The Korean Society for Visual Anthropology (KSVA) is excited to organize the 2023 Fifth Korea International Ethnographic Film Festival (KIEFF) to share with the larger audience many possibilities and meanings of ethnographic film. We are proud to announce the calls for ethnographic films for the "KIEFF Official Selection" and “KIEFF Student Filmmakers Selection”.
KIEFF understands that ethnographic film has evolved over the last 100 years by accepting various cultural perspectives and traditions of visual media. In the past, the definition of ethnographic film was limited to films produced by anthropologists. However, recently it is widely understood as films that present the understandings gained by the filmmakers who spent a considerable time living with the subjects of the films through diverse cinematic techniques. These new ethnographic films include not only the traditional anthropological films seeking to understand the other culture by exploring the meanings and values embedded in the lives of the others but also films made by indigenous people reflecting on the reality they themselves face, and experimental and other non-fictional films that invite us to think in a new way by representing the complex lives of contemporary people.
For a long time, ethnographic films offered an opportunity for the audience to realize what were considered universal and took for granted are in fact special results made by culture they are part of.
For the KIEFF Official Selection, we are looking for ethnographic films that explore the theme of “Urban-scape” in creative and innovative ways. The films should focus on the social, cultural, and environmental aspects of urban life and the impact of urbanization on people and communities. We encourage filmmakers to explore different perspectives and approaches in their films and to experiment with different forms of storytelling.
All films submitted to the "Official Selection" and “Student Filmmakers Selection” in the 2023 festival must have been completed in the two years prior to the festival or on the festival year itself. For this festival that would mean films completed between 2021 and 2023.
For the KIEFF Student Filmmakers Selection, films on any topic will be considered, but special consideration will be given to films that focus on anthropological topics. All festival films go through a highly selective screening process.

Awards & Prizes

KIEFF is a non-competitive film festival, thus there are no awards or prizes offered.

Rules & Terms

QUALIFIED WORKS
• All films submitted to the festival must have been completed between 2021 and 2023.
• KIEFF is an ethnographic film festival, as such, all films should display an “ethnographic sensibility” (see above).
• For the KIEFF Student Filmmakers Selection, only films or videos that were completed when the maker was or still is enrolled as a student in an educational institution will be considered.
• In assessing the films, the judges will give greater weight to the content than to the technical expertise with which the films are made.
• Films on any topic will be considered, but special consideration will be given to films that focus on anthropological topics.
• Entries in any language other than either English or Korean should be subtitled in one of those two languages.
• The festival is open to films/videos made in all formats.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING FILMS
• All entries must be submitted via our FilmFreeway account at: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/KIEFF
• KIEFF does not require entry fees to submit to the festival.
• All entrants should complete the FilmFreeway submission form presented during the submission process.
• All screeners should be submitted online through FilmFreeway. They can either be uploaded directly to your FilmFreeway account or linked to files hosted on Vimeo or YouTube.
• If the screener is password protected, be sure to provide a password that is valid for at least six months from the date of submission, or until the selection process is completed (whichever comes first). It is your responsibility to notify us if any changes are made.
• If there is a reason you are unable to submit your film via FilmFreeway which cannot be solved by their technical support, feel free to contact us via email <contact.kieff@gmail.com> for further assistance.

RULES AND TERMS
• KIEFF does not pay screening fees. By submitting your film via FilmFreeway you acknowledge that the festival will not pay to present your work.
• The KIEFF does not commit itself to film selection, if in the opinion of the judges the quality of the films submitted is not sufficiently high.
• The awarded student film will be screened during the main festival.
• Once a film is selected, the holder of its copyrights automatically authorizes KIEFF to promote the production on public television and on the internet in short trailers up to 4 minutes in length.
• If your film is selected, you must provide a press kit, including production stills that the festival can use in its promotional materials, publications and on social media.
• A copy of all films selected for the festival will be preserved in the KIEFF office. (For internal, non-public, academic use only.)
• All films are required to have English subtitles for non-English dialogue. We ask Korean speaking directors to provide both Korean and English subtitles for their films. KIEFF will provide Korean subtitles for films by non-Korean speaking directors.
• In order to produce the subtitled version of the film for screening, we require that we receive high-quality tapes (such as BETACAM SP NTSC) or digital masters that we can use to make the subtitled version of the film for screening. As this technology is constantly changing, we will discuss this with directors after their films have been selected.
• The festival reserves the right to make any necessary changes to these rules and regulations at any time and without notice.