GENERAL RULES
Rules and Regulations
(1) Eligibility Requirements
- Films previously submitted to the Basie’s “PROJECT FX” or "Teen + College Film Festival" competitions are not eligible.
- Any film submitted must be made after January 1, 2022.
- At the time of submission, middle and high school contestants must be enrolled full-time in an NJ-based school or be legal NJ residents receiving home schooling. College contestants must be a full-time student attending college in New Jersey, or a graduate of a New Jersey-based high school or home-schooling program registered full-time at an out-of-state college or university. College students must not have graduated prior to the festival date to be eligible for entry.
- Entrants must include proof of student status (copy of student ID, transcript, diploma, etc.).
- All students must be in 7th grade or higher at the time of film submission.
-If students from multiple states have worked on the film, then the Director, Director of Photography, or Producer must be a New Jersey high school student or a New Jersey high school graduate enrolled full-time in an out-of-state college or university.
-Students may use any type of equipment to create their submission.
-Credits and title sequences are welcome, but not required on each film. If they are included, they must be included in the 10-minute time limit on the film.
- Entrants may be asked to identify legal ownership of the film.
- Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the festival and to use all music, images, and content in the entry.
- Only complete submissions will be considered. Each complete submission must be accompanied by the appropriate entry fee. Entry fees are not refundable. Fees cover registration, notification that your entry has been received, and notification of results. These fees may be paid by credit/debit card only.
- Films must be submitted via Filmfreeway.com.
- You may not use copyrighted music or video footage in your film. YouTube and Vimeo are becoming increasingly vigilant about this, and we cannot be responsible for films pulled down for copyright violations.
- Upon acceptance, films must be provided as a .mp4 file for download.
- All films up to 10 minutes in length will be considered.
- All films must not contain any form of nudity.
- All entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on 3/26/23.
(2) Judging & Selection
- Submissions that do not meet the criteria will be automatically disqualified.
- All films will be vetted by a sub-committee of the Judging Panel. The top films in each category will be designated as “Official Selections.”
- In April 2023, the official selections of the festival will be revealed at www.thebasie.org/filmfest, as well as the festival’s official Facebook page.
- A judging panel comprised of celebrities and film industry leaders will view the top films and assess.
- Judging will be based on a rubric that evaluates how a student utilizes the medium in a creative manner.
- The judges will take into account the storyline, cinematography, technical aspects, sound, and editing.
LEGAL
(1) You retain all ownership rights in your film. However, by submitting to the Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Festival, you hereby give the Count Basie Center and its panel of judges permission to view the film and format it for presentation and grant the same a nonexclusive right and license to use, modify, prepare derivative works of, reproduce, perform, distribute, transmit or otherwise display the film (including derivative works thereof) to the public, in all media formats and through all media channels including but not limited to film, video, television, Internet, and other electronic, broadcast and other media, now known or later developed, and to authorize others to do the same, provided the foregoing is in furtherance of the Festival’s non-profit, educational, or promotional purposes. The above licenses granted by you are perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free, non-terminable and irrevocable.
(2) In the event that Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Festival or the Count Basie Center for the Arts posts the film on its website, you understand that the Festival cannot guarantee that the film, if posted, will not be forwarded, used, modified and/or further distributed by third parties. The Festival and those it may authorize shall not be responsible for unauthorized duplications, modifications, distributions or use of the Film by third parties on the Internet or otherwise.
(3) You agree that the Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Festival and the Count Basie Center for the Arts and its designees shall have the right to use your name, likeness, and biography in connection with the Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Fest and in advertising, publicity and promotion related thereto.
(4) It is your responsibility to ensure that the necessary contracts or releases have been obtained from those individuals or entities whose, names, likenesses, trademarks, written materials, scripts, photographs, artworks, musical compositions, or similar materials or rights are used in connection with the film. Copies of such contracts or releases shall be provided to the Festival upon request. You agree that you will not submit your film unless you are the owner of all proprietary rights (such as copyrights, trademark rights, rights of privacy, rights of publicity, trade secret or other rights) in and to the film and all materials included in the film or unless you have written permissions from the rightful owners to use the film and all materials included in the film and to grant the licenses herein granted to the Festival to use the film and all materials included in the film.
(5) You represent and warrant that the film contains no libelous or unlawful material, contains no instructions that may cause harm or injury, and that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to use and to authorize the Festival to use all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to the Film and any and all material in the film, in the manner contemplated by this agreement. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Fest, the Count Basie Center for the Arts, and its trustees, officers, directors, sublicensees, affiliates and all staff from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from: (a) your violation of this agreement, and (b) the violation of any third party rights, including but not limited to any copyrights, trademark rights, rights of privacy or publicity, trade secret or any other proprietary right, by your film. This obligation and the representations and warranties made by you in this agreement shall survive the expiration or termination of this agreement.
(6) The Count Basie Center Teen + College Film Festival and the Count Basie Center for the Arts is under no obligation to exhibit or display any submission to the Festival. All decisions regarding the selection of films for the Festival and their subsequent display shall be at the discretion of the Festival organizers.
