Submit a Film
Submissions for the 2012 Festival are now open.
Please download the appropriate entry form.
Entrants living in New Zealand, Australia or the Pacific Islands or New Zealand passport holders who are living overseas should use the New Zealand/Australia Entry Form. The deadline for New Zealand/Australia submissions is APRIL 20, 2012.
International entrants should use the International Entry Form. The deadline for International submissions is MARCH 30, 2012.
REGULATIONS
1. The purpose of the Film Festival. To present a non-competitive, invited season of new films in a wide variety of styles and genres. To demonstrate the development of the art and contribute to a knowledge of new styles and trends in film-making. To encourage the screening of films which might not otherwise be brought to New Zealand. To encourage and promote widespread discussion of these films.
2. Film selection and eligibility. The Festival will only screen films which have not previously been screened in New Zealand. Films that have already screened in New Zealand or are available for purchase or rental on DVD are ineligible. The only exemptions are for invited archival and retrospective programmes. Any other exemptions are entirely at the discretion of the Festival. Private screenings for cast and crew and kin do not disqualify your film, but wider industry screenings or private fund-raisers may do so. The organisers prefer 35mm, original language prints with, where appropriate, English subtitles. We are also able to exhibit DigiBeta and HDCAM tapes and in some venues DCPs. Feature films, documentaries and shorts are all accepted.
Short films by New Zealand filmmakers may be selected for screening before feature presentations and/or as part of the Festival's short film programmes.
Animated films are selected for the Festival by Malcolm Turner. You can submit your film to Malcolm through the standard submission procedure.
If your work is invited for participation in the New Zealand International Film Festival in Auckland, you will be contacted before June 12. Selections for subsequent centres are finalised weekly thereafter.
3. Payments. Our Festival is currently non-competitive and has always observed the principle that all participating films should receive a measure of financial reward. We return 25% of the box office from all feature-length screenings to entrants. We may ask you to waive this payment if we are meeting substantial travel and accommodation costs relating to your screenings. Box office declarations and payment can be expected within six weeks of screening. We offer flat rentals for shorter films participating on the main programme.
4. Travel. Air travel to and from the South Pacific is costly and we regret that we are unable to offer fares for every participating filmmaker. Invitations are often prioritised by the needs of grant donors and sponsors. Guests are generally expected to spend at least six days in New Zealand in order to attend both the Auckland and Wellington events. If you’re attending the Melbourne International Film Festival we may be able to pool resources with them for a round-trip ticket.
5. Entries. If you would like us to consider your work for our programme, we’d like to know about it. Please send us a completed entry form (and appropriate supporting documentation) along with a DVD of your film.
Early submissions are encouraged. Please be aware of the different deadlines for International and New Zealand/Australian submissions. The deadline for International submissions is MARCH 30 2012. The deadline for New Zealand, Australian and Pacific Islands submissions is APRIL 20 2012. Due to the large volume of entries every year we cannot guarantee consideration for any submissions received after the appropriate deadline.
6. Preview screeners. The Festival organisers are able to preview material on DVD. Please always check that your DVDs work before submitting them. Solicited materials should be sent by airmail or courier. The organisers will not accept collect or landing charges on airfreighted materials.
6a. Return of preview material. The organisers will take no responsibility for the return of submission material which we have not specifically requested. If your work is selected the organisers may wish to retain your preview tape or disc.
7. Screening material. Prints and tapes of films accepted for the Festival must reach New Zealand by June 25 unless other arrangements have been made with the organisers.
8. Transportation of selected films. Despatch of film prints and exhibition tapes selected for the Festival must be co-ordinated with the organisers of the New Zealand Film Festival Trust. The Festival may, when requested, pay return freight on prints and invited films. Where prints are travelling internationally from one festival to another we prefer to arrange the despatch to New Zealand and meet incoming charges; and for the receiving festival to arrange and pay for importing the film into their country.
9. Censorship. Regrettably, all films screened in the Festival must be classified by New Zealand film censorship authorities. The Festival will meet all censorship charges and associated costs. The censor has only once requested cuts to any film submitted by the Festival since 1976. In the unlikely event of any such request from the censor in the future, the final decision will rest with the filmmaker or the filmmaker's nominated representative who will be given the opportunity to withdraw the film from the Festival. If your film has been approved by the Films Censorship Board of Australia (M or lower) or by the British Board of Film Classification (12 or lower) it will probably be spared examination by censorship authorities in New Zealand. If your film is invited and falls into this category we will request a photocopy of the classification certificate.
10. Information and publicity. The organisers expect entrants to supply the publicity material and information listed on the entry form. Entrants whose films are selected for participation in the Festival will be asked subsequently to supply images, posters and if required scene clips.
11. Certificate of participation. A certificate of participation is issued for every film invited by the Festival.
12. Scheduling. The films will be shown in the order decided by the Festival organisers. No film will be shown more than four times in any city without the permission of the entrant.
13. Sales. When requested by the entrant, the organisers will endeavour to introduce a film to prospective buyers in New Zealand. The Festival will act only as liaison, charging no fee and taking no direct responsibility for any subsequent dealings between seller and buyer.
14. Media coverage. The organisers will endeavour to supply copies of all Festival-related print media coverage of invited films. The organisers will provide audience statistics and reports on all screenings.
15. The New Zealand Film Festival Trust can be contacted at:
The New Zealand Film Festival Trust
PO Box 9544
Marion Square
Wellington 6141
NEW ZEALAND
Phone + (64 4) 385 0162
Fax + (64 4) 801 7304
Email: michael@nzff.co.nz
Website: www.nzff.co.nz