A. General Festival Rules
1) Eligibility:
All submissions:
• Must be completed from 1 January 2018 onward,
• Must be at minimum New Zealand Premieres (i.e. cannot have been screened publicly in New Zealand at other festivals, theatrically, on broadcast, available on VOD/online, and/or any other public platform) with a preference towards World Premieres,
• The submitting party ("the Submitter") must have the authority to submit the film to Doc Edge and the exclusive rights (including all music clearance rights) to screen theatrically the documentary film in New Zealand.
2) Submission Requirements
Documentary films are accepted for selection in the following International and New Zealand categories. Please read the qualification for each category carefully, entering into the incorrect category will result in disqualification. If in doubt, please contact us.
International Documentaries
• Short (40 minutes or less)
• Feature (more than 40 minutes)
New Zealand Documentaries
New Zealand films ONLY:
- Must have a key crew member who is a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident.
- A film may also qualify if more than 50% of its funding is from New Zealand.
- Proof of qualification is required with your submission.
• Short (40 minutes or less)
• Feature (more than 40 minutes)
NZ Student Short Documentaries Competition
• Primary/Intermediate - up to Year 8 (15 minutes or less)
• Secondary - Year 9-13 (15 minutes or less)
• Tertiary (40 minutes or less)
Kids/Family Documentaries
• Any length
• Open to NZ and International submissions
• Films with themes and subjects suitable for and of interest to children aged 10-18 years
• Selected films may be used for Docs 4 Schools
Maori/Pacific Documentaries
• Any length
• Open to NZ and International submissions
• Films with Maori/Pacific themes and subjects
AR/VR/Interactive Documentaries
• Calls for Augmented Reality/ Virtual Reality/ Interactive projects for curating in Story Edge World Exhibition held during Doc Edge Festival
Premiere Policy
All qualifying films MUST BE at minimum New Zealand premieres with preference given to premieres in the following order:
• World
• International
• Asia-Pacific
• Australasia
Fees and Deadlines
Early Bird: 15 Sept 2018 Feature $40 | Short: $25
Regular: 15 Dec 2018 Feature $50 | Short: $35
Late: 15 Jan 2019 Feature $60 | Short: $45
NZ Films: 15 Jan 2019 Feature $25 | Short: $15
Kids/Family: 15 Jan 2019 Flat Fee: $15
Maori/Pacific: 15 Jan 2019 Flat Fee: $15
AR/VR/Interactive: 15 Jan 2019 | Free
NZ Student Films: 31 Dec 2018 | Free
Other
• All submissions must include a secure working online screener link.
• All non-English films must have English subtitles. Dubbing is not acceptable.
• Incomplete entries will not be accepted. Works In Progress may be accepted with prior consent from the Festival organisers.
• Doc Edge is under no obligation to provide comments or feedback regarding the submitted film to the applicant or any other representative of the submitted film.
• It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to secure clearance from all copyright holders of materials and music included in the submitted film.
• The Submitter warrants to keep Doc Edge indemnified against all claims for the unauthorised inclusion of copyrighted materials or music within or relating to the submitted films.
• Doc Edge reserves the right to disqualify any film with unauthorized copyrighted materials or music.
• Submitters will be notified of programming decisions by 20 March 2019. Doc Edge's decision is final.
3) Selected Films
Screener Link
It is your responsibility to ensure that Doc Edge is supplied with a valid password until the end of the festival.
Screening Fees
The Submitter acknowledges that:
• Doc Edge is a not-for-profit charitable organization and does not pay any screening fees
• Doc Edge may schedule up to three screenings in Auckland and Wellington respectively at its discretion.
Additional Screenings
With consent from the Submitter, Doc Edge may include selected films in the following programmes:
• Docs 4 Schools
• Regional screenings outside Auckland and Wellington
• Doc Edge VOD platform
Exhibition Format
The Submitter will provide Doc Edge with the following required formats:
• ProRes
• DCP
• Blu-ray
Complete details will be provided upon selection to the Submitter.
Required Materials
Upon selection, all required information about the film must be provided to Doc Edge.
• At least 3 film stills (jpeg, high resolution, at least 300dpi or 2Mb each)
• Separate electronic press kit (EPK) if available
• One high quality (1080) video file of the trailer (up to 3 minutes)
• One high quality (1080) 15-30s promo video to be used on social media
Shipping & Insurance
• Shipping instructions will be sent to the film supplier once the film has been selected.
• Doc Edge will cover one-way shipping (inbound or outbound) unless agreed otherwise.
• Only hard drives of selected films will be returned.
• If the film is being shown at another festival/venue immediately following Doc Edge, the other festival/venue will be responsible for the costs of shipping from Doc Edge.
• Customs declarations must be properly marked as follows: "For Festival Purposes Only. No Commercial Value."
• The dollar value should not exceed $100 (NZD).
• The shipper will be responsible for any duties payable as a result of an incorrect customs declaration.
• Doc Edge is only responsible for serious loss or damage caused to the Exhibition Print through the fault of Doc Edge. It is not responsible for any loss or damage through force majeure, natural elements, theft and loss caused while in transit or when the Exhibition Print is under the control of a third party.
• In the event of loss or serious damage, Doc Edge's obligation is limited to compensating the producer or distributor for the cost of making a new print from another master.
Physical Shipping address (for couriers only):
Doc Edge Festival 2019
ATTN: John Lau
Suite 2-3, 72 Dominion Road
Mount Eden, Auckland 1024, New Zealand
Tel: +64 9 3600329
Film Withdrawal Policy
Once the film's selection has been confirmed in writing by Doc Edge:
• The film cannot be withdrawn;
• The film's sales agents and/or distributors must be notified and comply with this policy.
• If the film is not made available to the Festival after confirmation, the Submitter will be responsible for any resulting losses.
Changes to Film Status
Doc Edge must be given prior notice in writing of any changes that may affect the selection or legality of any such screenings of the film. Failure to do so may result in the film being withdrawn at Doc Edge's discretion.
Publicity
Upon selection, Doc Edge is authorized to use the publicity materials related to the film (i.e. press kits, posters, stills, etc.) for promotional purposes and to broadcast or screen clips up to a maximum of three minutes.
B. Agreement
I, the Submitter, have the sole and exclusive ownership of all rights related to the submitted production and/or have the full authority to submit the production to Doc Edge and bind all other third parties with an interest in the film (director, producer, sales agent or film distributor) to this Agreement.
I undertake that the information provided in this Entry is complete and correct. By submitting the film, I understand, accept and agree to comply with this Agreement.
