18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival
April 22-26, 2015 | Austin, Texas, USA
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Cine Las Americas invites filmmakers, producers and distributors to participate in The Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, now in its eighteenth consecutive year. The festival showcases contemporary films and videos from Latin America (North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean) and the Iberian Peninsula. Films and videos made by or about Latinos in the U.S. or the rest of the world, as well as films and videos by or about indigenous groups of the Americas are also invited to participate.
To be submitted for consideration, projects must have been completed after January 1, 2013. All entries are also eligible to participate in the festival’s non-competitive sections. For all works where the spoken language is not English, English subtitles and/or narration are required.
FESTIVAL AWARDS
The festival grants the following awards:
• Jury Awards in the categories: First or Second Dramatic Feature; Documentary Feature; Dramatic Short; and Documentary Short.
• Audience Awards in the categories: Best First or Second Dramatic Dramatic Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Music Video.
• Audience Award for Best Emergencia Youth Film.
• Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) Award for best Made in Texas film.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES
Submissions should be at the Cine Las Americas office by the following dates and times:
• Deadline: January 16, 2015 at 5:00pm (Non-refundable entry fee US$25)
• Late Deadline: January 30, 2015 at 5:00pm (Late entry fee US$50)
• Youth Films Deadline: January 30, 2015 at 5:00PM (Youth Films pay no entry fee)
PLEASE NOTE: submission deadlines are not postmark deadlines.
CHECKLIST OF REQUIRED MATERIALS
• All entries this year must complete an entry form via one (1) of the following portals:
• Two DVD screeners (NTSC, Region 1 or 0) with English subtitles and/or narration if the original language is not English. Secure online screeners with passwords are also acceptable.
• Photocopy of student ID or NALIP membership card if applicable (see entry fee guidelines).
ENTRY FEES
• Each film submitted by the regular deadline is required to pay a non-refundable fee of US$25.
• Films submitted after the regular deadline and before the late deadline are required to pay a non-refundable late fee of US$50.
• Youth Film entries pay no fee.
• Students or NALIP members: US$20 regular deadline and US$40 late deadline.
CONTACT
Send all submission materials to:
Cine Las Americas International Film Festival
Film Selection Committee
1101 W. 34th St. #625
Austin, TX 78705
Tel: +1.512.535.0765
Email: entries (@) cinelasamericas.org
ENTRY GUIDELINES
ELIGIBILITY
General guidelines by which the festival determines eligibility:
• Contemporary films from Latin America (North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean) and the Iberian Peninsula are eligible to participate.
• Contemporary films made by Latinos (from any part of the world) AND/OR about Latinos (in any part of the world) are eligible to participate.
• Contemporary films made by indigenous groups of the Americas AND/OR about indigenous groups of the Americas are eligible to participate.
Please note that a film does not have to be both made by AND about Latinos or Indigenous groups of the Americas; either of these elements will qualify a film for submission and review. Please direct any questions related to the eligibility of your film to the Film Selection Committee at entries (@) cinelasamericas.org.
New this year, music videos will also be accepted in both adult and youth film categories. For music videos created by adults, an original music composition is required. For youth films, music that is not original to the production, but follows all copyright and intellectual property rights laws, may be used in conjunction with an original video production.
Projects must have been completed after January 1, 2013.
FILM SELECTION
Feature length and short films of all genres will be considered including dramatic, documentary, experimental, and animation. A film selection committee will pre-screen all official entries prior to recommendation to the final programming committee. Preference is given to regional or national premieres, as well as to films that have not screened theatrically in Austin or on national television in the USA prior to the festival.
Disclosure of all screenings is a prerequisite of application. Films that have screened in Austin, films that have been broadcast with coverage in Austin, and films that are available for viewing openly online are almost always ineligible for festival selection. Failure to disclose a film’s screening history, even if this history changes after submission, may affect the festival’s final programming decision; this may include canceling the participation of a film after it has been selected for the festival, to protect the integrity of the program.
The film festival programming department reserves the right to determine the eligibility and final programming decision of any submission.
YOUTH FILMS
As a celebration of young filmmakers, Cine Las Americas presents “Emergencia,” a special competitive section open to youth filmmakers ages 19 and under. Original film, video and music video productions are accepted. For youth films, music that is not original to the production, but follows all copyright and intellectual property rights laws, may be used in conjunction with an original video production. Students and interns who participate in Cine Las Americas bilingual media education programs produce this section of the festival.
