1. Except for Edmonton-made films and screenplays, all films and screenplays must be relevant to at least one of the theme(s) of the festival in order to be considered as a possible candidate. The theme(s) of the festival are Winter, climate change, alpine, polar, and indigenous perspective.
2. All participants understand that their work will be shown at least once during the International Festival of Winter Cinema.
3. The IFWC welcomes all entries, but specifically encourages films and screenplays made by Alberta, Canadian, female, non-binary, indigenous, or filmmakers of colour.
4. All non-English films with dialogue must have English subtitles. All screenplays must be in English and written in proper screenplay format.
5. Filmmakers whose short films are screened will be paid an artist fee of about CAD $10 per minute of run time, rounded down to the nearest minute up to 30 minutes run time. All selected films over 30 minutes are paid a $300 screening fee. All artist fees will be paid by PayPal or Interac e-transfer to the submitter within 90 days after the festival. The IFWC reserves the right to amend its screening fees rates at any time.
6. Screenplays must be a maximum of 10 pages in length. Applicants whose screenplays are submitted for cold reading will receive an artist fee of $10 per full page up to a maximum of $100. Cold reading will take place during the IFWC and be read by local actors.
7. The IFWC reserves the right to remove selected films and/or screenplays from its program for any reason and at any time.
8. The IFWC shall not be held responsible for any audiovisual materials that are damaged as part of the submission or exhibition process.
9. If you submit an exhibition copy by mail and want it returned to you, please include a pre-addressed envelope with sufficiently paid postage in your exhibition package.
10. By submitting your film or screenplays, you agree to the IFWC using all audiovisual media associated with your film and your press kit for promotional purposes.
11. The IFWC reviews all submissions but shall not be held responsible for any incomplete submissions, including those that affect final decisions. For all technical issues related to your submission please contact filmfreeway.com.
12. The IFWC encourages filmmakers to attend the Festival but cannot pay for travel costs at this time.
13. Filmmakers of any age may submit to the festival. Filmmakers under 18 years of age whose films are selected may be asked to provide parental/guardian consent for certain approvals.
14. Applicants requesting short screenplay feedback will receive the feedback as a 1 to 2 page evaluation written by an Academy Nicholl Fellowship quarter-finalist by January 1, 2020. Not all script applications that receive feedback will be selected for a cold reading.
15. Upon submitting their film and/or screenplay, applicant agrees it holds all rights to distribute and exhibit all intellectual property associated with their submission.
16. 24-hour filmmaking competition teams may have between 1 and 4 members and will receive special instructions by e-mail upon their team's approval.
17. The International Festival of Winter Cinema Society is the administrator of the International Festival of Winter Cinema and reserves the right to amend any rules and terms at any time and for any reason.
18. By submitting your film and/or screenplay, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to the above terms.
