Just Film Youth and Children's Film Festival

PÖFF – Black Nights Film Festival Sub-Festival
08.11.–24.11.2024

Introduction
Just Film was founded to give children and youth the possibility to see, through film, what happens around them and around the world. The aim is to show kids the critical points of society and to make them more understanding and empathic.

Youth and Children’s Film Festival Just Film is the biggest sub-festival of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festivals. It is held during the main programme 08.11.–24.11.2024.

Just Film presents films in the following programmes:
• International Competition programme of youth feature films
• International Competition programme of children’s feature films
• International Competition programme of junior films
• #youngfilmmaker International Competition programme
• Non-competitive and/or informative programmes, retrospectives and special presentations

Films eligible for the programmes are feature-length (50 minutes and over) either fiction or documentary and short or half-length films (up to 50 minutes). The films must be produced after 1st of November 2023. The minimum requirement for the films is their International premiere.

The festival reserves the right to evaluate eligible films for competition on a case by case basis.

The applicable screening copies are in DCP format in English or include English subtitles. Films in the competitions may be presented in the PÖFF Main Programme's Non-Competitive section.

Awards & Prizes

• Just Film Grand Prix, International Youth Competition (Grant of 3000 Euros)
• Just Film Youth Jury Best Film Award
• Just Film Children’s Jury Best Film Award
• Just Film Juniors’ Jury Best Film Award
• ECFA Award for the Best European Children’s Film
• Just Film #youngfilmmaker's Jury Best Film Award
• Up to two (2) Special Mentions per Competitive Programme

Just Film Youth and Children's Film Festival

PÖFF – Black Nights Film Festival's sub-festival
08.11.–24.11.2024

2. Introduction

Youth and Children’s Film Festival Just Film is the biggest sub-festival of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festivals. It is held during the main programme 08.11.-24.11.2024.

Just Film was founded to give children and youth the possibility to see, through film, what happens around them and around the world. The aim is to show kids the critical points of society and to make them more understanding and empathic.

Just Film presents films in the following programmes:

-International Competition programme of youth feature films
-International Competition programme of children’s feature films
-International Competition programme of juniors’ films
-#youngfilmmaker International Competition programme
-Non-Competitive and/or informative programmes, retrospectives, and special presentations

Awards & Prizes

-Just Film Grand Prix, International Youth Competition (Grant of 3000 Euros)
-Just Film Youth Jury Best Film Award
-Just Film Children’s Jury Best Film Award
-Just Film Juniors’ Jury Best Film Award
-ECFA Award for the Best European Children’s Film
-Just Film #youngfilmmaker's Jury Best Film Award
-Up to two (2) Special Mentions per Competitive Programme

2.1. Eligibility

Films eligible for the programmes are feature-length (50 minutes and over), either fiction or documentary and short or half-length films (up to 50 minutes). The films must be produced after 1st January 2023. The minimum requirement for the films is their International premiere.

The Festival reserves the right to make changes in the eligibility criteria and evaluate films on a case by case basis.

The applicable screening copies are in DCP format in English or include English subtitles. Films in the competitions may be presented in the PÖFF main programme non-competitive section.

2.2. Juries

The Festival Director will appoint three (3) Domestic (Juniors’, Children’s, and Youth) Jury groups consisting of three (3) members. The three groups are divided for ages 7-9, 10-13, and 14-18. Furthermore, an International Jury consisting of three (3) film specialists and ECFA (European Children’s Film Association) Jury consisting of three (3) ECFA members will be invited.
The Jury for the #youngfilmmaker International Competition programme will consist of at least 3 industry experts and programme representatives. No jury member can be involved in the production or promotion of any of the films in the competitive programmes.

2.3. Film submission entry procedures

Applicants for Competitive and Non-Competitive programmes are requested to submit their films in the subcategory of Just Film Youth and Children's Film Festival through FilmFreeway:

https://filmfreeway.com/just

Submission applications are accepted starting from 15th of February 2024.

