Regulations
The 25th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam will take place from 14 to 25 November 2012. As usual, the documentary markets Docs for Sale and the FORUM will also be held during the festival. The regulations stated here apply only to IDFA; for further information and the regulations of IDFA’s markets, see the sections of
the IDFA Forum en
Docs for Sale.
1. General entry requirements
2. Entry requirements per section
3. Requirements for films supported by the IDFA Fund
4. How to enter your film
5. Selection procedure, required items and authorizations
6. Transport and Insurance
7. Accommodation expenses
8. Juries and awards
9. Address and contact information
1. General entry requirements
Deadlines for entry 2012
1 May 2012 for documentaries completed between 1 August 2011 and 1 April 2012.
1 August 2012 for documentaries completed after 1 April 2012.
It is important to enter your documentary at the earliest possible moment.
Format, language and version
IDFA accepts the following screening formats: 16mm and 35mm, HD Cam (IDFA can NOT screen HD Cam SR), Betacam SP PAL, Digibeta and DCP (2K / jpeg2000). In case of DCP IDFA also requires a HD Cam, Betacam SP PAL or Digitbeta back-up copy.
Presentation of other formats and video systems requires authorization from the Festival.
Length
Please check entry requirements per section below (see 2) for any specific length requirements. IDFA considers creative films of any length.
Films can only be shown at the festival if they have English commentary and/or English dialogue, or are in their original versions with English subtitles.
Films that have been submitted for consideration in previous years are still eligible, but only if the film has changed significantly since the last time it was submitted. IDFA reserves the right to determine a previously submitted film’s eligibility based on the content of the newly submitted version of the film as compared with the previously submitted version.
It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to secure clearance from the copyright holders of
any copyrighted materials included within the submitted film. IDFA will not be held responsible for the unauthorized inclusion of any copyrighted materials within or relating to the submitted film. IDFA reserves the right to disqualify any film with any unauthorized inclusion of copyrighted materials.
IDFA is under no obligation to provide comments or feedback regarding the submitted
film to the applicant or any other representative of the submitted film.
If the documentary does not meet all of these requirements, it will not be eligible for selection.
2. Entry requirements per section
IDFA selects some 250 new documentaries each year, divided into various competition and regular programs.
The General entry requirements apply to all program sections, unless it is stated otherwise below.
2.1. IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary
- For films and videos longer than 60 minutes
- Only world, international and European premieres are accepted; priority is given to world premieres
- IDFA allows a maximum of two festival/market screenings prior to IDFA. Market screenings within Europe are not allowed
- National theatrical release or television broadcast is permitted
2.2. IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary
- For films and videos between 45 and 60 minutes.
- Only world, international and European premieres are accepted; priority is given to world premieres
- IDFA allows a maximum of two festival/market screenings prior to IDFA. Market screenings within Europe are not allowed
- National theatrical release or television broadcast is permitted
2.3. IDFA Competition for First Appearance
- Open to first-time or second-time directors. When deciding whether this is your first or second film, IDFA not only counts your previously directed documentaries, but also fiction, animation and experimental films. Graduation projects from film schools or universities should be submitted for the IDFA Competition for Student Documentary (Section 5).
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section)
- Only world, international and European premieres are accepted; priority is given to world premieres
- IDFA allows a maximum of two festival/market screenings prior to IDFA. Market screenings within Europe are not allowed
- National theatrical release or television broadcast is permitted
2.4. IDFA Competition for Student Documentary
- Open to (graduation) films for a film school/university. IDFA will not accept documentary exercises
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section)
- Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival does not exclude the film, although priority will be given to premieres
2.5. IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary
- Films from the IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary section plus Dutch productions from the IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary, IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary and IDFA Competition for First Appearance compete for the IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary (€5,000)
- Open to Dutch productions. If 50% or more of the film’s financing originated from sources within The Netherlands, the film will be regarded as being a Dutch production.
- Only world premieres can be accepted
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section)
2.6. IDFA Competition for Green Screen Documentary
- (Inter)national competition section containing films that focus on the interaction between man and his environment. The films are selected from any of the other IDFA competitions or regular programs.
