The Royal Film Commission Jordan | OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN #227 April 2022

OPPORTUNITIES BULLETIN #227 April 2022

N.B. The information below is provided directly by the organizers of events, festivals, audio-visual organizations or independent film projects. The Royal Film Commission - Jordan (RFC) cannot be held accountable for it.

In this bulletin:

1. Call for application: The Jordan Film Fund (JFF) – Seventh Cycle
2. Submit your Film: Amman International Film Festival
3. Amman International Film Festival: Submit your Project
4. Call for submissions: The 6th edition of El Gouna Film Festival
5. Call for submissions: The 6th edition of CineGouna Platform, El Gouna Film Festival
6. Call for funding: Red Sea Fund
7. Call for submissions: The 79th Venice International Film Festival
8. Call for applications: Film Independent Producing Lab 2022
9. Call for submissions: The 30th Raindance Film Festival
10. Call for submissions: The 31st Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival

Applications are accepted until Monday 9th May 2022 at midnight (Jordan Time).

For more information, please refer to the FAQ page, also you can call the JFF’s team at +962 797557229 (Sundays to Thursdays from 9:00 AM until 5:30 PM) or send an e-mail to: apply@film.jo

Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF) is the first of its kind in Jordan and is aimed at début achievements in film from all over the world. The AIFF seeks works that manifest artistic boldness, strength of form and originality in the use of the medium of film. Based on the success of its two previous editions, the Festival’s third edition will be held 20 – 27 July 2022.

International jurors select the Best Feature-Length Narrative Arab film, Best Feature-Length Documentary and the Best Arab Short. The audience selects the Best Début non-Arab movie.
All winning films receive the Black Iris trophy and a cash award.

Rules and Regulations

1. Amman International Film Festival – Awal Film (AIFF) requires all submitted films to be Jordanian premiere. Films previously screened in Jordan are not eligible.

2. Films that are available in Jordan on any VOD, online platforms, TV, or any other similar media are not eligible.

3. Only film rights owners and/or their official distributors are eligible to submit films to the festival.

4. Only films that were released in 2021 or 2022 are accepted for submission.

5. The AIFF considers any narrative film over 60 minutes as feature-length.

6. The AIFF considers any documentary film over 52 minutes as feature-length.

7. The maximum duration for a short film is 25 minutes.

8. All films must be in their original language. If not in English, the film must be subtitled in English.

9. Submitted films must meet the conditions mentioned above, in addition to the specific selection criteria as described per section.

10. The final selection of all films and their placement in the program are the responsibility of the Festival.

11. The AIFF reserves the right to decide eligibility.

Sections: Arab Feature Narrative Film Competition

1. Only films that are 60 minutes or longer are accepted for this section.

2. This section is open to any feature-length narrative film released in 2021 or 2022, as long as the director is Arab or of Arab origin, and as long as it is the first feature-length narrative film by the:

o Director and/or
o Screenwriter and/or
o Lead actor and/or
o Lead actress and/or 

Arab Feature Documentary Film Competition

1. Only films that are 52 minutes or longer are accepted for this section.

2. This section is open to any feature-length documentary film released in 2021 or 2022, as long as the director is Arab or of Arab origin, and as long as it is the first feature-length documentary film by the:

o Director and/or
o Editor

Arab Short Film Competition

1. Only short films (no longer than 25 minutes) are eligible for this section.

2. This section is open to any short narrative, experimental, or animation film released in 2021 or 2022, as long as the director is Arab or of Arab origin, and as long as it is the first narrative short film by the director.

3. Short documentaries are not eligible for this section

The deadline for submissions is April 30^th, 2022

For more about AIFF: www.aiff.jo

For more information about the rules and regulations: http://aiff.jo/rules-regulations/

To submit your film to the Arab competitions: http://aiff.jo/arab-competition/

To submit your non-Arab début film to the international section: http://aiff.jo/international-section/

1. Project in Development - Awal Project:
   • Only projects by first-time Jordanian directors or first-time Arab directors resident in Jordan are accepted for this platform.
   • The project must be a feature-length narrative or documentary in its development stage; shorts are not eligible.
2. Project in Development:
   • The project must be a feature-length narrative or documentary in its development stage; shorts are not eligible.
   • Projects by all Arab directors (including Jordanians) are accepted for this platform.
3. Project in Post-Production:
   • The project must be a feature-length narrative or documentary in its post-production stage; shorts are not eligible.
   • Only projects by Arab directors (including Jordanians) are accepted for this platform.
   • You must have a producer attached to your project to be eligible for this platform.

