I. Terms and conditions for entry*
* The term film is used here in reference to both film and video.
ELIGIBILITY & FEES
1. Films submitted for any of the Film Prizes must meet all the following key conditions:
(a) they make a significant contribution to the fields of anthropology, archaeology, ethnography or the study of intangible culture. However, they may be films made for either specialist or more general public audiences.
(b) they were first released in public on or after 1 October 2022
(c) they are in English and/or carry English subtitles
2. Films submitted for the Wiley-Blackwell Student Prize must have been completed while the director was enrolled in a bona fide educational institution.
3. Films produced by or in association with the Institute will not be considered eligible for the prizes but may be submitted for screening out of competition.
4. Any entry which has previously been submitted for an RAI prize will not be eligible.
5. Entry Fees:
Upon written request, these fees may be waived in genuine cases of hardship.
SUBMISSION PROCEDURES
The RAI Film Committee will set up a pre-selection panel to identify a shortlist of films that will be screened at the Festival and where they will be judged by a separate panel of judges.
1. For the purposes of pre-selection, filmmakers or their agents are asked to submit the following:
(a) a completed online submission form.
Please make sure the online screener is downloadable. If this is not possible, please send digital film files (ProRes, mp4, mov). This should be sent to film@therai.org.uk
2. The RAI Film Festival does not pay any screening fees to films that are selected for any of the Prizes.
3. Prizes will be awarded to single films, whether they have been made as stand-alone films or as part of a series. If a film has been made as part of a series, a brief account of its context within the series should be included in the online submission.
4. Submission of entries for the Wiley Blackwell Student Film Prize must be accompanied by evidence of the student status of the director at the time of the completion of the film.
5. The makers of films selected for screening at the Festival will be invited to send a screening copy of the film in one of the approved formats. Details will be communicated to the selected candidates via email. This final selection will be announced at the end of April 2025. The deadline for submission of screening versions will be in early May 2025.
6. The RAI will have the right to show any film submitted at the Festival. Additionally, extracts of no more than 4 minutes may be shown on television/web with a view to promoting the Festival.
DELIVERY AND RETURN OF FILMS
1. Filmmakers or their agents submitting films must cover all costs related to the delivery of preview and screening copies to RAI Film.
2. Unless otherwise advised, the RAI will retain all materials submitted for pre-selection purposes for inclusion in its research collection / video archive where it will be used for internal, non-public screening purposes only.
II Terms and conditions governing the award of prizes
1. There will be a panel of judges appointed by the RAI Film Committee.
2. Pre-selection of a shortlist of films for screening will be undertaken in advance of the event by a panel nominated by the Film Committee.
3. All entries, including student submissions, will be eligible for both the RAI and Basil Wright Film Awards, and if of appropriate subject matter and length, also for the Marsh RAI Short Film Award, the Richard Werbner Award for Visual Ethnography, or the Ethnomusicology Film Award. All films will also be eligible for the Audience Award.
4. Prizes will be awarded to the director(s) of the winning film, whether they are working on their own behalf or as part of a television company or other organisation.
5. In assessing the films, the judges will give greater weight to the anthropological content and visual merit than to the technical expertise or resources with which the films are made. This will be of particular importance in the adjudication of the Wiley Blackwell Student Film Prize.
6. In exceptional circumstances, the judges may seek assessments of any of the films from outside assessors whom they deem to be appropriately qualified.
7. The judges may divide the prizes and they may also give commendations to films not awarded a prize. However, judges are urged not to divide prizes unless they really cannot agree on an outright winner. Nor should they award more than two commendations in relation to any one prize.
8. No film may be awarded more than one prize. The only exception here is the Audience Award, which may be awarded to a film that has also won one of the prizes adjudicated by the panel of judges.
9. The RAI does not commit itself to award prizes if, in the opinion of the judges, the quality of the films submitted is not sufficiently high.
10. One filmmaker associated with each production shortlisted for competitive screening will be offered a free pass to the entire Festival. Although the organisers welcome and encourage the attendance of filmmakers at the Festival, we regret that it is not possible to reimburse accommodation, subsistence or travel expenses.
The submission of a film to the RAI FILM Festival implies the acceptance of these terms and conditions. The decision of the RAI Film Committee on any matter relating to the interpretation of these terms and conditions shall be final.
