ELIGIBILITY
1. M4SC is open to ALL YOUTH regardless of race, creed, or national origin that are currently enrolled in elementary school, middle school, high school or college and that are age 24 or younger.
2. Films must be works written, directed and/or produced by elementary school, middle school, high school or college students.
3. Group or individual projects from community youth organizations are also eligible. In either case, adult supervision must be limited to an advisory capacity only.
ENTRY CATEGORIES
1. Live Action
2. Documentary
3. Public Service Announcement
4. Animation
5. Music Video
NOTE: The M4SC suggests that submitting in the Public Service Announcement category be done in partnership with a local non-profit entity to produce their submission. Additionally, it is strongly recommended that filmmakers research people, places, monuments and special-interest causes in their local area and consider subjects with historical, community, or social significance for documentary submissions. Submissions that highlight solutions to the issues discussed are encouraged.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
1. Films must be 8 minutes or less in length.
2. The content must focus on a social change theme. Examples of content: social justice, community impact, global awareness, inclusion, climate change, diversity, activism, LGBTQ+, gender, race, equality, police brutality, teen violence, relationships, family, education, digital divide, life situations, etc.
3. Submissions must be submitted by May 5th, 2024.
4. Filmmakers must be 24 years old or younger at the time of the film’s completion.
5. All entries must be submitted through FilmFreeway.
6. We accept the following genres: live-action, music video, documentary, animation, and public service announcements (PSA)
7. Only original work may be submitted.
8. Title pages and credits should be included in your film.
COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS
1. Entrants retain all intellectual property rights in their submissions, including copyright rights.
2. By submitting your film, you certify that you are the sole owner and producer of the work and that you are authorized to submit this work and that all clearances and licenses necessary for public display of the work have been granted. Filmmaker represents and warrants that its film(s) submitted to M4SC does not infringe in any way, directly or contributorily, upon any third party’s intellectual property rights, including, but not limited to, music, still images, moving images, copyright, trademark, and right of publicity.
3. Use of trademarked products or characters is not permitted unless permission is received from the trademark owner. Filmmakers are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright and trademark owners.
4. When using sources and works that are not your own, entrants agree that those works are part of the public domain, that they have obtained permission to use the work, or that the use of the work does not constitute a substantial portion of the film so as to comply with fair use laws of USC Title 17 Section 107 found at http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html. Where an entrant has obtained permission to use a substantial portion of another’s intellectual property, entrant agrees to submit proof of permission with the film entry. We urge entrants in their creativity to use their own artistic works or those in the public domain. As to research, please give credit to the owners and authors of scientific, academic, political, etc. works, such as through the credits of the film or when the source is used in the film.
NOTE: If using material under creative commons (fair use doctrine), make sure the necessary requirements are met in order to submit your work to a third party. For more information on copyrighted material and what constitutes fair use material, please visit:
www.centerforsocialmedia.org/fair-use
www.copyrightkids.org
There are many options for copyright-free music. One option is: www.mobygratis.com
For help finding images that are in the public domain and do not constitute any type of infringement, try starting at the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures.
*URGENT is not responsible for the accuracy of the information on these websites. Please do your research and try to find material that is royalty/license-free and/or falls under creative commons. Copyright is a complicated issue. When in doubt, do not use material you did not create. We are interested in what you can create, not what you can borrow.
9. URGENT, Inc. reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any submission.
JURY PROCESS
A jury panel of media professionals and qualified young filmmakers will select entries for recognition in all categories. Criteria for selection include:
-Storytelling
-Quality of Overall Production
-Freshness & Originality
-Persuasive Point of View
-Emotional Impact
-Technical Proficiency
RELEASE AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY
In consideration for permission to participate in the Contest, entrants (together with parent or guardian if entrant is under 18 years of age or under a legal disability) expressly release and hold harmless the Sponsor from and against any and all claims, demands, and causes of action arising out of the entrant’s participation in the Contest. Entrant’s release and agreement to hold Sponsor harmless includes but is not limited to intellectual property disputes, cancellation of the Contest, injury, death, harm or losses of any kind, whether or not caused in whole or in part by the negligence or other fault of the Sponsor or its agents. Entrant (together with parent/guardian if appropriate) waives any right to claim any damages whatsoever, including but not limited to consequential, punitive, direct, or indirect damages, and releases and forever discharges Sponsor, its representatives, employees, officers, agents, and affiliates from all such claims, on behalf of entrants, their heirs, assigns, and any other person claiming by, under or through entrant.
OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. As a condition of participation, entrants grant URGENT, Inc. a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to, copy, show, display, distribute, create derivative works, and market all film entries, in their entirety, in part (film clips) and still shots, to live audiences, online (social media, recorded and live stream), and in written materials. This includes, but not limited to: showing the film(s) to the public at a future Miami 4 Social Change Youth Film Festival event, other partner festivals and promotional events. Displaying the film, in part or in its entirety, on the urgentinc.org website, and URGENT, Inc. social media sites.
2. This permission also includes but is not limited to URGENT's right to use all film submissions in screenings, showcases, workshops, educational activities, and marketing efforts with third party partners. Exceptions and requests to opt out will be granted only by written request and must be made prior to acceptance into the Festival.
3 Participation in the festival, including the submission of film and/or movie posters via FilmFreeway.com, implies acceptance of all festival rules and regulations.
4. URGENT, Inc. retains the right to accept or decline any entry, for whatever reason, without notice or explanation.
