Rules & Terms
Identity, Culture and Heritage International Film Fest – ICH-IFI
First Edition – “Child & Identity”
El Kef, Tunisia – 22 April 2026
Official contact: ich.ifi.tunisia@gmail.com
1. General Principles
ICH-IFI is an international, non-profit festival dedicated to films that explore identity, culture and heritage with a special focus on children and young people.
By submitting a film, the applicant accepts these Rules & Terms in their entirety.
All questions regarding eligibility or technical issues can be sent to: ich.ifi.tunisia@gmail.com
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2. Eligibility
The festival is open to submissions from all countries and regions of the world.
Submissions are free of charge. No entry fee is required at any stage.
The competition is open to short and mid-length films of 3 to 29 minutes, including credits.
The following forms and genres are eligible, provided they fit the festival’s thematic focus:
Creative documentaries
Fiction films
Hybrid and experimental works
Animation (2D/3D, stop-motion, cut-out, etc.)
360° films and immersive works
Films making creative and responsible use of AI tools (AI-assisted or AI-generated images), as long as the director retains artistic vision and all rights are respected.
Only films completed on or after 1 January 2020 are eligible.
The film’s central focus must be clearly linked to identity, culture and heritage, especially through the prism of childhood, youth or intergenerational transmission. Themes may include, for example: rituals, traditional dress, culinary heritage, oral traditions, music, games, local crafts, archaeological sites, museums and other tangible or intangible heritage.
Films whose primary purpose is advertising, institutional promotion or propaganda are not eligible.
The festival will not select films that promote hatred, discrimination or violence against any individual or group on the basis of ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, nationality or any other status, or that contain explicit sexual content inappropriate for a child-centred programme.
The festival distinguishes three types of projects:
School projects (produced in the framework of a film school, university or other educational institution),
Professional projects (produced by established companies or organizations),
Amateur / independent films (self-produced or made outside formal structures).
Applicants must indicate the correct category during submission. The programming committee reserves the right to reclassify a film if necessary.
3. Language & Subtitles
Films may be produced in any language.
English subtitles are compulsory for all films whose original language is not English. Subtitles must be burned in or delivered as a perfectly synchronized subtitle file.
Where possible, the festival encourages additional subtitles in Arabic and/or French for local audiences, but this is not mandatory for eligibility.
4. Music, Archival Material and Rights
All music used in the film must be:
Original music composed for the film, or
Music taken from a verified royalty-free / free-to-use database, or
Traditional / inherited repertoire in the public domain, or
Recent music used with the explicit written authorization of the rights holder(s).
For any music not in the public domain, the applicant must provide a signed authorization or license from the composer, musician and/or publisher, attached to the submission file or available upon request.
The applicant is responsible for obtaining all necessary copyright, image and location clearances, including:
Rights to archival images or sounds,
Permissions for any artwork, photographs or texts shown,
Written consent from parents/guardians for the appearance of minors on screen where required by law.
The submitter guarantees that the film does not infringe the rights of any third party and accepts full legal responsibility in case of dispute.
5. Submission Procedure
Submissions must be made exclusively via FilmFreeway (or via the official festival form, if indicated on the website).
Each submission must include:
A viewing link or upload of the film (with English subtitles),
A synopsis (max. 150–200 words),
Director’s biography and filmography,
Film sheet / fact sheet containing key technical and artistic details (country of production, year, duration, language(s), genre/form, project type – school/professional/amateur, target audience, main crew, production company, format, screening ratio, keywords, etc.),
A poster (obligatory) in high-resolution JPEG or PNG (preferably vertical, 300 dpi),
2–3 stills from the film (300 dpi),
Confirmation of production year and runtime,
Information on previous festival selections and awards (if any),
Where relevant, copies of authorizations for music and/or archive materials.
A single director may submit more than one film, only if the films are not of the same primary style/form.
For example, a director may submit an animation and a documentary, or a fiction film and an AI-based work, but not two very similar fiction films or two films of the same format and style.
Each production company may submit a maximum of three (3) films in total across all categories and project types.
Each film must be submitted as a separate entry, with its own form and materials.
6. Selection & Competition
Films are selected by a programming committee appointed by the festival direction. Their decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
The festival may create different sections (competitive and non-competitive) and may present specific showcases for school projects, professional projects and amateur films. Only films selected in competitive sections are eligible for awards.
The international jury will grant a set of prizes (for example: Best Film on Child & Identity, Best School Project, Special Mention for Heritage Representation, etc.). The final list of awards will be announced on the festival’s official channels.
The jury’s decisions are sovereign and cannot be contested. No explanation of the selection or non-selection of any film will be provided.
7. Screening Format & Technical Requirements
If selected, the filmmaker must provide a high-quality digital screening copy by the deadline indicated in their selection email, in one of the formats accepted by the festival, for example:
Digital file (e.g., MP4 H.264 or .MOV, Full HD 1920×1080 or higher; stereo or 5.1 sound).
The festival reserves the right to request another file or a new export if the copy does not meet technical standards for projection or immersive / 360° presentation.
The festival cannot be held responsible for any technical problems caused by files that do not respect the requested specifications.
8. Hospitality & Travel
The festival does not pay any screening fees, royalties or other financial compensation for films selected in the programme.
For internationally produced films in the official competitive section, the festival will offer accommodation in El Kef to one representative per selected film for a limited number of nights (details and conditions will be specified in the invitation email).
International and domestic travel costs (flight, train, visa, insurance, etc.) are not covered by the festival unless explicitly stated in a written agreement.
Local Tunisian filmmakers may be invited to participate in discussions and events; conditions of support (if any) will be communicated individually.
9. Use of Excerpts & Promotional Material
By submitting a film, the applicant authorizes ICH-IFI to use:
Up to 3 minutes of the film (or 10% for very short films),
Film stills, posters, synopsis and textual information,
for non-commercial promotional purposes related to the festival (press, website, social media, trailers, educational catalogues, etc.).
The festival may organize non-commercial educational screenings (for schools, youth groups or cultural workshops in El Kef and its region) during the festival and, with the filmmaker’s consent, at later dates as part of its outreach activities.
10. Code of Ethics & Safety
Given the thematic focus on children and identity, the festival expects all films and participants to respect:
The dignity and safety of children and vulnerable persons,
Cultural and religious diversity,
Principles of non-discrimination and non-violence.
Films dealing with sensitive issues (abuse, trauma, war, etc.) may be accompanied by content warnings and contextual discussions. The festival reserves the right to refuse any work that it considers to be exploitative, harmful or incompatible with its mission.
11. Final Provisions
The festival reserves the right to update or modify these Rules & Terms at any time; any changes will be published on the official website and/or FilmFreeway page.
In case of doubt or dispute regarding the interpretation of these Rules & Terms, the French or Arabic version (if provided) may be consulted alongside the English version; however, the festival direction retains final authority.
Submission of a film implies full acceptance of the present Rules & Terms.