Regular submission: 15. February until 30th June 2024

* For Competitive and Non-Competitive feature film programmes, the Festival asks a submission fee of 69€ per film during the regular submission period.
* For short films (up to 50 minutes), the Festival asks a submission fee of 14€ per film during the regular submission period.
* For films eligible for the #youngfilmmaker International Competition programme (up to 20 minutes), the Festival asks a submission fee of 5€ per film during the regular submission period.

Extended submission: 1st July until 18th August 2024

* For Competitive and Non-Competitive feature film programmes, the Festival asks a submission fee of 85€ per film during the extended submission period.
* For short films (up to 50 minutes), the Festival asks a submission fee of 18€ per film during the extended submission period.
* For films eligible for the #youngfilmmaker International Competition programme (up to 20 minutes), the Festival asks a submission fee of 5€ per film during the extended submission period.

Final submission: 19th August until 25th August 2024

* For Competitive and Non-Competitive feature film programmes, the Festival asks a submission fee of 100€ per film during the final submission period.
* For short films (up to 50 minutes), the Festival asks a submission fee of 30€ per film during the final submission period.
* For films eligible for the #youngfilmmaker International Competition programme (up to 20 minutes), the Festival asks a submission fee of 10€ per film during the final submission period.

We are accepting the submissions of the Russian films that have been produced without the financial support of the government of Russian Federation and businesses tax-resident in the latter country. Film Schools will be considered state funded organizations and not considered. It means that we can only consider the films that have been made by independent production companies in Russia or by Russian filmmakers in exile.

Entry applications submitted by post, e-mail, or any other form except the online submission form are not considered eligible for selection, unless with prior agreement with the Festival Programming Committee. The Festival reserves the right to select films received at any time and through any means or process, and to refuse late submissions.

By submitting a film to the Festival, the applicant agrees by the applicable submissions deadline to:

-Fill and submit the entry form via the Festival’s online FilmFreeway submission form.
-Provide a screening link and password via the online submission form or e-mail.
-Acknowledge that “selected” status on the online submission or any kind of automated letter from the submission platform does not guarantee confirmation of the submitted film to the Festival as multiple criteria, such as the screening fee, print/copy fees, availability issues in Estonian territory and other factors have to be taken into consideration.

2.3.1. #youngfilmmaker International Competition programme

Starting from the 2023 edition, the Festival is introducing a new category for film submissions. This special category is for young filmmakers aged 7-19, who wish to submit their own work to the Festival’s #youngfilmmaker International Competition programme.
This is a unique opportunity for a young filmmaker to take part in an A-category film festival. In addition, the recipients have the chance to participate in the BNFF film industry section's, Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event, international workshops and seminars.
Films eligible for the programme are up to 20 minutes. The films must be produced after 1st January 2023. The Festival will inform the applicants of the selected films about their successful submission latest by 15th September 2024.

2.4. Confirmation of films

The Festival will inform the applicants of the selected films about their successful submission latest by 15th September 2024. Upon confirmation of the film to the Festival’s Competitive or Non-Competitive programmes, the applicant agrees to deliver additional info and promotional materials listed below to the Festival. Full electronic press kits are preferred.

Film stills
Format: landscape (16:9), .jpg/.png/.tiff
Size: 1920 x 1080 px minimum
Minimum of 3 stills

Film poster
Format: portrait (9:16), .jpg/.png/.tiff
Size: 1080 x 1920 px (portrait format)

Director’s portrait image
Format: square (1:1), .jpg/.png/.tiff
Size: 500 x 500 px minimum

Info about the film crew
Director’s biography
Director’s filmography
Press-kit/principal cast and credits

Premiere status
Confirm the premiere status of the film for the Black Nights Film Festival. The Festival should receive this confirmation by 15th of September. If the film's representative wishes to make changes to the premier status after the specified date, the Festival reserves the right to make changes in the film’s eligibility for the Festival.

Synopsis and genre of the film

Provide the Festival with the English synopsis (up to 500 characters) of the film along with the defined genre and 3 preferred tagwords about the film's content.

Film trailer/teaser

Provide an HD resolution trailer or an HD teaser clip of the film either as a public link to a downloadable file, an embeddable video on YouTube or Vimeo, or as a separate file. By providing the Festival with the trailer/teaser file, the applicant allows the Festival to upload the file on the Festival’s online channels (e.g. Youtube). The Festival should receive the trailer or teaser latest by 15th September.

