Films to be included in the UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival must be explicitly centred on child or adolescent characters.
Films will promote deep reflection on narratives of childhood and the experiences that shape them – as individuals, in the family, the community, in institutions and societies.
We are searching for dramatic and documentary entries of the highest quality visual artistry and production craft.
Emphasis will be placed on films and media that authentically represent the thoughts, voices and experiences of children themselves.
In keeping with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we are making a conscious effort to select films that have been produced by and/or with children, youth or young adult artists and producers.
The 'General Entry' category is open to filmmakers of any age but carries duration limits from 20-120 minutes. This is to promote submission of substantive works that develop more in-depth narratives on childhood.
The 'Under 20' category is limited to filmmakers who have not passed their 21st birthday. This category carries no duration limits in order to provide maximum opportunities for the voices of children and youth who may be exploring shorter, non-traditional formats and modes of expression.
In order to portray a wide diversity of childhood narratives we are making a deliberate effort to promote entries from filmmakers and artists in in both the Global South and North.
We are mainly seeking more traditional dramatic and documentary narrative formats, but we are providing wide latitude within the two entry categories to achieve a balance between longer, more developed entries and shorter, more innovative entries from younger artists and producers.
No film will be accepted for consideration by the UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival without the date of birth of the primary filmmaker(s).
We will only consider ONE ENTRY PER FILMMAKER, per category. Filmmakers under 21 may submit one entry in both the 'General Entry' and 'Under 20' categories.
We reserve the right to request verification of date of birth, if necessary.
IMPORTANT: Because we are a new film festival with a very small team we can only consider entries in English or with English sub-titles.
For more information contact: florence@unicef.org