Short Film News (SFN)- Regulations and call for 5th Khorshid Independent Short Film Festival is published.

This festival, as the First and only particular cinematic event in Iran which supports the independent short films with experimental and innovative structure, emphasizes on the necessity of developing the production of these noteworthy works and introducing this cinema as the one based on thought and creativity, is held by Short Film Support Company.

The festival considers the achievement of the following goals:

1.     To expand and value independent short films, documentaries and animations with creative, experimental, modernist, pioneer and artistic approach.

2.     To emphasize on the necessity of developing the production of the valuable experimental and creative works in Iranian cinema and introduce this cinema as the innovative and influential cinema of Iran to the international community.

3.     To encourage and develop the partnership of the private departments in independent and experimental cinema.

4.     To recognize and support the best shorts and independent documentaries and experimental.

5.     To make the culture of honoring the human being, world and profound humanistic values via short films, independent documentaries and experimental short films, and support the production and presentation of these kinds of works.

6.     To increase the technical and qualitative level of Iranian short film makers’ works in order to conform them to the international standards.

7.     To support the winners in previous four editions of the festival in their production processes. All these endorsement have successfully introduced the creative filmmakers and their works to the international community.

Main Sections of the Festival

The 5th edition of Khorshid Independent Short Film Festival will be held in four main sections:

a)    Independent experimental short films’ contest

b)    Short films’ online contest

c)     Screenplay contest

d)    Kharghani’s special award

Independent experimental short films’ contest:

All independent fictions, documentaries, experimental short films, animations and vide arts with an experimental, artistic, modernist, pioneer and innovative structure have the opportunity of participation in this section.

*Note:  The subject is voluntary, and all productions made by private filmmakers, film institutes, personal or governmental departments are allowed to take part in this section.

Short films’ online contest

All independent productions with an experimental, artistic, modernist, pioneer and innovative structure, made earlier than past two years, whose international broadcasting process has been terminated, are allowed to participate in this section.

Screenplay contest

This festival with the emphasis on the necessity of developing the production of the valuable experimental and creative works and also considering the importance of supporting the production of the selected works, has allocated a particular section of this edition to competition between the short experimental works’ screenplays. This award will be dedicated to the best screenplay with a creative, experimental, modernist, pioneer and artistic approach.

Kharghani’s special award

Sheykh Abolhassan Ali Kharghani, Iranian prominent mystic and sophy, was born in 352 AH. in Kharghan Ghoms, a village around Bastaam in Iran. He was one of the few masters who followed Khosravani wisdom and a conservator of Iran’s culture. It’s been said about him that he always considered himself and the people melted and eliminated in God’s essence. For him the only way to reach God was helping and serving people.

The beauty of Kharghani’s wisdom is seeing people and serving them. He believes in unity of the creator and the creatures. He sympathizes with human beings not for the case of worship or winning the paradise or escaping the hell but for the human essence.

The culmination of this philanthropy is the motto written in his Khanghah( a type of temple for the sophy): “ Whoever enters at this place,regardless of his believes, give him a piece of bread; whether he is worthy of life near God, at Abolhassan’s place, he is worthy of bread.”

Regarding the necessity of considering the issues such as: honoring human being, world and profound humanistic values, the 5th edition of Khorshid Independent Short Film Festival invites all short film makers to consider these subjects in their works, and will grant its Kharghani’s special award to the best short film with the subject of honoring human being.

Peripheral Sections of the Festival

The 5th edition of Khorshid Independent Short Film Festival is held in four peripheral sections:

a)    Professional workshops( independent cinema, creativity and experience in cinema, cinema and uncertainty theory, video art)

b)    The exhibition of Poster and press kit

c)     The exhibition of the artists’ dedicated gifts treasure

d)    Zaven Ghoukasian’s award

Professional workshops:

All of the selected filmmakers in main contest will be able to take part in all of the professional workshops( independent cinema, creativity and experience in cinema, cinema and uncertainty theory, video art) free of charge.

*Since the capacity of the classes is limited, those interested in these workshops must pay the tuition and register sooner. 

The exhibition of Poster and press kit:

Regarding the importance of poster and press kit in commercial process of a film, all of the selected filmmakers in main contest can deliver their films’ posters and press kits to the secretariat of the festival in order to participate in poster and press kit exhibition. In closing ceremony of the festival the best poster and press kit will be appreciated.

The exhibition of the artists’ dedicated gifts treasure

This treasure aims to support both holding the festival and production and presentation of independent short films and documentaries. In this exhibition the gifts dedicated by famous Iranian artists to the fund of support for independent short film makers, will be shown.    

Zaven Ghoukasian’s award:

An Iranian successful experimental and independent short film maker will be acknowledged in this section.