LANGUAGES
For all works where the spoken language is not English, English subtitles and/or narration are required.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES
Submission deadlines are not postmark deadlines. In order to be considered for the festival, submissions must be at the Cine Las Americas office by the following dates and times:
• Deadline: January 16, 2015 at 5:00pm (Non-refundable entry fee US$25)
• Late Deadline: January 30, 2015 at 5:00pm (Late entry fee US$50)
• Youth Films Deadline: January 30, 2015 at 5:00PM (Youth Films pay no entry fee)
ENTRY FORM
All entries this year must complete an entry form via one (1) of the following portals:
FEES
Each film submitted is required to pay a non-refundable fee of US$25. Films submitted after the regular deadline and before the late deadline are required to pay a non-refundable late fee of US$50.
Youth Film entries pay no fee.
Discount* for students or NALIP members: US$20 regular deadline and US$40 late deadline.
* A photocopy or scanned pdf copy of student ID or NALIP membership card must be included with the submission of the DVD copies (see Checklist of Required Materials).
Other than Youth Films, films submitted without an entry fee will not be considered to participate in the festival. Students 19 and under who want their films reviewed for participation in festival categories outside of the Youth Film competition are eligible to pay the discounted student fee of US$20 regular deadline and US$40 late deadline.
PAYMENT
Entry fees can be paid online through a secure credit card transaction during the submission process of the Cine Las Americas Entry Form, Click for Festivals, Festhome, or Withoutabox. Payment may also be made by check or money order, payable in the United States in US dollars. Please write check or money order payable to “Cine Las Americas.”
PREVIEW COPIES
Two preview copies or a secure (i.e. password protected) screener must accompany each submission.
Preview copies are accepted only in DVD-NTSC Region One or Region Zero formats, and must be guaranteed to play from start to finish in consumer grade DVD players. PAL format is not accepted. Please label the disks and cases with Original Title, Director’s Name, Total Running Time, Program Section, and Genre(s) of the work. See shipping information below if you are shipping preview copies internationally.
We accept secure online screeners through Withoutabox, Click for Festivals or Festhome, as well as password-protected online links (such as Vimeo, YouTube, Cinando, and the like). If a film is selected to participate in the festival, and an online screener was submitted for review, a DVD copy of the film will be required immediately upon acceptance to be used for promotional purposes.
Preview copies are returned only when the owner provides postage or shipping fee. If the work is selected, the owner grants the festival permission to keep the preview copy in its video library, which may be available for education programs, research and non-profit screenings. Cine Las Americas will provide preview copies of selected films to the local press for reviewing purposes.
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Rough cuts and works-in-progress that are 90% complete may be submitted but must arrive by the regular submission deadline of January 16, 2015 to be considered. If a work-in-progress is selected for possible festival participation, a final, subtitled copy must be submitted for review by February 13, 2015. If a work-in-progress is selected for competition and a final, subtitled copy is not turned in by the above date, the corresponding submission will be disqualified.
ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION
All participants will be notified via email whether or not their work has been accepted. A preliminary list of selected films will be announced at www.cinelasamericas.org by the third week of March 2015.
SHIPPING AND CUSTOMS
The participant will pay shipping costs and insurance of all materials sent to the festival. Please notify the festival by e-mail to entries (@) cinelasamericas.org with the airway bill number. The festival will pay for shipping the exhibition copy back to its owner unless a different destination is agreed in advance with the producer or contact person.
For international shipping, four copies of a commercial invoice or customs declaration should be included with the package. The invoice or declaration should value the contents of the shipment for no more than US$20, and clearly state the contents of the package. The following statement should be included in the documentation, as well as on the exterior of the package: “For cultural purposes only, no commercial value. Sin valor comercial. Para fines culturales.” Cine Las Americas does not cover any customs fees.
See “PACKAGING” section below for further information.
EXHIBITION FORMATS
Films will be screened in DCP and Blu-ray NTSC Region 1 or Region Free. The final exhibition format for selected films will be decided between the programming team and the participating filmmakers, depending on the technical capacity of the different festival venues. DVD is not an acceptable exhibition format.
EXHIBITION COPIES
All exhibition copies, files and/or prints should be in possession of Cine Las Americas no later than April 1, 2015, unless otherwise specified well in advance by the filmmaker or contact person. Exhibition copies must be available to the festival for the total duration of the event, unless otherwise agreed with the producer or contact person in advance. The festival will take place from April 22 to 26, 2015.
Participating filmmakers are responsible for guaranteeing that an exhibition copy in a format approved by Cine Las Americas, will be available under the timeline defined by the festival. Participating filmmakers are also responsible for covering the costs associated with the production and shipping of an exhibition copy as needed.
To be screened at Cine Las Americas, all selected films must have a budget to cover (1) the costs of producing a professionally-authored exhibition copy (unless such copy already exists and is available to be shipped to the festival under the stipulated timeline), plus the costs of shipping such copy to Cine Las Americas; or (2) the costs of preparing a file in accordance to Cine Las Americas guidelines, plus the cost of on-line transferring of such file and of authoring a Blu-ray disk for its exhibition by Cine Las Americas. In the event that a filmmaker decides to offer a digital file for transfer, Cine Las Americas will communicate protocol and fees for service upon request.
