ARTICLE 1. DATES AND VENUES
The 9th Nouveaux Regards Film Festival, organized by the Association Cinémas d’Ici et d’Ailleurs, will take place in Guadeloupe from Wednesday, March 25 to Sunday, March 29, 2026.
ARTICLE 2. SELECTION CRITERIA
2.1 The official selection will include short fiction films and documentaries (short or feature-length). A feature film category may be opened if at least three feature films can be pre-selected.
NRFF considers short films as those of 45 minutes or less, and feature films as those over 45 minutes.
2.2 Only films produced and completed after July 1, 2024 are eligible for the festival.
2.3 To be considered, the film must either:
-Have been directed by a filmmaker originating from or residing in one of the following Caribbean islands: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, French Guiana, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Jamaica, Montserrat, Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
-Have been produced by a film production company based in one of the Caribbean islands listed above.
-Deal with a subject matter related to the Caribbean.
For clarity: as long as submissions meet at least one of the three criteria above, they will be accepted.
2.3 (bis) All non-French-speaking films screened at NRFF must be accessible to a French-speaking audience. Therefore, films in languages other than French must be submitted with French subtitles.
By submitting your film to NRFF, you agree to create French subtitles and deliver them on time before the screening. However, for pre-selection, subtitles are not required. Subtitles must be professionally produced. The use of Google Translate or other automated translation tools is not accepted. If necessary, the festival may recommend professional subtitling services. Nouveaux Regards reserves the right to commission subtitles for a competition film unable to provide them, in which case the submitter understands that the subtitles will remain the property of the festival.
2.4 Nouveaux Regards is particularly interested in World, International, European, or French Premieres, as well as first or second feature films.
A French premiere status is required for all non-French Caribbean submissions (shorts, documentaries, or features). Films may have been publicly screened anywhere outside France. However, we cannot accept films screened in another competitive film festival in Guadeloupe within 3 months preceding the NRFF, nor films broadcast or otherwise made publicly available (including online) before the end of the festival on March 29, 2026.
2.5 Films available for purchase before the end of the festival are not eligible. This includes DVD, Blu-ray, or digital download formats.
2.6 Promotional, institutional, corporate films, reports, and strictly journalistic documentaries are not eligible. Likewise, films of a racist, obscene, excessively violent, or propagandistic nature will not be considered.
2.7 If your film does not meet the above criteria and you submit it anyway, it will not be taken into consideration.
2.8 The final selection of all films submitted to the Festival, and their placement within the NRFF program, is at the sole discretion of the programming team.
ARTICLE 3. AWARDS
Films in Competition are eligible for the following awards (see the prize list for the 2026 edition on the festival website):
-Jury Prize for Best Feature Film (if applicable)
-Jury Prize for Best Documentary
SHORT FILM CATEGORY
-Jury Prize for Best Short Film – French Antilles & Guiana
-Jury Prize for Best Short Film – Caribbean
-Audience Award
-“Young Regards” Award
The festival reserves the right to add other award categories depending on partner support.
ARTICLE 4. FILM SUBMISSIONS
4.1 Submissions are open from September 19, 2025, to December 19, 2025. Films received after this deadline will not be considered.
4.2 Submission to the competition is free of charge.
4.3 NRFF is a partner of FilmFreeway. The link to the NRFF submission page on FilmFreeway is:
www.filmfreeway.com/NouveauxregardsFilmFestival
FilmFreeway allows you to submit a secure online screener. Your submission will then be processed and assigned to NRFF programmers for viewing. FilmFreeway also lets you check the status of your submission via their website.
4.4 Screeners: Submissions must be provided through Internet links such as Vimeo, YouTube, or Dailymotion. The link and password must be valid and active at the time of submission and remain so until the end of the festival. Films sent via WeTransfer or postal mail will not be viewed.
4.5 ROUGH CUTS / WORKS-IN-PROGRESS. Our programmers will be happy to review rough cuts and will evaluate the film accordingly. We will not reject a film simply because it is incomplete, but you must ensure that your film will be completed well before the Festival begins. Please note that, due to the high volume of films we receive, we cannot guarantee that programmers will be able to review the final version later. Please keep this in mind before submitting a rough cut and make sure your final cut is ready and submitted no later than February 6, 2026.
When submitting a rough cut, please indicate which elements remain to be completed (e.g., color correction, sound mix, visual effects, etc.).