The deadline for submission is April 30, 2022

For more information, please visit: http://aiff.jo/pitching-platforms/

Submissions of both feature-length and short films for selection in the program of the 6th edition of GFF must be made in accordance with the provisions set out in El Gouna Film Festival’s rules and regulations as outlined below:

- El Gouna Film Festival accepts entries from all countries of the world to be screened in the following sections of the festival:

• Feature Narrative Competition
• Feature Documentary Competition
• Short Film Competition
• Official Selection out of Competition

- Only films that premiered after November 15, 2021 are eligible for the festival sections. Preference will be given to world and international premieres.

- Duration of films:

• The minimum duration of a feature narrative film must be 65 minutes.
• The minimum duration of a feature documentary must be 52 minutes.
• The maximum duration of a short film must be 30 minutes.

- Submissions will be accepted only from films that have not had a public screening in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region in a theatre, on television or on any Internet-based VOD platform.

- All films must be in their original language and if this language is other than English, the film must be subtitled in English.

The deadline for submission is August 15, 2022

For more information, please visit: El Gouna Film Festival

The 6th edition of CineGouna Platform, El Gouna Film Festival accepts submissions of feature narrative and feature documentary projects in development, as well as films in post-production.

Submissions are invited in the following general categories:

• Feature narratives in development
• Feature documentaries in development
• Feature narratives in post-production
• Feature documentaries in post-production

For the purpose of submission to CineGouna Platform, feature narratives are defined as works of fiction of at least 65 minutes in length, while feature documentaries are defined as non-fiction works of at least 52 minutes in length.

Projects in development are those for which principal photography has not yet been started. Films in post-production are films for which the principal photography has been completed, and work on post-production is still in progress.

Eligibility:

a) The director of a submitted work must be a national of (or originally from) one of the countries listed below. In addition, at least one of the production companies must be from at least one of the following countries:

Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen.

b) Projects must have both a director and a producer attached.

The deadline for submission is July 15, 2022 for projects in development and August 1, 2022 for films in post-production.

For more information, please visit: El Gouna Film Festival

The Red Sea Fund is unleashing the biggest funding boost for the industry this year. Backing 100+ directors to bring their vision on the big screen, with grants totaling 14 million US dollars – supporting film projects from development to post-production.

Documentary, fiction, animation – episodic, shorts, and features – the Fund is looking out for filmmakers and the new exciting wave of films from the region, from development to post-production.

Development Fund

Feature-length (60-minutes or more) fiction, documentary or animation projects from directors of Arab nationality/origin and African nationality;

Episodic projects (25–59 minutes per episode) from directors of Arab nationality/origin and African nationality;

Short fiction, documentary, or animation (less than 60 minutes) projects from Saudi directors.

RULES & REGULATIONS

Production Fund

Feature-length (60-minutes or more) fiction, documentary or animation projects from directors of Arab nationality/origin and African nationality;

Episodic projects (25–59 minutes per episode) from directors of Arab nationality/origin and African nationality;

Short fiction, documentary, or animation (less than 60 minutes) projects from Saudi directors.

RULES & REGULATIONS

Post-Production Fund

Feature-length (60-minutes or more) fiction, documentary or animation projects from directors of Arab nationality/origin and African nationality.

RULES & REGULATIONS

For more information about the fund and the deadlines, please visit :Red Sea Fund – Red Sea Film (redseafilmfest.com)

The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. One section is devoted to enhance the restoration works on classic films as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema in particular to the advantage of young audiences.

Official Selection

Only films presented as world premieres that meet the following criteria are eligible for selection:

• Films that were completed after 11th September 2021;
• Films that have not had any form of commercial distribution or exhibition on the Internet;
• Films that neither have been previously screened to the public and/or the press, nor have been presented at any other International film festival or cinematographic event, including those in the country of origin.

Out of Competition

Some of the most important works of the year will be presented in the non-competing section, for a maximum of 20 films; to these will be added the films produced within the Biennale College-Cinema program. They may include the works of established authors who have participated in previous editions of the Venice Film Festival, or films in which the spectacular dimension is accompanied by forms of expressive and/or narrative originality, and documentaries.

Orizzonti

An international competition reserved for a maximum of 19 films, dedicated to films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema, with special attention to debut films, young or not yet firmly established talents, indie features and lesser-known cinema. The Orizzonti section features a selection of competing short films lasting a maximum of 20 minutes, selected on the basis of criteria such as quality and originality of language and expression.

