions to the competition, please email programming@bentonvillefilm.org.
BFF Organizers may add to or amend these Rules and Regulations at any time. You are advised to repeatedly consult www.BentonvilleFIlmFestival.com to review the latest rules.
These Rules and Regulations were last updated on January 13, 2021. BFF Organizers have the right to further amend these rules at any time in their sole discretion.