The main contest rules and regulations:

a)    Experimental independent short films’ contest regulations:

1.     For submitting your film, you must only refer to www.khorshidfilmfestival.com, fill the submission form and receive the film’s record code.

2.     For each film a fee of 30.000 toman must be paid to the card number 6362141096797353 or the account number 201450725003, Ayandeh Bank, Khorshid short film festival.

3.     The maximum running time for short films is 40 minutes and for video arts will be 10 minutes.

4.     The films shouldn’t be broadcasted on television channels or be accessible on the internet.

5.     All works must be made after March 2014 and this should be their First participation in this festival.

 

b)    Short films’ online contest rules and regulations:

1.     For registering your film, you must only refer to www.khorshidfilmfestival.com, fill the submission form and receive the film’s record code.

2.     For each film a fee of 20.000 toman must be paid to the card number 6362141096797353 or the account number 201450725003, Ayandeh Bank, Khorshid short film festival.

3.     The maximum running time is 10 minutes.

4.     In order to complete the registration in this part, the film’s link must be inserted in VIMEO or DROPBOX.

 

C) The screenplay contest rules and regulations:

1.     For each screenplay, a fee of 20.000 toman must be paid to card number 6362141096797353 or the account number 201450725003, Ayandeh Bank, Khorshid short film festival.

2.     The screenplay must be sent to [email protected] in form of a word file along with the name of the writer, his phone number and a copy of the payment receipt( in subject of your email, please mention “screenplay contest”.

The technical qualifications of the films:

All of the works delivered to the secretariat must be a Data file.

Acceptable Formats:

MP4-H264 and MOV-H264

Important NOTICE: Defective files or other formats will Not be accepted in selection process.

Important NOTICE: For sending your copy of the film, change its name to the “tracking code”, received from the site.

Prizes of main contest:

Best experimental short film of the festival: Icon of the festival, certificate of appreciation, production support of the next project, two years commercial and distributional support for local and international festivals, cash prize

Best experimental documentary: : Icon of the festival, certificate of appreciation, production support of the next project, one year commercial and distributional support for local and international festivals, cash prize

Best experimental fiction: : Icon of the festival, certificate of appreciation, production support of the next project, one year commercial and distributional support for local and international festivals, cash prize

Best experimental animation: Icon of the festival, certificate of appreciation, production support of the next project, one year commercial and distributional support for local and international festivals, cash prize

Best video art: Icon of the festival, certificate of appreciation, one year commercial and distributional support for local and international festivals, cash prize

Kharghani’s special award(best short film with subject of honoring human being): Icon of the festival, certificate of appreciation, one year commercial and distributional support for local and international festivals, cash prize

Best experimental online short film: Icon of the festival, certificate of appreciation, cash prize

Best creative and experimental screenplay: Icon of the festival, certificate of appreciation, production support of the work, cash prize

Best poster and press kit: certificate of appreciation, cash prize

*The amount of the cash prize will be announced subsequently.

*In order to support independent film makers, the above mentioned prizes will be granted to directors of the films.

*The jury can award other prizes in each section.

General requirements of participation in festival:

1.     The films selected for contests will be given a participation certification.

2.     There is no limit for the sent works number. Paying fee is obligatory for each film.

3.     The films which fail the required projection and technical standards, will be excluded from the contests.

4.     The secretariat of the festival will Not accept any responsibility for damages occurred while posting.

5.     After a work is accepted in festival, it is Not possible to exclude it from the program.

6.     About unpredicted cases which are not mentioned in rules and regulations, any ambiguity or change, this is the festival director who makes the final decision.

7.     Filling the submission form means acceptance of the rules and regulations.

8.     The process of sending a film to festival has only one step, and in case of acceptance, the sent file will be projected with No change.

9.     It is Impossible to send another file or change it.

10.  No equivalent prizes will be granted to two films or more.

11.  If the film’s director is more than one, someone as an agent of the group must be introduced to the festival.

12.  If a film is accepted, the producer’s agreement must be sent to the festival.

13.  Presence of the director or the agent in closing ceremony means respect to the festival.

Timeline of the festival:

Submission opens at: 5st July 2015

Deadline: 1st September 2015

The accepted films for the contest will be announced in October 2015

The festival will be held in January 2016

The festival secretariat address: Unit 4, 4th floor, number 828, Enghelab Ave. across from Ostad Nejatolahi St., Tehran, Iran

Postal code: 1131856318

The office is open from 10 to 16 Saturdays to Wednesdays

Tel: +98 936 13 13 909

Fax: +98 21 66 70 33 86

Our website: www.Khorshidfilmfestival.com

Email address: [email protected]