Film Feast UK

SUBMISSIONS RULES – SHORT FILMS

As of 1st December 2019, we’ll be accepting submissions for our Film Feast festival in Suffolk but also accepting submissions on a continuous basis for all our other events that take place around the year, and we’re really looking forward to seeing your short films and animations.

At Film Feast our mission is to deliver an inspiring festival that is both bold and imaginative in its selection and presentation of films. We champion new and exciting methods of storytelling, and hope to encourage and inspire new filmmakers. Through our open submissions process, we support filmmakers from all over the globe, as well as the regions in which we hold our festivals, providing a platform for new talents to showcase their work alongside that of established names.

If you feel your film deserves to be seen by all, then read below to find out how you can submit to the festival. Successful entries will be given at least one screening over our festival, as well as receiving a huge amount of promotion and support through our digital and print platforms.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Please read the following guidelines carefully. Due to the volume of entries we are likely to receive, it is essential that films be submitted in the format specified below.

Festival Dates

Film Feast Suffolk: 2-4 October 2020

Submission Deadlines for Film Feast Suffolk

Submissions will be accepted from 1st December 2019. Best prices will be offered to those submitting before our early-bird submission deadline of 31 Jan 2020. The very latest we will accept submissions is 23:59 on 20 Jul 2020 - this does come with a higher submission fee.

• Earlybird (1 Dec – 31st Jan)
• Regular (1 Feb – 30 Jun)
• Late (1 Jul – 20 Jul)

Categories

To be eligible for the Best Suffolk Short Film Award, the film must have been made predominantly in the region, by filmmakers either living or studying in the area at the time of production.

Submission Format

• Films will only be accepted via our online portal at www.FilmFreeway.com. This is our only method of submission.
• No postal submissions will be accepted.
• Refunds will not be offered if you fail to adhere to these rules.

Press and Publicity

Should your film be accepted we will require digital images and other press/publicity materials to help us promote your film and the festival at large. Please do not, however, send hard copies as we will be unable to store them at the Festival office due to the high volume of submissions we receive. Any hard copies sent prior to acceptance will be recycled.

Both online portals allow digital press packs to be uploaded with submission, and we strongly recommend you do this to avoid missing out later. We recommend you include at least the following:
• Your film,
• A trailer,
• A poster (300dpi),
• A 100 word synopsis of your film,
• At least 5 stills from the film (at least 800px wide and 300dpi),
• A director’s statement (max 500 words),
• At least 3 photos of the director/crew/behind the scenes (at least 800px wide and 300dpi).

The more (digital) information you include with your submission, the more we can promote your film once accepted into the festival.

Submission Eligibility

• Films preferably would not have been released in the UK in any format, including online, or shown on UK television prior to the Festival dates. This does not include other festival screenings.
• Films completed after January 2019 are eligible for submission.
• All foreign language films must be subtitled in English (the costs of which are to be covered by the applicant).
• All rights, permissions and clearances must be obtained prior to submission and applicants must ensure that they have the right to submit the work with regard to third parties connected to the production of the film in question. By entering your work, you agree to this and the responsibilities involved. Film Feast UK Ltd assumes no responsibility for violation of copyright law.

Please note that submission fees will not be refunded if your film does not meet these conditions.

Submission Fees

Film Feast UK Ltd runs on an extremely limited budget. We regret that, owing to the large number of submissions we receive, we must charge a small fee to cover our administrative costs, as well as the costs of running the festival each year. These fees are in dollars as per the FilmFreeway submissions platform.

• Early bird
For films received as per the dates above, the entry fee for early bird submissions is $20. Student entries will be charged at $15 (proof required).

• Regular
For films received as per the dates above, the entry fee for regular
submissions is $35. Student entries will be charged at $30 (proof required).

• Late
For films received as per the dates above, the entry fee for late submissions is $50. Student entries will be charged at $45 (proof required).

There is a discount for those films that are eligible for the Best Suffolk Short Film. These films will cost only $15 during the Early-bird deadline, and $25 for the remainder of the submissions window.

Valid proof of status will be required for student submissions and Suffolk submissions in order to be moved from pending to in consideration.

We are unable to waive fees under any circumstances so please do not contact us to request that we make an exception, as we won’t be able to help you.

Methods of Payment

All entries must be made through FilmFreeway, which accepts online payment.

Submissions will not be accepted until payment is received in full.

Shipping

If requested, any publicity materials should be sent to:

Film Feast Submissions Team c/o 14 Colletts Walk, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4HS

The entrant must pay all shipping and postage costs incurred in submitting work to us. The Festival will not accept Cash on Delivery shipments and will not absorb any fees incurred in customs. Submission packages from outside the UK must be labelled 'No commercial value - for cultural purposes only' on any customs label and for customs purposes must be given a value of no more than US$10, £10 Sterling or 10 euro.

Please remember to put the FF submission number on the envelope.