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section)
- Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival rules the film out. Priority is given to world, international and European premieres
2.7 IDFA Competition for Music Documentary
- (Inter)national competition section containing creative films that deal with music and/or musicians in the broadest sense
- For films longer than 30 minutes
- Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival rules the film out. Priority is given to world, international and European premieres
2.8. Reflecting Images: Best of Fests
- International non-competition section containing films that have made an impact on the international festival circuit
- Open to international productions
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section)
- Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival rules the film out. Priority is given to world, international and European premieres
- Short films (under 45 minutes) may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility. Priority is still given to world, international and European premieres
2.9. Reflecting Images: Masters
- International non-competition section containing films made by renowned (documentary) filmmakers
- Open to international productions
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section)
- Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival rules the film out. Priority is given to world, international and European premieres
- Short films (under 45 minutes) may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility. Priority is still given to world, international and European premieres
2.10. Reflecting Images: Panorama
- International non-competition section containing films that are thought-provoking in form and/or theme
- Open to international productions
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section)
- Screening or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival rules the film out. Priority is given to world, international and European premieres
- Short films (under 45 minutes) may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility. Priority is still given to world, international and European premieres
2.11. Paradocs
- Paradocs is a program made up of experimental documentaries and documentary experiments. The form and content of these projects vary considerably from the conventional, dominant documentary formats suited to TV and the cinema.
- Paradocs is open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section) but also to video installations and other media which are not necessarily presented in a cinema.
- We also encourage visual artists to submit their documentary projects
- Documentaries may have been presented or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival, but IDFA gives priority to premieres.
2.12. Kids & Docs
- Open to films or videos that capture the experiences of young people up to 13 years of age.
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section).
- Documentaries may have been screened or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival, but IDFA gives priority to premieres.
- Documentaries will be presented to visitors and professionals. The documentaries will be presented with English commentary and/or English dialogue, or in their original versions with English subtitles.
2.13. IDFAcademy Results (label)
- Films that originated from one of the training and education programs of IDFA (IDFA-Mediafonds Workshop, IDFA Kids & Docs Workshop or the IDFAcademy Summer School) receive the label IDFAcademy Results and will be selected for one of the regular sections as listed above (see 2.1 until 2.12)
- Open to films of any length (films under 30 minutes could also be included in this section).
- Documentaries may have been screened or broadcast in the Netherlands prior to the festival, but IDFA gives priority to premieres.
- The documentaries will be presented with English commentary and/or English dialogue, or in their original versions with English subtitles.
2.14. IDFA Doc Lab
- IDFA DocLab is our program for new media and transmedia documentaries. The program showcases new forms of documentary storytelling and new technologies to represent reality.
- Besides linear documentaries that deal with new media topics, IDFA DocLab is open to interactive webdocs and multiplatform projects, mobile apps, podcasts, multimedia installations, live performance and data art. For reference, please take a look at last year's program at www.idfa.nl/doclab
- Since 2010, IDFA also presents the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Documentary Storytelling. The prize is awarded to the DocLab project that uses digital technology in the most creative way to tell a documentary story.
3. Requirements for films supported by the IDFA Fund
The Fund has the rights for the first screening in the Benelux and will enter the film for IDFA.
All films made with financial support from the IDFA Fund will be taken into consideration for one of the regular sections as listed above. Before you submit the IDFA entry form we kindly ask you to first contact the Fund on idfafund@idfa.nl.
The General entry requirements and Entry requirements per section also apply to the IDFA Fund films.
4. How to enter your film
IDFA must receive two DVDs, a completed IDFA entry form and payment of the €30 entry fee (Excl VAT). Please note that the entry fee is non-refundable.
Your entry will only be accepted only if all the required materials and information are received on time. Complete the entry form in English and fulfill your payment for the entry fee. If your submission is successful, you will receive a confirmation e-mail which you can print for your records.
Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.
Your film will only be taken into consideration when:
- You have submitted the entry form and paid the entry fee.
- Your payment has been confirmed.
- You have sent the 2 DVDs.
Disclaimer
- Your entry or accreditation will not be taken into consideration until we receive your payment.
- We apply a NO REFUND policy to which we can make no exceptions.
- Your payment will be handled by WorldPay. This name may appear on your bank statement.
