Every year, Brampton hosts the Brampton International Nollywood Film Festival (BINFF). As a non-profit organization, we want to ensure that Brampton residents and others benefit from activities including capacity-building development workshops, mentorship programs, live movie screenings, screenwriting, and an award competition. The Brampton International Nollywood Film Festival (BINFF) brings together filmmakers from Brampton, Canada, and around the world to celebrate their work through programs, activities, a closing awards ceremony, and other festival events.

The vibrant city of Brampton hosts the annual Brampton International Nollywood Film Festival (BINFF), a multicultural festival that welcomes all attendees and promotes diversity. Every year, Brampton organizes BINFF, a festival that brings together filmmakers, artists, and industry experts from all around the world to connect locals and create progress in the city. BINFF's annual festival and awards celebration aims to improve cinematic experiences by showcasing music and films from Brampton, Canada, and around the world. It also functions as a creative hub for local filmmakers, artists, writers, and performing arts professionals.

Workshops, masterclasses, mentorships, and other development activities are all part of the capacity-building program, which aims to help Brampton's young people bridge the gap and compete in business. Every year, the beautiful city of Brampton welcomes filmmakers, artists, and participants from all over the world to the Brampton International Nollywood Film Festival.

BINFF, based in Brampton, Canada's Flower City, wants to be a leading film festival that celebrates the rich diversity that makes our community unique. In our pursuit of creative, independent filmmaking, originality, and distinctiveness, we hope to highlight our city's rich diversity through an engaging series of cinematic events. Our annual BINFF festival includes a screenwriting contest, music performances, and screenings, all with the objective of encouraging performing arts such as theatre, dance, poetry, and new media. BINFF's purpose is to promote and screen films and music from Canada, around the world, and in Brampton to improve diversity in the Canadian film industry.

Several of the festival's programs and events will focus on strengthening the organization's structure and staff, broadening its stakeholder network, and reinforcing strategic initiatives to capitalize on emerging opportunities. BINFF's yearly festival and activity programs include conferences, films with Q&A sessions, live music performances, stage plays, and dance. We also offer online and in-person movie screenings, allowing people from all around the world to participate. Our audience development efforts include training seminars and mentorship programs, and we aim to expand workforce capacity, diversity, and inclusiveness through our yearly festival and activity projects.

About Brampton: A Flower City of Canada

Brampton, the third-largest city in Ontario, was historically known as the Flower City of Canada. The population has grown to almost 523,911 in 2011, and therefore, infrastructure has increased. However, the legacy of being a flower town is secure. The city earns its title as a flower city due to its rich heritage of nurseries, parks, orchids, and flower markets. Acres of land in the city are offering parks and glass greenhouses, which add to the city's beauty and increase the opportunities for outdoor activities for citizens. Brampton is a multicultural city with more than 170 distinct cultures that speak almost 70 different languages. This reveals that the city is also enjoying the fruits of festivities from different cultural heritages, as well as a common regional heritage of blooming flowers. The city's floral heritage has given it a chance to gain importance in the international economy and find other opportunities for manufacturing and trade.

The selection committee will announce the officially selected films in the next round of the process. At the live festival event in Brampton, these films will compete for the award. We will share the list of nominees on the BINFF website and social media pages.

BINFF is a screenplay contest, music festival, and film festival with an awards ceremony. Through its programming, BINFF recognizes, promotes, challenges, and builds awareness of diversity, multiculturalism, non-discrimination, equality, social justice, and artists and filmmakers.

Organizations give awards and prizes to acknowledge exceptional accomplishments and contributions.

Awards & Prizes

TROPHY STATUE/AWARD CERTIFICATES
Best Project and Audience Choice Award

If your film is selected for BINFF, it may be screened in person, online, or in a hybrid format. The COVID-19 outbreak prompted BINFF to adopt the strategy of integrating its screening and festival offerings. Screening slot availability determines the timing of in-person screenings, and BINFF may modify its festival programming presentation in response to pandemic-related or other government regulations, policies, or requests. Our current festival idea is a hybrid event that will include both online and live screenings in person.

In addition to that, you can win one of the awards listed below with any entry. Winners in each category may receive a trophy statue or an optional certificate for display. Every year, the Brampton International Nollywood Film Festival (BINFF) presents the Audience Choice Award, a trophy that allows the winners to personalize their names. Brampton, Canada, is a great place for filmmakers to attend festivals, meet famous people, attend award ceremonies, and network.

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES:

BRAMPTON RESIDENTS:

All Best Short Film (**Only applicable to residents of Brampton**)

ALL OTHERS

Best Feature Film (Hollywood, USA)

The best feature film (Nollywood)

The best feature film (Bollywood)

Best Feature Film (International)

The Caribbean is the best feature film.

