Waterford Film Festival

The festival now runs 3 competitions. Film, Scripts & Photography. Each competition has a different set of rules.

Below our COVID- 19 MESSAGE ARE THE RULES OF ALL 3 COMPETITIONS

The Waterford Film Festival is usually a physical event, held in a venue in Waterford City. This year's Festival will still go ahead. However, since the outbreak of Covid-19, we have had no choice but to present our Festival on an online platform.

It was our hope to return to holding a live event to our much appreciated audience, but unfortunately for 2021 this will not be the case.

Covid-19 is still very much part of our daily lives and it will be highly likely that some form of restrictions will be in place for most of the year.

This year it is also difficult for venues to be in a position to run multiple events, back to back and on consecutive days, as a Festival structure requires.

For these reasons and for the health and safety of everyone involved, all selected films will be presented on a virtual (password protected/subscriber based only) platform for the 2021 Festival.

It is however our aim to at least have a physical awards presentation following the Festival weekend in The House of Waterford Crystal. More details on our 2021 competitions can be found below.

Each Project must be accompanied by an entry form and entry Fee.

Submitter can enter either on the FilmFreeway website or on the Waterford Film Festival website. There is a paypal option to pay the entry fee if submitting on our website.

SHORT FILM COMPETITION RULES

1. For the 2021 Festival, filmmakers must give the Waterford Film Festival permission to present their films on a temporary basis on a password protected /subscriber based video on demand platform for the duration of the Festival if their project is selected.

2.The Waterford Film Festival will accept entries of all film genres less than 20 minutes (Not including closing credits). Filmmakers worldwide can submit their work. Non-English language films must be dubbed in English or have English subtitles.

3. Films produced from January 2019 onward will be considered.

4. We do not web/new media. (For example marketing presentations). Please contact director@waterfordfilmfestival.net if you wish to have a paid video ad screened during the festival.

5. All entries will be viewed by the selection committee. The Festival will make no cuts or changes. Festival selections will be announced on or before 13th of October 2021. All entrants will be notified by email.

6. Selected films will be listed and posted on our website and various platforms. The festival does not pay rental fees for submitted work.

7. Please note that no fee waivers will be given to submitter. The Festival heavily relies on fees which go towards our operational costs.

8. COPYRIGHT: Filmmakers are responsible for securing all copyright clearances and music rights.

9.Due to the amount of entries and time restraints we can not provide feedback.

10. Please make sure to fully fill out your form and include a logline, short story summary and the main credits (Producer, Director, Writer) etc. If your short film is selected we will need this information for the event programmes, website etc.
Once a film is submitted for consideration it cannot be retracted.

11.We would prefer if there were no Geo-blocking restrictions for the selected films but we will try and accommodate, if possible.

12. By entering your film for consideration for the 2021 Waterford Film Festival, you authorize that your work is cleared for Festival exhibition and accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property therein.

13.Entry into the festival constitutes permission to exhibit your work at the 2021 Waterford Film Festival including the presentation of films on a virtual format/ video on demand platform.

14.The Waterford Film Festival is also hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes.

15. Even though our online platform will have security, the festival can not 100% guarantee possible illegal downloads and the submitter shall indemnify and hold harmless The Waterford Film Festival and all of our sponsors/associates of such possible actions.

16. The application shall indemnify and hold harmless The Waterford Film Festival, employees and all of our sponsors/associates of said entities from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening and loss of or damage to the screening of films entered.

17. The Waterford Film Festival has the right to amend these rules at any time.

18. By submitting the online form below or on filmfreeway.com you are agreeing to these rules

19. The Waterford Film Festival aims to have an awards presentation in The House of Waterford Crystal by November 20th, 2021. Depending on Restrictions. Winners are encouraged to attend but its not compulsory.

SHORT SCRIPT COMPETITION RULES

1. By submitting the online form on our website or on filmfreeway.com you are agreeing to these rules
2.The Waterford Film Festival Short Screenplay Competition is open to people from any nationality and from any country.

3. Submission fees must be paid. Entries that do not include a fee will not be considered.

4. This competition will have 2 Rounds( please see awards section for info). Up to 50 semi-finalists will be selected and presented with Official Laurels. From these semi-finalists up to 20 finalists will be selected. Please see our awards section for a breakdown of prizes.

The overall winners will be selected from the finalists list and announced on the last day of the festival.
Round 1: Semi Finalists will be notified several weeks before the offical notification date.

In Round 2: Finalists will be notified on or before October 13th

5. Screenplays must be written in English.

6. The screenplay must not be less than three pages and not exceed fifteen pages. The cover is not included All genres will be considered.

