1. Submission.
The Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera opens call for submissions for its 2020 edition to short films and feature films of fantasy genre (horror, science fiction, fantasy, thriller...), both animation and live action. Films of all nationalities may be submitted, either in Spanish or in original language with subtitles in Spanish.
There are two ways to submit feature length films or short films for the consideration of the Festival's Programming Committee:
- Via FilmFreeway (filmfreeway.com).
- By email (info@festivalislacalavera.com), with the subject “2020 Competition”, with a VIMEO link (or similar platforms with a password).
The submission deadline is on 13th October, 2020.
The submission of works in progress will be accepted , in order to be premiered at the festival. This production status must be pointed out when submitted, indicating it in parenthesis following the title.
2. Terms for the Short Film Official Section and the Panorama Section (Out of Competition):
The Program Committee will only take into consideration short films fulfilling the following conditions:
- Production date: All short films must be fantastic genre with a production date between 2018 and 2020. The Festival may schedule short films from previous years out of competition (Panorama).
- Runtime: The maximum runtime accepted for short films is 20 minutes. The Festival reserves the right to make exceptions to this rule.
- Format: In order to reduce carbon footprint, the submission of screening copies for the festival will always be in digital formats such as DCP or MP4. In particular cases, other formats may be accepted.
3. Terms for the Feature Film Official Section and the Panorama Section (Out of Competition):
- Production date: Long feature films of fantastic genre, produced between 2017 and 2020, preferably unreleased in Spain, may participate in this section.
The Festival may schedule, out of competition (Panorama), long feature films from previous years unreleased in Spanish theatres.
- Runtime: The minimum runtime accepted for long feature films is 70 minutes. There are no limitation in their maximum runtime. The Festival reserves the right to make exceptions to this rule.
- Format: In order to reduce carbon footprint, the submission of screening copies for the festival will always be in digital formats such as DCP or MP4. In particular cases, other formats may be accepted.
4. Participation:
The selected titles will receive the entry form to formalize their participation in the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera.
The company lending the feature film/ short film must provide the Festival with promotional material: stills, posters, press books, trailers, etc., so that the Festival can promote the film correctly. In order to reduce carbon footprint, this material must be submitted in a digital format.
The Festival reserves the right not to return this material.
By submitting the short film or the long feature film, the production and distribution companies which hold the rights of these works authorize the Festival the use of the trailer or a maximum three-minute clip of the selected works exclusively for broadcasting in the media. These clips will be sent to the press department of the festival.
Spanish subtitles or the material needed for subtitling the film must be submitted: a downloading link and a list of dialogues and/ or a subtitle file. If the film already has distribution in Spain, the distribution company will provide a screening copy with Spanish subtitles.
The submission of the film in the fourth edition of the competition section of the Festival means full acceptance of the Competition Rules, as well as the recognition of the Festival Organisation to solve any circumstances not covered by these rules.
Once the selection of the film has been communicated and announced, and confirmed by the production or the distribution company, the works in competition cannot be withdrawn from the Festival on no account.
5. Selected feature films and short films can participate in following sections of the Festival:
- Isla Calavera Short Film Official Section. In competition.
- Isla Calavera Feature Film Official Section. In competition.
- Isla Calavera Short Film Official Section. Panorama. Out-of-competition.
- Isla Calavera Feature Film Official Section. Panorama. Out-of-competition.
- Isla Calavera Documentary Official Section. Panorama. Out-of-competition.
6. Official selection for Competition and Panorama:
The Selection Committee will announce the selected films (shorts and feature films) to participate in the competition of the fourth edition of the Festival before October 23rd, 2020. The festival reserves the right to extend this date.
The selection of a feature film or a short film at the Festival, or winning an award in any of the sections, does not imply an invitation to a representative of the work (distributor, filmmaker) to attend the Festival. The Festival will not assume any cost regarding travel, accommodation or meals of the representatives of the awarded works.
The Festival reserves the right to invite any representative of the selected works to attend.
7. Dispatch.
The selected feature films and short films must be available for the organisation before November 1st, 2020.
In order to reduce carbon footprint, the submission of screening copies for the festival will always be in digital formats such as DCP or MP4.
In particular cases, other formats may be accepted. All costs for shipping and insurance of the copies and promotional material are at the sender’s expense.
The Festival reserves the right to reject those copies that do not fit the technical requirements for screening. New screening copies may be requested to the representatives of the work.
If the screening copy does not arrive in time for its exhibition, the Festival reserves the right to substitute it for another film.
The only costs that the Festival assumes are those resulting from the returning of screening copies in physical format (hard drives or similar) provided by the distribution company. Were there a third party (another Festival) interested in the selected film, the distribution company or this third party would assume the shipping costs.
The screening copies in the accepted formats will not be returned immediately. The way of returning them shall be agreed upon between the parties.
8. Festival Program:
The selected films will be screened at the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera fourth edition.
The organisation of the Festival will decide the screening dates and times of each film and these could change according to the needs of the organisation. In case of change, the new date and times will be communicated appropriately.
The date of the festival may change or the screening days extended due to programming or due to force majeure.
9. Awards:
The awards of the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera are non-economic.
- Jury Awards. The Jury will consist of film industry, performing arts or communication professionals. They will choose the winning films of the official competitive sections. The Jury will present the following awards:
1) Isla Calavera Award for Best Feature Film
2) Isla Calavera Award for Best Short Film
3) Isla Calavera Award for Best Director
4) Isla Calavera Award for Best Screenplay
5) Isla Calavera 'Jack Taylor' Award for Best Actor
6) Isla Calavera Award for Best Actress
7) Isla Calavera 'Colin Arthur' Award for Best Long Feature Film Special Effects
8) ‘Humanitarian Fantastic’ Award, for the best short film with a civic and/or humanitarian content. This award may be declared void in case the submitted works do not fulfil this content.
The Jury’s decision will not be open to appeal.
The jury of the different sections will not express publicly their impressions of the selected films. The direction of the Festival may attend with voice but no vote the jury deliberations.
In addition, the Jury will reserve the possibility to give a maximum of two special awards to highlight the technical and artistic aspects of some of the films in competition.
Awards could be ex aequo.
- Audience Awards. The audience of the fourth edition of the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival – Isla Calavera will hand out the Audience Award to the Best Short Film and the Audience Award for the Best Feature Film through a ballot paper, which will be delivered along with the ticket and will be returned completed at the end of the screening.
10. Legal responsibilities:
The competitor will be the only one responsible for the short / feature film, as for copyright, civil and/ or criminal liabilities of any kind or jurisdictional and/or administrative order resulting from its content.
11. Acceptance of these rules:
The participation in the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera implies the total acceptance of these rules and possible enclosures.
Any matter arising during the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera, which is not covered by these regulations, will be decided on by the Festival organisation in accordance with international rules.
12. Special regulation due to force majeure:
If due to force majeure, the Festival could not take place on-site, there will be no refund of the submission fee paid through the platforms. This is owing to the fact that this payment covers the costs of the selection process.