Gold Coast Film Festival

FEATURE AND SHORT FILM CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:

Gold Coast Film Festival (including SIPFEST) will take place 19 - 30 April 2023. By submitting your film (Film) to Gold Coast Film Festival (Festival), which is organized by Gold Coast Film Fantastic Ltd (A.C.N. 098 091 260) (GCFF), you (Filmmaker) agree to the following:

1. All the information provided either through the online entry form or through email correspondence with GCFF is true and accurate.

2. You either own the rights to, or have permission to use, the footage, sound, music, images, and all other contributions that are part of the Film to the extent necessary to submit the Film to the Festival and, if accepted, screen the Film at the Festival. Please note: if you have any doubts about any of the rights in the Film, you must notify the Festival at the time of submission.

3. The film must be completed in the past two years with completion date after 1 January 2021.

If your film is selected to screen as part of Gold Coast Film Festival:

1. You grant GCFF a royalty-free, non-exclusive, Australian license to screen the Film between 19 - 30 April 2023.

2. You agree to provide GCFF with a downloadable version of the Short Film or DCP of the feature Film by no later than 30 March 2023.

3. GCFF will prepare professional session compiles at its own cost for screening at all its venues. You grant GCFF all necessary rights to copy and otherwise reproduce the Film for the purpose of making such compiles and otherwise screening the Film and promoting the Festival and GCFF.

4. You must notify GCFF immediately if any of the rights in the Film become disputed or a claim is made against you in relation to the Film.

5. You must indemnify GCFF and the Festival from all claims made against GCFF or the Festival arising from or in connection with the submission of the Film, or any infringement of any intellectual property in connection with the screening of the Film as part of the Festival.

6. You grant GCFF and the Festival a royalty-free, non-exclusive Australian license to use film excerpts, film stills, press kits, and other promotional materials from the Film for publicity and promotional purposes in relation to the Festival, including on its website.

FEATURE FILM RULES:

GCFF accepts Australian and International feature films over 70 minutes in length, including credits.

• Feature films must have been completed within the last 2 years (after 01 January 2021)

• All non-English language films must be subtitled in English. If selected, the screening version must also be subtitled.

• We discourage entries which may be considered corporate or marketing documentaries.

To be eligible for consideration, all submissions must meet the following requirements:

• Films must not have been (or will not be) broadcast on television or a streaming platform or publicly screened, distributed or exhibited (for a targeted cinema release) in a physical location within the state of Queensland, Australia, prior to the festival dates (ie April 19-30). The only exceptions to this requirement are for private screenings held for cast, crew or investors, and film-school graduation screenings. Exemptions may be considered by the programming team on a film by film basis.

•Films must not have been (or will not be) available commercially online and accessible from the state of Queensland, Australia, either for free or via on-demand services prior to the festival dates. Screenings as part of a digital or online festival are permitted if the festival is for a limited run and geoblocked such that access by Australian viewers is prohibited. Exemptions may be considered by the programming team on a film by film basis.

Work In Progress Submissions:
Our programmers are well accustomed to viewing work that is near completion. If you need to send the film when there is still post-production work left to do, then please let us know what is left to be done (eg colour grade, sound mix, vfx).

However, please note that we will not re-view different cuts of the same film, so it is best to wait until you have a cut you are happy with. If you are submitting a work in progress, please ensure a final completed film will be delivered to the festival (if the film is selected) by the content delivery date (noted below).

Other information for feature films:
For international and Australian filmmakers, all "Official Selection" films will be paid a screening fee.

SHORT FILM RULES:
• We accept Australian and International short films up to a maximum 15 minutes in length, including credits.

• Short films must have been completed within the last 2 years (after 01 January 2021)
We discourage short film entries which may be edited versions of longer length films or short film entries which may be considered corporate or marketing documentaries.

• IMPORTANT TO NOTE:
a. Short films are screened open-air so GCFF reserves the right to request filmmakers bleep any swear words as we see necessary. This is to be undertaken by the filmmaker in consultation with the festival.

b. All non-English language series must be dubbed or subtitled in English. If selected, the screening version must also be dubbed or subtitled.

c. SIPFEST is an outdoor curated short film program and films with strong themes may not be selected for the final program. Films with mild to moderate themes for an all ages audience are encouraged.

QUEENSLAND FEATURE FILM SCRIPT RULES
• All scripts must be submitted in English.

• Length of script submitted must be at least 70 pages. It is recommended it is below 120 pages, however there is no maximum page number that will be accepted.

• Applicants must also submit a synopsis paragraph

• Submitters must be living and based in Queensland at time of submission.

• Entrants may submit more than one script but each script must be submitted as a separate submission and payment.

• All scripts must be submitted in PDF format and formatted in industry standard.

• All scripts submitted must be applicant’s own original work and applicant must have all rights to submit script.

• Entrants agree, that if chosen as the winner, they will take part in a live script read of their entry script in front of an audience at the Gold Coast Film Festival in April 2023. The festival will work with the screenwriter to source local actors for the read.

• A prize will be awarded to the winner at the Gold Coast Film Festival 2023. In the event the in-person awards ceremony is cancelled or rearranged due to Government regulations, the awards ceremony will take place online and winners will be awarded prize money.

• Entry fees are non-refundable.

• Submissions must be made online. No mailed or emailed entries are accepted.

• No revisions will be accepted after the screenplay has been submitted.

• Judging: Scripts will be judged on several different criteria (including, but not limited to, structure, premise, and entertainment value). Awards, selections, and decisions are final.

• Co-Authors: If a screenplay has more than one author, it is up to the authors to decide how many authors to list on the application and who will be the primary contact e-mail.

• Awards are given per entry, not per author and the awarded author must be a Queensland resident.

Official Selection for short films and feature films:
In the event of your short or feature film being officially selected, you will be notified by invitation. At that point an Official Selection form will be sent for your completion, to confirm the invitation has been accepted, and to gather all the information necessary for the presentation and marketing of the film in the Festival.

Entry Fees for all submissions:
All entrants must pay a flat fee per film entered. The fee varies based on the category entered and whether it is submitted in the early bird period or not.

PLEASE NOTE, THE ENTRY FEE CANNOT BE WAIVED AND IS NON-REFUNDABLE.

Unselected Projects:
1. Please note the team and judging PANEL DO NOT PROVIDE SPECIFIC FEEDBACK on unselected projects.

2. We DO NOT OFFER REFUNDS to films or projects that aren’t selected for the festival.

Other Important details:
In the event that the Gold Coast Film Festival's in-person events are cancelled, restricted or rearranged due to COVID-19 or any other Government regulations, GCFF will award all prizes to winners either during a digital awards ceremony or otherwise. Submission fees will not be refunded in the case of restrictions to the Festival.

Programming decisions are made at the discretion of the programming team and take into consideration a myriad of factors for curation of the overall final festival program.

It is the filmmakers’ or rights holders' responsibility to ensure that the film or submission meets the eligibility criteria. If a submission subsequently becomes ineligible, while we are grateful if you could let us know, however it is not possible to refund once films are already submitted.