7. Screenplays must be submitted on official platforms either on The Waterford Film Festival site or on FilmFreeway. Please do not email in scripts unless requested by a member of our team.

8. If your screenplay is selected to be a semi-finalist or finalists, you give the Festival permission to use your name and image in Festival promotions, press etc.

9. All submissions will be judged by the Waterford Film Festival Committees appointed by the Festival Director. Their reports and decisions are final and confidential.

10. Writers can submit as many screenplays as they wish but they must fill in a separate entry form and pay separate fees for each screenplay.

11. The Waterford Film Festival reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

12. All entrants will be notified of the status of their submissions by email.

13. Writers retain all rights to their screenplay.

14. A production company can submit a script but must have the writer's approval. Writers can email their approval to the festival director at waterfordfilmfestival@gmail.com

15. The Waterford Film Festival will only consider un-produced scripts but the work can have a development deal/option in place.However scripts must not be in production at the time of entry.

16. The application shall indemnify and hold harmless. The Waterford Film Festival and employees of said entities against any and all claims which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark etc.

17. The Waterford Film Festival aims to have an awards presentation in The House of Waterford Crystal by November 20th, 2021. Depending on Restrictions.

18. Screenplays must be submitted on official platforms either on The Waterford Film Festival site or on FilmFreeway and Only send PDF OR WORD FILES. Please do not email in scripts unless requested by a member of our team.

19. Finalists and Winners are encouraged to attend but its not compulsory

Photography Competition Rules

1. Each image entry must be accompanied by an entry form and the entry fee. You can submit on www.filmfreeway.com/waterfordfilmfestival or at www.waterfordfilmfestival.net. Submission will not be considered without a fee and the completed form.

2.Applicants can submit two images per submission if they wish. However, if applicants want to submit more than two images they must fill out a separate form and pay a separate fee.

3. Your image entry must represent film or film making as outlined in our ‘about’ section above.

4. All submissions will be judged by Waterford Film Festival Committees appointed by the Festival Director. Their reports and decisions are final and confidential.

5. COPYRIGHT: Photographers/Videographers are responsible for securing all copyright clearances that may be associated with their image/photo that includes but not limited to: actors/models releases, locations/permissions etc. The Festival or our Venue Partners, Odeon Cinemas is not responsible for any copyright claim on images.

6. Due to time restraint we can not provide feedback.
7. Once an image(s) is submitted for consideration it cannot be retracted.

8.The application shall indemnify (compensate for harm/loss) and hold The Waterford Film Festival and the Odeon Cinema and employees of said entities from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity and loss of or damage to the images entered (this includes images used for exhibit purposes).

9. Artists retain all rights to their photos/images but for awarded pictures (including finalists) copyright holders grant the Waterford Film Festival unlimited non-exclusive use of high-resolution pictures for activities in all media. This includes social media, online and print in relation to the contest, festival and the exhibition without any remuneration being due.

10. All artists will be notified by November 1st if they have been selected as a finalist and are free to announce this as they so, please.

11. The photographer(s) must be the author(s) of the pictures submitted in his/her/their name.

12. We will use winning images, plus four other images for the exhibition. Pictures must meet the following specifications:
1 Upload images with the original pixel size (unless cropped).
2. Pictures must be uploaded in JPEG format with high quality compression.
3. Pictures with captions/taglines must be written in English.

13. Entries must be submitted via www.waterfordfilmfestival.net or www.filmfreeway.com/waterfordfilmfestival. Entries sent in other ways will not be accepted.

14. The overall winners will need to provide frames for all of their photos/images for the exhibit. i.e framed and ready to be displayed. A member of the Festival team will be in touch with the winner to arrange transport/delivery of these materials.

15. Image selections will be announced on or before the 1st November 2021. All entrants will be notified by email.

16. The Waterford Film Festival reserves the right to amend these rules at any time.

17. Pictures taken at restricted events (that is, events where only photographers commissioned by those organising the event - for example governments, political parties or corporations have access) are not accepted.

18. Adjustments of colour or conversion to grayscale are permitted.

19. The copyright holders represent and warrant that submission of the pictures does not breach any law and further that no third party can hold any claims or any objections regarding the rights granted to the Waterford Film Festival and Odeon Cinemas specified.

20 The entry rules and any dispute, proceedings or claim of whatever nature arising out of or in any way relating to the entry rules (including any non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by Irish law.

21. By entering your image(s) for consideration for the Principle Image Photography Competition, you authorize that your work is cleared for Festival exhibition at The Waterford Film Festival/Odeon Cinema Waterford and accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property therein.