4.6 NRFF will only reconsider a previously submitted film if it has been substantially re-edited or re-shot. Please include a cover letter detailing the changes made since its previous submission.
4.7 If your screener does not work, we will contact you and request another one. However, in that case, there is a risk that we may not receive the replacement in time to review it. Working screeners will be given priority. Please ensure that your screener functions properly before submitting.
4.8 Please notify us of any changes to your contact details by emailing films@nouveauxregardsff.com
. It is essential that we have accurate information should we need to reach you regarding your submission.
ARTICLE 5. SELECTION
5.1 The Selection Committee chooses the films for the Official Selection. The committee’s decisions will be communicated to the rights holders of the selected films by email no later than January 10, 2026.
In the absence of notification, applicants may consider that their film has not been selected.
5.2 Directors and/or producers of the selected films agree to comply with the festival’s technical guidelines, which will be sent after confirmation of the film’s selection (see Article 6.2).
5.3 Directors and/or producers of the selected films agree to provide all required promotional materials for communication about the film no later than January 23, 2026, via a form that will be sent to them.
Promotional materials include, among others: 3 to 5 stills from the film, the official poster, a trailer, the director’s biography/filmography (max. 400 characters), and a director’s photo. Each photo must be submitted in high resolution (minimum 300 dpi) and must include proper credit in the filename, preceded by the © symbol.
(Example: FilmTitle©photographername.jpg).
5.4 The director and rights holders of the selected films agree not to withdraw the film after the official announcement of the festival program.
5.5 All selected films will receive the festival’s Official Selection Laurel.
5.6 Films selected for the Official Competition will be made available to NRFF free of charge for scheduled screenings during the festival (generally, but not limited to, two public screenings per film, plus any private screenings required for the Jury).
5.7 Proposals for out-of-competition screenings are also considered but must be submitted separately via: films@nouveauxregardsff.com
ARTICLE 6. DELIVERY OF SCREENING COPIES
6.1 The final screening material must be delivered no later than February 6, 2026. No new versions of films will be accepted after this date.
6.2 The submitter must provide:
A read-me file indicating framerate, runtime, and exact file size.
A Full HD file: Apple ProRes or H.264, to be uploaded to the server communicated to you.
If necessary, a backup copy (DVD, digital file, or Blu-ray) may be requested. Shipping costs for films are the responsibility of the submitter.
ARTICLE 7. ACCREDITATION AND INVITATIONS
7.1 Films selected in competition will be granted accreditation for the director as well as for one representative of the production.
This accreditation gives access to all festival screenings, as well as professional activities reserved for accredited participants during the 2026 edition.
7.2 The festival regrets that it cannot provide transportation or accommodation for film representatives attending the festival.
7.3 Five (5) invitations per screening will also be offered to each director for every public screening of their film during the festival.
ARTICLE 8. COMMUNICATION AND PROMOTION
8.1 Directors, producers, and distributors of award-winning films at the festival agree to mention the prize(s) received in press kits and all other promotional material (posters, postcards, etc.), as well as during any screening of the awarded film (festival logo to be added at the beginning of the film’s credits) and at the time of its theatrical release. Laurels will be sent following the award announcement.
8.2 Participation in the festival implies authorization for excerpts — up to 10% of the film’s total running time, not exceeding 3 minutes — or still images to be broadcast on national, regional, or international television channels, as well as on any other NRFF or partner communication and promotional platforms (website, social media).
8.3 Furthermore, the rights holders authorize NRFF, free of charge, to create an audiovisual montage of excerpts from several selected films (especially awarded films) and to broadcast it on all media for promotional purposes of NRFF, for a duration of one year from the date of the selection announcement in early March 2026, renewable by tacit agreement.
ARTICLE 9. FINAL PROVISIONS
Submitting to NRFF constitutes an agreement with all the rules, regulations, and conditions contained in this document, and your consent for your film to be considered for all awards that may be granted at the Festival.
Each participant certifies that the information provided in the entry form is accurate. The participant also declares to hold all reproduction, exploitation, and distribution rights to their film. Submission also certifies that all necessary film and music rights and authorizations have been obtained.
Registration implies full and unconditional acceptance of the terms and provisions of these regulations.
In the event of a dispute, only the French version of the regulations shall be legally binding.
Still in need of assistance?
The NRFF Film Department is happy to help!
Email us at films@nouveauxregardsff.com