Materials for local translation

Provide subtitle files with time-codes and/or dialogue lists in the original film language and in English, spotting list and a screener of the finalised version of the film. Please provide the festival with English .SRT, .STL or .XML subtitle files.

The Festival reserves the right to use all provided promotional materials for publicity purposes and printed materials, including the Festival catalogue, press releases, website, social media channels, and promotion in media.

The materials required by the Festival for its press releases, catalogue, website and other information/promotion channels, and materials for local translation need to be provided to the Festival by 15th September 2024, or within 7 days of confirmation of the film. If the applicant chooses to make changes to the materials sent to us, this can be done until 1st October or until this year’s festival schedule is live on the Festival’s website.

2.5. Reimbursement

If the applicant doesn’t provide the materials required by the Festival by the date set in regulations or by the date agreed with the Festival beforehand, The Festival Director and the Programming Committee reserve the right to withdraw the film from the programme.

The applicant agrees that confirmed titles may not be withdrawn from the Festival programme after its participation has been officially confirmed and the producer or producer’s authorised representative has verified the confirmation of the film to the programme.

If, for exceptional reasons, the film has to be withdrawn 30 days or less before the opening of the Festival, the applicant agrees to reimburse all costs to the Festival related to the confirmation and programming of the film including the screening fee (when applicable), print delivery, and handling costs as well as associated travel costs for the film delegation.
If the applicant decides to withdraw their film after confirmation of participation in less than 14 days before the start of the Festival, a penalty fee of 1000€ will apply.

The invoices for the film rights or print loans should be issued and delivered for payments no later than two months after the end of the Festival (24th January 2025).

The Festival does not accept or reimburse invoices issued after that date.

2.6. Technical requirements and guidelines for film formats
2.6.1. Screenings in cinemas

The accepted screening format for all films in Competitive and Non-Competitive programmes is DCP. Provided DCPs must be DCI compliant (http://www.dcimovies.com/) and adhere to all applicable conditions below.

Digital delivery of the DCPs is preferred, if not agreed otherwise. The Festival will provide a CineSend link for uploading the DCP and it should be uploaded no later than 15th October 2024. DCPs must be provided with the correct naming according to the ISDCF DCP Naming Convention.

Subtitles
All films selected for the Festival must be provided with English subtitles, unless they are already in English. The Festival reserves the right to translate a selection of films into Estonian. Unless the Festival has agreed otherwise with the film representatives, the Estonian translations can be purchased for a fee of 100€.

The Festival prefers to transfer local subtitles onto DCPs for ensuring the best possible screening experience. For that purpose, DCPs must meet the following requirements: provided screening DCPs must be unencrypted or available with DKDM for the Festival Lab as original language versions (OV) with separate accompanying subtitles as version-file packages (VF).

If the transfer of translated subtitles onto the DCP is not agreed on with the representatives of the film, the translations will be shown electronically.

All screening copies for all sections, if provided with any subtitles, must have the subtitles on the active picture area and not in the letterbox area. Please note that the image may be cropped by up to 3% during projection, due to the position of the projector and the venue’s characteristics, therefore a good safe area for the subtitles would be at least 5%. Dubbed language copies are also refused.

The Festival reserves the right to demand new DCP packages free of charge in case of non-compatible DCPs, broken hard drives, or other quality standards are not met. These include wrongly placed or missing subtitles, or wrong soundtracks.