The 2 DVD’s can be sent to:
IDFA - Program Department
Frederiksplein 52
1017 XN Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Ph: +31 20 6273329
Your application will be considered once we have received the preview copies. We will confirm receipt of your materials by e-mail. If the film is selected, you are expected to provide additional information in a timely manner for the purposes of the festival catalogue, publicity and the screening of the film.
A complete entry form is available at MyIDFA
Documentaries may be eligible for several sections. In case of selection, IDFA will decide for which section(s) a film is selected.
On the entry form, you will be asked to provide a synopsis of the film and a detailed filmography of the director(s).
The entry form also consists of a checklist showing all the information needed for the film to be taken into consideration.
Expenses and returns policy
All postal/shipping expenses to and from the festival are to be paid by the entrants, as well as all other expenses incurred, such as insurance, etc. When filling out shipment or customs forms, please assign the package a value that does not exceed 10 Euros or 10 dollars. All customs duties and taxes incurred when sending packages with express couriers must be paid by the sender. IDFA will refuse any packages that arrive cash-on-delivery.
Please note that IDFA will not return submitted materials to the entrants.
5. Selection procedure, required items and authorizations
Selection Procedure
The festival management selects the documentaries that will participate in all program sections. In case of a film being selected, the festival will notify the applicant, director, producer and distributor of the film no later than on 12 October 2012.
Once your film has been selected, you may use the IDFA logo and the text “official selection IDFA 2012” for publicity purposes. The file can be sent to you in digital form.
Required items for selected films
- film stills (high resolution, at least 300 DPI or 1 MB). Stills can be uploaded via your MyIDFA account or can be sent by email to your contact person at the Program Department.
- separate electronic press kit (EPK) with a passport-sized photo of the film’s director(s), a synopsis, a list of credits, biography and/or filmography. Additional material is welcome
- 2 DVDs with the final English version of your film
- A trailer from the documentary for our website. The preferred video format is: DV25 or DVCPRO 50/100/HD codec in a QuickTime or AVI container, MPEG2 or MPEG4 / H264 file up to 2Gb in size. You can upload the file to our FTP-server.
Authorizations
After selection of a documentary, the festival has the right to:
- Use a maximum of ten minutes of video from the documentary for publicity and online purposes.
- Use all publicity material to promote the festival
- Keep the DVDs of selected documentaries in its archive for non-circulating use and educational purposes.
- Program the film free of charge during IDFA sponsor days, e.g. De Volkskrant, VPRO, Vrij Nederland.
- Program the film free of charge within the framework of IDFA alliances and partnerships during the festival (e.g. IDFA in arthouse cinema LUX Nijmegen, Oxfam Novib Selection, Het Kabinet and Bijlmerpark Theater).
- IDFA may screen nominated and/or award-winning films after the festival in its ‘IDFA on Tour’ program for a fixed fee of €500. This selection of nominated and/or award-winning festival films will be screened in a limited number of theatres throughout the Benelux after the festival.
- IDFA TV, the festival’s online documentary channel, lets local audiences experience parts of the festival program online. The 2012 online festival program will include a limited number of films from the official IDFA 2012 festival selections. All revenues of films screening online as part of IDFA TV will be shared with the rights holders. In case your film is selected for IDFA TV, your contact person will follow up with an official IDFA TV license agreement that details terms and enables you to block any specific territories if necessary.
6. Transport and insurance
Transport of screening copy
The festival must receive the screening copy of the documentary by 6 November 2012 - preferably to be shipped by Fedex.
Your contact person from the program department will contact the producer, distributor or director about the shipment and the exact shipping address.
With regard to film coming from outside the European Union: a pro forma invoice must accompany the print or video, stating the name of the sender, the title of the film, its size and length, the number of reels and whether it is in colour or black-and-white. The IDFA’s VAT registration number is NL 00 8551777 B01.
Please note that all format films coming from outside the European Union should be exported ‘permanently’ (type of export). The festival will return the copy within four weeks of the end of the festival. The recipient will receive a dispatch notice from the festival.
Transport costs
In the case of 16mm or 35mm film coming from outside the European Union, the costs of transport to the Netherlands are the responsibility of the applicant up to arrival at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
The festival will take care of the custom clearance costs of films at Schiphol Airport for both import and export, and will pay for shipment from Amsterdam to the arrival airport. Please bear in mind that the consignee is responsible for the re-importation charges in the country of arrival.
