CATEGORIES:
1. Feature Film Competition
2. Non-Feature Film Competition
3. Short Film Competition (Exclusive to NE India)
4. Non-Competition Films
GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS:
1. There are two methods of submitting films to the film festival- online submission and offline submission. Please read the relevant one carefully before filling the application form.
2. An applicant filling out this form, should either be the owner of the film's rights or have permission from the owner. Even if not the owner, the sole responsibility lies upon the applicant for making sure the information given is true. Any discrepancies found in the form; the entry would be disqualified. It will otherwise be assumed that the film has the requisite authority from the owner and will be screened at the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival 2025.
3. For submission of films, there should be a Primary Contact Person who will be the main point of contact for all future communications regarding their submission to the festival. The email address and phone number should be correctly filled up for further communication and be ensured that the Primary Contact Person is easily reachable at all times.
4. For the films selected for screenings, an acknowledging email will be sent to the Primary Contact Person with all the director/s and producer/s of the film copied on it. Hence, kindly provide names and contact details of the director/s and producer/s of the film in both the online/ offline application form correctly.
5. Completed applications need to be submitted by the given deadline. BVFF is providing special rates for applications submitted within the early bird deadline. The festival will not take responsibility for the exclusion of films if complete information is not submitted by the deadlines.
6. The application will only be considered valid upon mandatory payment of application fee.
7. By submitting the application form, the applicant confirms that they have read and understood the rules and regulations listed, that they are legally authorized to submit the film to Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival 2025 and that the information given by the applicant is true and correct. Further, that the applicant protects BVFF against any claims to the contrary.
8. The cost of shipping an entry to the contest must be paid by the applicant.
9. All disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Guwahati only.
10. Selected entries will be awarded a 3 to 4-night accommodation stay in Guwahati for one (1) representative per film (preferably director or producer of the film).
Please note: Travel expenses will need to be borne by the participant.
SUBMISSION, SELECTION AND SCREENING OF THE FILM:
1. Submission of film in this category means that the particular submitted film must not be released on any other public platform apart from other film festivals.
2. Submission of films does not guarantee selection for screening at the festival. The festival will not provide feedback on films or share specific reasons for rejection of any film.
3. Once a film has been selected/ shortlisted it cannot be withdrawn from the competition.
4. The Primary contact Person will be notified about the selection of the film for Brahmaputra Valley Festival 2025 at the end of the selection process. No information will be divulged before that.
5. Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival accepts submissions via online application and offline downloadable application form.
6. Films that are work-in-progress at the time of application are accepted under the following conditions:
- That the film will be complete by September 2025.
- That the submitted version will be the only version watched by the selection committee.
7. Films applying to the festival require to have a certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) of India. For films not having certification, the same will be screened at the festival subject to an exemption to be obtained from the Ministry of I&B, Government of India. The festival will apply for this exemption on behalf of the selected films. All the film screenings at BVFF will thus to have either an exemption from the Ministry of I&B or a CBFC certificate.
8. The filmmaker must disclose information about the censor certification status at the time of submission of the film.
9. In the event that a film is nominated or selected for screening at the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival but is unable to be screened due to unforeseen circumstances — including but not limited to technical issues, socio-economic factors, or restrictions imposed by the Government, Ministry, or any other competent authority — the Festival shall not be held responsible or liable for the same. However, due credit for the nomination or selection will be duly acknowledged and communicated.
10. The Films/ Entries submitted by the applicants must constitute original work and not be an infringement of any other copyrighted work/s and further do not infringe the Intellectual Property Rights including the moral rights, privacy and publicity rights of any third party. None of the Intellectual Property Rights associated with the films those in literary, musical and artistic works should have been assigned/ licensed to any person, firm or corporation other than the Rights Holder.
11. Once selected for screenings at the festival, following materials to be submitted in soft copy on request to use in promotional material for the festival and the film:
- High resolution stills (2-3) of the film.
- High resolution soft copy of the film poster.
- Once selected for screening the festival logo will be shared with the filmmaker which can be used as FESTIVAL LAUREL for any communication purpose.
Please note that we require the film to be played in its entirety and therefore require a link to a single video. Multiple links for the same film will not be accepted.
12. Team BVFF is entitled to use any of the selected film’s content for promotional, publicity and marketing material including posters, images, clips, trailer etc. across media in connection with the festival.
13. Films can be submitted through online and offline mode:
Online submission: Through FilmFreeway - Access on FilmFreeway and browse the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival 2025
Offline submission: Can send the film in .mov/.MP4 format along with the duly filled up offline application form to:
Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival C/o Tattva Creations Pvt. Ltd.
Saraswati Market, 2nd Floor, Above SBI
Six mile, Suruj Nagar, GS road, Guwahati-781022 Assam, India
Ph: +91 88110 18400
14. No individual/s claiming to be part of the BVFF team can be offered or can accept any payment to program the film in the festival. If any individuals approach you with any such offers, kindly do keep us informed so that we can verify the work claimed to be carried out by the individual/s.
15. No requests for private screenings to selection committee members will be entertained. No film links sent via email without filing the application form will be considered for selection.
16. The film screener link must be active at least till the end of the festival. In case the online screener shared is not password protected, the festival cannot be held responsible for the security of the film screener.
17. In case the online screener shared is not password protected, the festival cannot be held responsible for the security of the film screener.
18. All online films will be destroyed/ deleted immediately after the selection process of the festival is completed.
19. A submission is considered complete when ALL (2) of the following criteria are met. Only on acknowledgement of receipt of all three criteria is the submission complete.
i. A correctly filled online submission form
ii. Realization of payment of submission fees
20. The festival accepts work-in progress submissions subject to the following condition: The copy of the film submitted with the application form will be the only copy considered by the selection committee
21. For a selected film, a DCP (Digital Cinema Package) projection facility will be made available. if selected, the festival will take the responsibility for storage and safety of the DCP for the period during which the film is with the festival. However, the festival’s liability is limited to the costs of replacement of ONLY the damaged component on which the DCP is stored (external hard drive).