KDMs
All competition programme films are obligated to provide an unencrypted DCP or Distribution KDMs (DKDM) for laboratory testing. In all cases, unencrypted DCPs are strongly preferred. In case of encrypted DCPs, the Festival requires Distribution KDMs (DKDM) for laboratory testing or in previously agreed cases, one test KDM per film free of charge for quality assurance and technical testing for our test-screen.
For quality assurance reasons, KDM or DKDM is requested to be valid from the date the DCP arrives at the Festival but not later than one week before the Festival starts till 1 days after the Festival. ​​All KDMs and DKDMs should follow the KDM Naming Convention.
The producer or film representative is requested to provide appropriate screening KDMs valid from 7 days before the start of the Festival and 1 days after the Festival, but not later than 72 hours prior to screenings, and 48 hours after the screening. The cost of generating all KDMs will also be the responsibility of the producers or representatives of the film.
If the Festival is provided with broken or wrongly assigned KDMs, appropriate new KDMs must be provided free of charge by the film submitter or representative. Quality assurance purpose DKDM is not exempt from providing screening KDMs if not agreed upon otherwise.

Formats
The Festival supports 2K and 4K content. However, not all screens have a 4K screening capability. The Festival therefore cannot guarantee that all 4K films will be screened in a 4K resolution.

We can accept high-frame-rate (HFR) or 3D DCPs, however, we are only able to screen them in selected cinema halls. Please notify the Festival office if you are planning on presenting a high-frame-rate DCP.

Video formats and 35mm prints are accepted only with prior acknowledgement from the Festival. All video files will be converted into DCPs by the Festival appointed lab to ensure the best possible image and sound quality during playback. Only ProRes, ProRes 444, ProRes HQ are accepted video formats in these cases. Tapes or Blu-rays are not accepted as screening formats, unless there are no alternatives and with prior acknowledgement from the Festival.

Technical guideline is provided along with a confirmation entry form.
The festival reserves the right to refuse and withdraw the screening of the film from the competition or any other section if all requirements are not followed.
Our festival’s technical team, dcinema@poff.ee, will happily help with any queries for all confirmed films.

2.6.2. Online screenings (ProScreen)

Festival uses a VOD platform with Studio Grade DRM for screening films online. Screenings for accredited film professionals and international press members are accessible globally via Festival accreditation.

Films featured in the competitive sections offer press members early online access.
By confirming the film’s participation at the Festival, the film’s representative agrees to present the film for online cinema screenings in H264, 1920x1080p video format with stereo sound. We recommend a clean film file without hardcoded subtitles. The subtitles, if needed, must be presented as SRT or XML timed subtitles.

2.7. Delivery of materials

All costs related to the shipping of the screener copy (DVD) and publicity materials are paid by the submitter or film representative. Submitted preview copies may be returned to the submitter or forwarded only at the submitters expense.
All packages must be clearly marked with the title of the film, the sender’s/submitter’s name, return address, and telephone number as well as the festival address:

Black Nights Film Festival
Attn: Just Film
Telliskivi 60a/2, 3rd floor
10412
Tallinn, Estonia
Phone: +372 5620 8308

Costs related to the shipping of the screening copies to the Festival are paid by the Festival, unless otherwise agreed upon. Return shipping costs are the responsibility of the submitter or film representative, or party appointed by them.

The Festival will return or forward the screening copies within 14 days from the end of the Festival, unless instructed otherwise by the submitter or film representative. Returns before the Festival closing date must be agreed at least three weeks before the festival and cannot be guaranteed after that.

The festival covers all expenses connected to the storage and insurance of the screening copies during the duration of the Festival.
In the event of damage to a copy during the Festival, the Festival limits its responsibility to the cost of having a new standard copy made at current laboratory rates.

2.8. Film Delegations
For the main competition programme, the Festival will officially invite one representative per film. The festival will cover the round trip economy airfare either fully or partially depending on the cost of the airfare for one delegate, with a preference given to the Director or a Main Cast member, as well as accommodation up to three nights at the Official Partner Hotel and accreditation for one delegate.

For films outside of the main competition programme, #youngfilmmaker International Competition programme and non-competitive films, the Festival reserves the right to invite guests upon the decision of the Programming Committee. Detailed terms and conditions for film delegates are provided on a non-disclosed one-to-one and guest agreement basis.

2.9. Contacts

Head of Just Film programme - Mikk Granström (mikk@poff.ee)

Programme Coordinator - Mariliis Pai (mariliis.pai@poff.ee)

Submit your film to the Youth and Children's film festival Just Film!

FilmFreeway Submissions - Just Film Youth and Children's Film Festival

justfilm.ee