Best Feature Film (Canada)

Best LGBT Feature Film: NEW

Best LGBT Short Film—New

Best Short Film

The Best Music Video

Best Trailer

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Supporting Actor

Best supporting actress

Best Director

Best Producer

Best Web Series

Best Horror

Best Thriller/Action

Best Comedy

Best Animated Film

Best Sci-Fi

Best Student Film

Best Documentary

Best Editing

Best Cinematography

Best Visual Effects

Best Original Music Score

Best in Show

Best Costume

Best Art Director

Best Music—Non-Visual (Audio Only Category)—New

The Best Reality Shows—New

Best vBlog -- NEW

Best Gospel Video—New

The Best Female Filmmaker (Producer or Director)—New

Audience Choice Award: (Online Voting Category: Films with the highest online fan vote win)

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION:

A short screenplay spanning between 1 and 30 pages
Medium Screenplay: Between 30 and 60 pages
A feature screenplay should be between 60 and 120 pages.
All Best Short Screenplays (**Only applicable to residents of Brampton**)

Audience Favourites
Programmers' Awards
Festival Director Awards
Achievement Awards

Rules & Terms

Rules & Regulations:

The competition is open to all! This includes films from Canada, Nollywood, Bollywood, Hollywood-USA, and international entries. Please check individual categories and submit suitable categories to your project.

Hybrid Screening & Programs:

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, BINFF’s programs will be delivered in a hybrid form allowing us to better serve our audience. Each year BINFF’s Official Selection projects will be screened online and in person subject to screening slot/facility availability.

Submission & Evaluation Process:

We create an opportunity for Screenwriters and filmmakers to get their scripts/films judged and let them compete with other filmmakers. We perform a comprehensive evaluation process and select only high-quality films.

The evaluation process is a three-stage process:

• Feature films (60 minutes and more), medium-length films (45 to 60 minutes), and short
• films (under 45 minutes)
• All Entries with or without distribution deals are welcome.
• All Entries selected into the festival programs agree to have their project participate in BINFF’s Hybrid screening programs, which include Online and In-person programs and activities.
• Films previously entered and screened at our festival are eligible for one additional re-entry in subsequent years.
• Entries must be submitted for pre-screening through our online submission platform. If you use a secure link, you are REQUIRED to keep us updated with passwords.
• Works in progress are accepted. We cannot promise that we will be able to watch re-edited submissions. Please only submit works in progress if submitting close to the final deadline.
• You grant the BINFF festival a limited license to screen your film(s) at any of its yearly calendar festival events in addition to during the festival itself by allowing the festival to download your films through the festival Film Freeway submission download system or by sending a hard copy or a downloadable version of your film, digital content, or screenplay. By submitting your work, you consent to the festival using still photos and brief video clips to promote the festival. Credit shall be given to any filmmaker or screenwriter whose work appears in festival promotional materials. The owner of the copyright retains all rights to the original work.
• You may submit multiple entries but must pay an entry fee for each.
• If the movie has nudity or sex. The movie should have a strong storyline; however, we are strictly not accepting any movies about porn, or animal cruelty.
• To submit a Film for Festival consideration, Applicants must complete the registration process and pay the required fee by the deadlines. Submissions must be postmarked or submitted online via our various submission platforms. Submitted DVDs must contain one version only of the Film, in the original language of production, with English subtitles if the original language is not English.
• DVDs must be labelled in the following manner: Title. Production company name, phone number, and address. Director’s name. Length in minutes and platform tracking number.
• Where the applicant chooses to forward a DVD instead of an online screener, the Applicant is responsible for ensuring that the submitted DVD screener plays in its entirety on an industry-standard DVD player. If BINFF is unable to view the DVD, BINFF is under no obligation to contact the Applicant to obtain a replacement DVD.
• BINFF will not review multiple versions of a submitted Film. Only one version of the Film may be submitted. If multiple versions are submitted, BINFF will view only the version that was received first.
• Note! DVD screeners will not be returned.
• All Films must be sent by way of prepaid shipping. BINFF will not accept cash-on-delivery shipments or be responsible for duties, taxes, or customs brokerage. Charges are to be billed to the sender.
• BINFF is not responsible for and will not accept shipments incurring expenses for terminal charges, duties, taxes, or customs brokerage. Shipping and customs charges are to be billed to the sender. Any shipping charges incurred by BINFF will be billed back to the Applicant.

About our Waiver Policy:

Vert Important! BINFF believes in a fair policy for every filmmaker. We try to keep reasonable fees for all submissions, and we offer regular discounts to students and new filmmakers, however, no waivers at this stage.


TERMS AND CONDITIONS

COMPETITION CERTIFICATION

• I/We have read all the Brampton International Nollywood Film Festival (BINFF) rules.
• I/We understand and have complied with these rules.
• I/We warrant the submission of my/our original work and there are no disputes regarding the ownership of the submission.
• I/We also warrant the submitted material does not defame or invade the rights of any person living or dead and I/we fully indemnify the festival against any claim made for such violations of law.
• To the best of my/our knowledge, all the statements herein are true and correct.
• I/We understand that failure to adhere to the festival rules will result in disqualification and forfeiture of the entry fee.
• I/We agree to hold BINFF harmless from and defend them against all claims, demands, losses, damages, judgments, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising out of or in connection with any claims of third parties, whether groundless, based on any film submitted to the festival. I understand that the festival projection format may change, and I will be notified of the required format once my film is accepted.
• All selected films must be available to screen, we will inform you of the appropriate screening format.