Application Requirements
-The films participating in the Festival must directly or indirectly deal with the theme of disaster or climate change.
-Your film qualifies as disaster-themed if it meets any of the following criteria:
The primary theme of the film focuses on a disaster.
The chain of events in the story is initiated by a disaster.
The film addresses the societal or environmental impacts of a real or fictional disaster.
The film documents a real disaster or its consequences. Submissions must align with the appropriate category for the film's structure.
-Feature-length fiction, feature-length documentary, short-length fiction, short-length documentary, and short-length animation films made after 01/01/2000 can participate.
-Feature-length films must be at least 40 minutes, including credits. Short-length films must be at most 40 minutes, including credits.
-All films applying to the festival must have English subtitles.
-Films applying to the Feature Film category with documentary content must state that the film is a 'documentary' in the description section.
-Applicants can apply with more than one film, but each film must be submitted separately.
-Applications are open to filmmakers of all ages and countries.
-Having participated in national or international festivals before or having received awards from these festivals is not an obstacle to apply to our festival.
-Films that have been shown on national or international channels, BluRay, DVD, VCD, digital platforms, or any internet platform, but whose copyrights have not been exclusively sold, can apply to the competition.
-Submitting the application form indicates the producer accepts all competition rules. ----Applications with incomplete or incorrect information or documents will not be accepted. Participants must share a password-protected link to their film on platforms like Vimeo, YouTube, or Dailymotion during the form submission phase.
-All films participating in the competition are evaluated by an international jury consisting of directors, screenwriters, producers, actors, writers, film critics, film historians, and well-known people in the field of cinema.
-The Festival Committee has the right to use selected parts of the selected films for promotional purposes.
-After the announcement of the films selected for the competition and screening sections, films cannot be withdrawn from the festival without notice.
-Films submitted to the festival will only be used for artistic, educational, and social benefit, ensuring no commercial exploitation. This approach prioritizes the festival's ethical values and principle of social responsibility.
-At least one person from the production team (e.g., director, actor, screenwriter, cinematographer) of the finalist films is expected to attend the award night. Travel and accommodation expenses are the responsibility of the participants unless otherwise stated by the festival management. Awards are primarily presented to the director or their designated representative.
-The producers of the finalist films must resolve all copyright issues, including those related to music, script, and directing, prior to submission. If the film has more than one legal owner, it must be indicated in the application form. The festival management may request copyright and consent documents if necessary.
-Copyrights that may arise from third parties during the screening of the films are the responsibility of the producer.
-Maximum of two directors’ information can be entered for each film in the application form. This rule also applies to films with multiple directors.
The festival management does not disclose the list of applicant films and does not provide information about them. Only the list of films in the screening category is shared publicly for transparency.
-The film owners who pass pre-selection and qualify to participate in the festival must deliver the following documents to the address specified by the festival management within 14 days after the announcement of their names:
English subtitled copy of the film, HD format (1920*1080) digital file (via online
transfer).
List of dialogue with English timecode for all films.
Three high-resolution JPG format screenshots from the film.
One high-resolution photograph of the director.
Two separate summaries of the film in Turkish and English for Turkish-made films
(maximum 100 words), English summaries for non-Turkish films (maximum 100
words).
Film credits (Turkish and English for Turkish-made films, English only for non-Turkish-
made films).
Short biography of the director (Turkish and English for Turkish-made films, English
only for non-Turkish-made films).
Director's opinion (Turkish and English for Turkish-made films, English only for non-
Turkish-made films, maximum 100 words).
-The festival management reserves the right to exclude films that do not meet technical specifications, including video resolution, file format, or audio quality standards.
-The films are shown to the jury and the audience selected by the festival management in accordance with the program.
-All films screened during the festival are archived within the scope of the International --Disaster Film Festival. If deemed necessary, they may be shown on various non-commercial platforms for educational and promotional purposes with the permission of the directors.
-Film representatives (producers, directors, actors, screenwriters, etc.) are honored with receptions and discussions of their works on stage after screenings during the festival.
-Persons from the pre-selection jury, the main jury, or the festival team, as well as their first-degree relatives, cannot apply for the competition section of the festival to ensure fairness.
-The festival management reserves the right to make changes to the regulations under necessary conditions. It is authorized to decide on matters not specified in the regulations.
-The decision of the jury is final; participants have no right of appeal.
-The finalist films will be announced on the official website and social media accounts of the festival.
-The prize money of the awarded films will be transferred to their bank accounts. The festival pays bank charges within Türkiye but is not responsible for intermediary bank commissions.
The festival committee has the right to make any changes and reserves this right.
Above is a description of the Rules and Guidelines governing film submissions to the 2025 International Disaster Film Festival. These Rules and Guidelines must be followed in order to participate in the Film Festival. Submission of a film implies unconditional acceptance of the Rules and Guidelines; therefore, please read them carefully before submitting your film. If you have any questions, please contact the International Disaster Film Festival: uaffest@gmail.com