For all films for which the exhibition format is Blu-ray, Cine Las Americas requires that a brand new, region free copy be burned for the purposes of screening at our festival. The Blu-ray should be burned and tested to play from beginning to end on a consumer grade Blu-ray player. If the Blu-ray is damaged in transit or otherwise does not play properly, the filmmakers will be required to send another copy as soon as notified.
Screening copies shipped to us will be returned to the print source contact, unless otherwise notified in advance by the filmmaker or contact person with complete alternate shipping details. Screening copies authored by Cine Las Americas become part of the festival archive. The festival does not accept original Master Tapes or DVDs as Screening Copies.
PACKAGING
Please package all preview and exhibition copies carefully as it’s important that they arrive on time and undamaged. We highly recommend that filmmakers do not ship DVDs or Blu-rays using a rigid case or jewel case. Instead, please use a paper sleeve for each disc, with cardboard on either side that is the same size as the shipping envelope, and label the package FRAGILE DO NOT BEND.
In the event that a filmmaker wants to include a DVD or Blu-ray cover/plastic case, we recommend packaging the shipment in a rigid cardboard box, not an envelope.
If preview or exhibition copies arrive damaged, filmmakers are responsible for the cost of reshipping required materials.
LIABILITY
Once exhibition copies are received at the festival’s address, Cine Las Americas assumes responsibility for the copies’ safety. In case of loss or damage, Cine Las Americas is only responsible for reimbursement of the cost of making a new copy in the format received. The festival is not responsible for exhibition copies damaged or lost in transit.
PROGRAM SCHEDULING
The festival reserves the right to determine in which program section the selected films will screen, and to schedule selected films at the date, time and location of its choice.
GUEST PARTICIPATION
The festival holds Question & Answer sessions with attending filmmakers and/or cast members who are in attendance at screenings.
REGISTRATION
Registration for Filmmakers and other Industry Members will be available at www.cinelasamericas.org closer to the festival dates. Inquiries, please contact register (@) cinelasamericas.org.
HOSPITALITY
Everyone is encouraged to attend the festival–our staff and volunteers will work to make every participant’s stay in Austin a rewarding experience. However, Cine Las Americas can only provide travel and hotel arrangements for a very limited number of participants. Inquiries, please contact register (@) cinelasamericas.org.
CATALOG AND PRESS
Cine Las Americas will provide preview copies of selected films to the local press for reviews. The program schedule and select professional reviews are normally published in the dailies and weeklies immediately preceding the festival. A printed festival catalog is published and archived on our website for future reference. Print source information is published in the festival catalog and on the festival website.
AWARDS
The festival grants the following awards:
• Jury Awards in the categories: First or Second Dramatic Feature; Documentary Feature; Dramatic Short; and Documentary Short.
• Audience Awards in the categories: Best First or Second Dramatic Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Music Video.
• Audience Award for Best Emergencia Youth Film.
• Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) Award for best Made in Texas film.
PROGRAM SECTIONS
• First and Second Dramatic [Narrative] Features in Competition
• Documentary Features in Competition
• Dramatic Shorts in Competition
• Documentary Shorts in Competition
• Music Videos (eligible for an Audience Award)
• New Releases (Non-competitive section)
• Panorama: Non-competitive section for Features and Shorts
• Special Screenings: Classics, Retrospectives and Co-Sponsored Programs
• Emergencia Youth Films (eligible for an Audience Award)
RUNNING TIME CONVENTIONS
Total running time of 50 minutes or more is considered a Feature Film.
Total running time of 49 minutes or less is considered a Short Film.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
Promotional materials for films, such as postcards, posters, printed press kits, etc., should be sent to Cine Las Americas only upon acceptance of the submitted film. Festival staff reserves the right to discard all promotional materials sent to our offices before a film is officially accepted to the festival. The festival reserves the right to distribute promotional materials for selected films in accordance with the overall festival promotional strategy.
AGREEMENT
1) I have read, understood and complied with all eligibility and entry requirements.
2) I am legally authorized to submit this film to the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, and agree that if selected to participate, a copy of the film in one of the eligible Exhibition Formats listed in the current Call for Entries guidelines will be made available for public screening during the dates of the festival.
3) I hold Cine Las Americas harmless from damage or loss of the exhibition copy while en route to or from the festival.
4) I have disclosed the release schedule of this film to the best of my knowledge, including theatrical, television, and on-line versions of the film; I understand that in the case that between the submission date of the film and its potential screening at Cine Las Americas, the film is scheduled for any kind of public exhibition in Austin and/or its vicinity, I must notify Cine Las Americas immediately.
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