Entry fees:

• € 70 for short films
• € 80 for short films submitted from 1 June
• € 150 for feature films and immersive projects
• € 175 for immersive projects submitted from 1 May and feature films submitted from 1 June

Only feature and short films presented as world premieres, and immersive projects presented as world or international premiere, are eligible. All works must have been completed after September 11th 2021.

The deadline for submission is:

31 May for immersive projects.

17 June for feature films and short films.

For more information, please visit: Biennale Cinema 2022 | Film submission (labiennale.org)

The Producing Lab helps further the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to film professionals, who can advise them on both the craft and business of independent producing. In addition to attending lab sessions with legal, financial and production experts, each Producing Lab Fellow will be paired with an experienced Creative Advisor with whom they’ll work to develop their project over the course of the program. Taking place during the course of two weeks in October, the Lab culminates with a pitch session with established executives, offering participants valuable practical experience and the chance to introduce their projects to a larger cross-section of the industry.

Producers may apply with feature length narrative projects that are in active development or post-production. Through the Lab, Fellows develop strategies and action plans to bring their projects to fruition.

Who Can Apply?

The Producing Lab is open to any producer formally attached to a full-length, fiction feature film with a completed script and director in place. Applicants must control the rights to the project with which they apply. Projects do not need financing in place at the time of application.

However, each application must demonstrate serious attention to the film’s budget and articulate the reasoning behind the budget level. Producing partners are welcome to apply as teams and need only submit a single application. International applicants are welcome to apply. Documentary, short film, new media and episodic projects are not eligible to apply.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit the following materials for consideration:

• A cover letter explaining your interest in the Producing Lab
• An artist statement detailing why you are attached to produce
• One complete, feature-length screenplay
• A logline and synopsis
• Bios of attached key cast and crew
• Project status and history
• Budget top sheet and finance plan
• Look book (if applicable)
• Work sample and/or rough cut

Application Fee:

• FREE for Filmmaker Pro Members (limited to one waived fee per Membership year)
• $45 for Film Independent Members
• $65 for non-Members

The deadline for submission is on May 21, 2022

For more information, please visit: Producing Lab - Film Independent

 The 30th Raindance Film Festival will take place from October 26th until November 5th 2022 in London.

The Festival is officially recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences USA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the British Independent Film Awards.

Winners of Best Animation Short/Best Documentary Short/Short of the Festival) categories will qualify for Oscar®, and selected shorts also for BAFTA considerations.

Festival Sections:

• World-renowned programme of the best UK and international independent films
• Masterclasses with special guests
• Raindance Industry Forum – talks and panels
• Raindance Virtual and Augmented Reality Strand
• Networking events

Each year, Raindance attracts dozens of thousands of visitors including hundreds of industry professionals into London.

Rules & Terms

Submission Format

Films must be submitted via online screener only. Subsequent cuts or more complete versions of submitted films are not accepted, therefore changing or updating the originally submitted link is not accepted. Only one version of the film will be reviewed by programmers.

Submission Eligibility

• All submissions must have been completed after 1st January 2021.
• Raindance requires at least a UK premiere for any feature film.
• There is no premiere policy for short films and music videos.
• Work-in-progress and films with distribution are accepted.

Premiere Status

Feature Films must be at least UK Premieres: they must not have been released in the UK on any format, nor screened publicly online.

There is no premiere policy for short films and music videos, they may have screened at other Festivals and/or online.

The deadline is on May 9, 2022.

For more information, please visit: Raindance Film Festival - FilmFreeway

Submissions are now open for The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF) which will take place from October 7^th until 15th , 2022.

HSDFF offers multiple awards categories, and is a designated Academy-Award© -qualifying festival for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Documentary Short Subject. The winning short film in the Documentary Short Film Competition is eligible for Academy Award® consideration without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.

Rules & Terms

The Festival exhibits in a variety of program categories. Not all categories are competitive.

• Short Films: 40 minutes or less
• Features: Over 40 minutes
• Episodic Series
• Competition is open to U.S. and International entries.
• Films not in English must be subtitled with English subtitles

Eligibility:

Feature and short documentary films completed after November 1st 2021, are eligible for HSDFF 2022.

Feature and Short films that are available on VOD or a streaming platform may not be eligible for competition at the festival.

Feature length films that have been released theatrically or broadcast on television nationally prior to the festival will be considered for non-competitive sections only under special circumstances determined by the festival.

Short films that are available on VOD or a streaming platform will not be eligible for competition at the festival.

You may submit multiple entries but must fill out a separate entry form and provide an entry fee for each.

The deadline  is on June 1, 2022