Florence, 14th- 21th November 2008

International documentary film festival

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Rules and Regulations

  1. The 49th Festival dei Popoli – International Documentary Film Festival– will take place in Florence from the 14th to the 21st of November 2008.

  2. The aim of the Festival dei Popoli is to promote and circulate creative documentaries, encourage interaction between different research experiences, and act as a meeting point for people interested in documentary film.

  3. The festival is organized by the Festival dei Popoli – ONLUS, the Italian Institute for Social Documentary Film, with the support of the Italian Ministry for Arts and Culture (Bureau of Cinema), the Tuscan Region, the Province of Florence, the City of Florence (Department of Culture). The festival has also private sponsors.

  4. The Festival dei Popoli is a member of EDN (European Documentary Network) and RED (Réseau d’échange et d’expérimentation pour la diffusion du cinéma documentaire). The Promotional Division of the Committee for Cinematography within the Italian Ministry for Arts and Culture has recognized the national relevance of the Festival dei Popoli.

  5. The Festival includes the following sections: International Competition, Main Programme, tributes/retrospectives, seminars, panel discussions.

  6. The Selection Committee bases its choices on the quality of the cinematographic language and, more generally, on the creative character of the work.

  7. INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

    Documentaries of all lengths and nationalities completed after September 1st 2007 will be considered for selection. They must be an Italian Premiere at least. Screening copies of selected films must be in one of the following formats: 35mm, Betacam SP PAL, Digibeta. Other formats must be approved by the Festival Office. No rental fees will be paid for this section.
    An international Jury composed of leading figures in film and the arts will assign the following awards:

    • Best Documentary: € 10,000.00 (equally divided between the director and the production).
    • Best Directing: € 5,000.00.
    • Best Anthropological Film: “Gian Paolo Paoli” plate.

    Special Mentions may also be granted. A Jury composed of students from the "Lorenzo de' Medici" School and the University of Florence will assign a € 2.500 Award - to be divided equally between the director and the production - for the best short documentary film. The awards will be paid within six months from the assignment.

  8. MAIN PROGRAMME

    Section devoted to the investigation of the language of documentaries in its broadest sense (video-art, installations, fictions documentary style). Films of all lengths and nationalities, completed after September 1st 2007 will be considered for selection. They must be an Italian Premiere. Screening copies of selected films must be in one the following formats: 35mm, Betacam SP PAL, Digibeta. Other formats must be approved by the Festival Office. No rental fees will be paid for this section.

  9. AUDIENCE AWARD

    All films included in the International Competition and Main Programme are eligible for the Audience Award.

  10. OTHER SECTIONS

    For the other sections of the programme, participation is restricted to films invited by the Selection Committee on the basis of their relevance for the selected themes. These sections are not competitions. There are no restrictions as to the date of production of the films. Films already released in Italy can be shown.

  11. The filmmakers and/or producers of the films selected will be notified by October 17th 2008. Films not selected will not receive notification. The selection, the programme and the calendar of screenings are decided upon by the Director only.

  12. If a film is released in Italy as a result of being shown at the festival, all advertising and promotional materials must carry the festival's logo and must make explicit mention of the film’s participation in the 49th Festival dei Popoli and of the awards assigned, if any.

  13. REGISTRATION

    1. Submission of films for pre-selection is free. The Entry Form, filled out in all its parts, and signed, must be sent with the rest of the required documentation (see point 4 of the Entry Form) no later than June 30th 2008 (date of post-office stamp) for films produced before April 30th 2008; no later than August 8th 2008 (date of post-office stamp) for films either produced after April 30th 2008 or still in production.

    2. Postal expenses for the required documentation will not be covered by the Festival. For customs purposes, we recommend you indicate on the package: “Without commercial value, for cultural purposes only”. The Festival will not cover postal expenses for the return of VHS or DVD.

    3. The Entry Form and the additional info materials required, should be sent to:

      Festival dei Popoli
      Borgo Pinti 82r
      50121 Firenze - Italia

    4. Filmmakers and/or producers are solely responsible for the content of their materials and must declare, upon registration in the Festival, to have fully complied with all obligations deriving from copyright law.

    5. Registration is subject to acceptance of the condition that all materials received – including VHS or DVD – remain deposited in the Festival's Archives and that permission is granted to the Festival to use them for educational, research, or promotional ends, also in places and contexts other than the Festival, excluding commercial use. Finally, the Festival will act as an interface between authors/producers and distributors.

  14. INVITATIONS AND SHIPPING TO THE FESTIVAL

    1. All works admitted to the competition or invited to the Festival must be accompanied by:

      • Entry Form, filled out in all its parts and signed;
      • all required documentation (see point 4 of the Entry Form).

    2. Film and video copies for screening must reach Florence no later than October 31st 2008 and must be mailed to the following address:

      Festival dei Popoli
      Borgo Pinti 82r
      50121 Firenze - Italia

    3. Shipments from outside the European Union must be complete with a customs invoice, a list of items, travel documents (indicating the number of reels, length of film in meters, titles and quantity of video supports for each film). At the same time, the sender must notify the shipment to the Festival Office by sending a fax with the following information: title of the film, number of reels, date and references of the shipment (AWB number).

    4. Postal expenses and customs clearance for the screening copies of the selected films must be covered by the sender. Postal expenses and customs clearance for the return of the items will be covered by the Festival. Should a copy of the film be requested for another festival after the screening of the film or anytime during the Festival dei Popoli, postal expenses and customs clearance must be covered by the interested party. In any case, the Festival dei Popoli will cover the costs of only one shipment.

    5. DONATION FOR THE ARCHIVES

      The donation of the screening copy (film or tape) of the film to the Festival dei Popoli Archives would be appreciated. The donated copy will be used only for research, and for preservation and promotion of documentary film, not for commercial use.

    6. Should a filmmaker or producer decide to withdraw his film from the Festival once the programme is complete, a compensation sum of € 1,000.00 will be demanded.

    7. The Festival dei Popoli provides a “nail to nail” insurance clause for copies of the film included in the programme. In case of loss or damage of a copy, the Festival's liability will be limited to the reprinting costs of the copy, on the basis of Italian prices.

  15. Participation in the selection implies the complete acceptance of the above Rules. In case of conflicting interpretations, the Italian version only is considered valid and will be referred to.

  16. Any litigation will be judged by the Court of Florence, Italy


Download the regulations