Receipt of Submission

Once you have submitted your film online, please check your account to find out if the Festival has received your submission.

Selection

Selection will be carried out by the Film Feast UK Ltd team. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the selection process and the decision of the Festival Directors are final. We aim to inform successful applicants by late July at the latest. Unfortunately, due to the volume of entries, we will be unable to offer individual feedback or enter into any
discussion about your work. We simply don’t have the time.

Successful submissions will be listed on our website (www.filmfeast.co.uk) and social media outlets, and successful applicants will be notified by email or over the phone. Please therefore make sure that we can reach you in the month of July so that we can confirm your film's inclusion in the Festival programme.

Please note that only successful applicants will be notified personally. If we are unable to contact you during this period your film may be removed from the Festival line up.

Festival Screenings and Scheduling

All screenings during the Festival period will take place at the discretion of the Festival. We reserve the right to make changes to the advertised schedule at any time for any reason and will not accept liability for any costs incurred as a result of such changes.

No film may be withdrawn from the Film Festival programme by its submitter after its selection / participation has been confirmed.

The Festival is not able to cover the costs of any format transfers or subtitling. Digital screening copies of selected titles (if requested) must be received by the Festival by 5 August 2020. Please use the following format only:

• H264, 1920 x 1080, 48 kHz 24-bit audio, .mov wrapper.
• Export using square pixels.
• Files should not exceed 2GB.
• WeTransfer is our preferred delivery method as it minimises failed downloads. Please send to neil@filmfeast.co.uk

Copyrights and clearances

All entries must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity. If the film contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to the submission of the film, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit use and exploitation of the film by Film Feast UK Ltd in the manner set forth in the official rules without additional compensation, including, without limitation, location releases for footage shot at any location; name, voice and likeness releases for any person whose name, voice and/or likeness appears in the film (other than entrant); releases for the use of any props, set dressings and other materials used in the film; releases from any individuals participating in the production of the film and releases for any other audio and/or audio-visual materials not wholly owned by entrant, which, in each case, are used in the film (collectively the “Clearances”). If any person(s) appearing in any film is (are) under the age of majority in their place of residence, the signature of a parent of legal guardian is required with each release. All signatures must be original.

Our rights

Film Feast UK Ltd reserves the right, at any point during the competition, in its sole and unfettered discretion, to disqualify and remove any film that potentially or actually infringes any third party’s copyright(s).

At any time during the Competition, Film Feast UK Ltd reserves the right, in its sole and unfettered discretion, to disqualify and remove any film that it believes does not fall within the entry requirements in these official rules.

Film Feast UK Ltd reserves the right, in its sole and unfettered discretion, to verify at anytime during the Competition that all necessary Clearances relating to any film have been obtained. If we believe, in our sole and unfettered discretion, that an entrant has failed to obtain any of the necessary Clearances relating to the entrant’s film, the entrant’s film will be disqualified and removed.

By participating in this Competition, entrants agree that during the Competition Period, Film Feast UK Ltd and its sponsors and partners are authorised to display the films on the Film Feast UK Ltd website and on any and all other media in connection with the Competition. By participating in the Competition, entrants grant permission to Film Feast UK Ltd to use their names, likenesses, photographs, voices, sounds and/or biographical
information and films in connection with the Competition and for any and all advertising, publicity and promotional purposes relating to the Competition without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law. This will extend to cover the period used to promote the next festival as well.

As a condition of entering the Festival, each entrant grants Film Feast UK Ltd i) the right to display their film, in whole or in part, on the Film Feast UK Ltd website and/or on any websites owned or operated by or on behalf of Film Feast UK Ltd or any of its related or affiliated companies, and on any website owned or operated by or on behalf of Film Feast UK Ltd; ii) the right to use their film to create trailers, either for individual films or as a collection of films; and/or (iii) the right, if his/her film is selected, to display the film on any website owned or operated by or on behalf of Film Feast UK Ltd following completion of the Competition Period. Entrants will be fully credited where possible, and retain sole ownership of their work

Limitation of Liability

By entering into this Contest, entrants hereby release and discharge Film Feast UK Ltd and its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, assigns, agents, representatives, independent contractors, officers, employees and directors from and against any and all claims, liabilities, costs, damages and expenses of any kind arising out of or relating to their participation in this Contest, their use or acceptance of any prize, the use by Film Feast UK Ltd of any films submitted by entrants and/or any actions or decisions of Film Feast UK Ltd in connection with the conduct and administration of this Contest. Entrants hereby waive any right to seek injunctive or other equitable relief in connection with any claim against Film Feast UK Ltd, any of the Co-Sponsors, or any of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, assigns, agents, representatives, independent contractors, officers, employees and directors.

Please be aware that, due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to enter into personal correspondence about individual submissions.

Thank you for your interest in submitting to the Film Feast UK Ltd.

We look forward to receiving your film!