The costs of transport of all videos (both from the European Union as well as from outside the European Union) and film prints from within the European Union to the festival office are the responsibility of the applicant, but IDFA will pay for their return to the destination of choice.
Insurance
Insurance for the shipping of films to and from the Netherlands is entirely the responsibility of the participants.
Upon gaining possession of the films or videos from the courier or shipping company, the festival can only accept limited liability, extending to the time that the festival organization returns the film or video to the shipping company. The definition of this limited liability includes a refund of laboratory expenses for making a new print of the film reel(s) damaged or, in the case of video, duplication of the videotape. This refund will be calculated according to the current Dutch laboratory prices. It does not extend to negatives, positives or master videotapes.
In the case of faulty projection, the festival cannot be held liable for intangible losses incurred by director, producer or distributor. Complaints will only be considered if they are filed within six weeks following the festival.
Guests of the festival are not covered by the festival’s insurance. Publicity material and other related items are not included under the limited insurance liability.
7. Accomodation expenses
The festival will do utmost to provide free hotel accommodation for directors whose documentaries have been selected for the IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary, IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary, IDFA Competition for First Appearance, IDFA Competition for Green Screen Documentary, IDFA Competition for Music Documentary, IDFA Competition for Student Documentary, all three Reflecting Images sections, Paradocs and Kids & Docs in case they are non-Dutch residents.
As soon as possible after selection IDFA will inform directors the number of free hotel accommodation nights IDFA will be able to provide in 2012.
The festival will provide free hotel accommodation for three nights for the directors of Paradocs and Kids & Docs sections in case they are non-Dutch residents. In case there are several directors involved per film in these two sections at least one of the directors will receive free hotel accommodation for three nights. In case a project is selected for the IDFA DocLab website, the author is entitled to a free guest badge. When a project is selected for a live screening in Amsterdam, IDFA DocLab will contact the author for further guest arrangements.
Contributions to travelling expenses are not included in the standard payments made to directors. Occasionally, IDFA is able to make a contribution towards the travelling expenses of directors with a film included in the program.
Anyone who wants to attend the festival must fill out and return an accreditation form via MyIDFA.
8. Juries and awards
An international jury will select the winning film in the IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary (consisting of € 12,500 and an IDFA Award). The jury has the option to grant a Special Jury Award (an IDFA Award).
An international jury will choose the best documentary in the IDFA Competition for Mid-Length Documentary for documentaries between 45 and 60 minutes long (€ 10,000 and an IDFA Award).
The IDFA Competition for First Appearance jury will pick the best debut (€ 5,000 and an IDFA Award).
The IDFA Competition for Student Documentary jury will pick the best student film (€ 2,500 and an IDFA Award).
The IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary jury will pick the best Dutch Documentary from the abovementioned competitions plus from the IDFA Competition for Dutch Documentary itself (€5,000 and an IDFA Award).
The IDFA Competition for Green Screen Documentary jury will pick the best film that focuses on the interaction between man and his environment. This film will receive an IDFA Award and € 2500).
The IDFA Competition for Music Documentary jury will pick the best music film. This film will receive the IDFA Award for Music Documentary.
Since 2010, IDFA also presents the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Documentary Storytelling. The Award consists of a certificate and a Canon 5D Mk II camera, provided by Canon.
Festival audiences can also express their appreciation of the documentaries by voting in the Audience Award. The film rated highest will receive the Audience Award (€ 5,000 and an IDFA Award).
A jury of young people (aged 15-18) will choose the best film in the DOC U! section (€ 1,500 and an IDFA Award). These films will be selected from the entire festival program.
All decisions made by the festival management and the juries are final. Entry and participation of documentaries implies unconditional acceptance of the regulations.
9. Address and contact information
Entries, DVDs and documentation, as well as all correspondence, should be addressed to:
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
Frederiksplein 52
1017 XN Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 20 6273329
Fax +31 20 6385388
E-mail info@idfa.nl
Website www.idfa.nl
Questions concerning regulations and/or entry forms should be directed to Martijn te Pas ( martijn@idfa.nl), Joost Daamen (joost@idfa.nl) or Raul Nino Zambrano (raul@idfa.nl).