Entry form will be available soon.
1. The Festival
The 9th Bif&st – Bari International Film Festival, promoted by Apulia Region and organized by Apulia Film Commission Foundation, will be held from April 21st to 28th, 2018 at Petruzzelli Theatre and other Bari film theatres. The major aim of the Festival – patronized by the President of the Italian Republic – is to promote, spread and highlight the best Italian and international cinema. Bif&st, directed by Felice Laudadio, is chaired by Margarethe von Trotta. Ettore Scola is honorary president.
2. The programme
The essential outline of Bif&st 2018 programme is online at www.bifest.it. This English version of the Regulations only applies to the following non-competitive and competitive sections.
3. International Premières
Non-competitive section dedicated to Italian and international feature films, with minimum running time over 70 minutes, produced in 2017-18, preferably world premierès or absolute Italian premières. Selected films – with a gala evening screening at 9.00 p.m. in Petruzzelli Theatre from April 21st to 28th – may have been presented at other major international festivals, excluding Italian ones.
4. International Panorama – competitive section
Competitive program – with afternoon screenings in Petruzzelli Theatre – reserved to 12 films with minimum running time over 70 minutes, produced in 2017-18, absolute Italian premières. Selected films may have been presented and also awarded at other major international festivals, excluding Italian ones. A selected audience Jury of 30 members, chaired by renowned novelist and former judge Gianfranco Carofiglio, will confer the following awards:
- Bif&st International Award 2018 for the director of the best film
- Bif&st International Award 2018 for the best actor
- Bif&st International Award 2018 for the best actress
Submission for this section must be specified in the entry form.
5. Submissions
Submissions are free of charge. Deadline is March 9th, 2018. To submit:
- fill in the online entry form, available soon at www.bifest.it
and
- send a private link for online preview. Please allow at least three viewings, with password valid until the end of the festival. Links must be sent to g.lavolpe@bifest.it.
As an alternative, a screener of the film – only on DVD or Blu-Ray – can be sent by March 9th, 2018 (postmark) to:
- Bif&st Director Felice Laudadio
Lungotevere Flaminio 44, pal. VI, sc. C, int. 7
00196 Rome, Italy.
For customs matters, shipments from non-EU countries must be marked: “FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES ONLY – WITH NO COMMERCIAL VALUE”. Their declared value for customs should not exceed € 10.
DVDs or Blu-Rays sent for pre-selection will be returned only upon specific request and at the submitter’s charge.
By sending links or screeners the submitters accept these entire regulations and agree, in case of selection, to the screening at Bif&st 2018.
6. Selected films
Submitters of selected films will receive by email an official invitation letter, which must be accepted by the deadline indicated by festival direction. Submitters of non-selected film will receive a brief communication by email. Bif&st direction is not compelled to disclose the non-selection reasons.
Producers or distributors of the selected films must provide the festival office with all the materials necessary for their participation in the official festival program, as detailed hereunder.
The screening schedule is decided exclusively by the artistic director of the festival.
6.1 Subtitles for International Premières and International Panorama sections
All selected films for the International Premières and International Panorama sections – if shot in languages different from English, including Italian – must be presented in their original language version and with English subtitles on the screening copy provided by producers or distributors. The cost of the electronic subtitling in Italian, if not already available, will be at the expense of the festival. Producers or distributors of selected films must provide the festival office with all necessary materials for the realization of the electronic subtitles, such as:
• dialogue list in the original language
• for non-English spoken films, also the list of English subtitles, with spotting list (time code in/out).
Dialogue/subtitles lists must be sent by email not later than March 23rd, 2018.
For the Italian subtitling work, a secure link must be provided for the download of the film, with English subtitles if needed, with definitive editing and identical running time of the screening copy, exclusively for Italian subtitling work.
As an alternative, two DVDs or Blu-Rays with English subtitles if needed, with definitive editing and identical running time of the screening copy, must be sent by courier to the following address no later than March 23rd, 2018, to:
- Bif&st Director Felice Laudadio
Lungotevere Flaminio 44, pal. VI, sc. C, int. 7
00196 Rome, Italy.
For customs matters, shipments from non-EU countries must be marked: “FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES ONLY – WITH NO COMMERCIAL VALUE”. Their declared value for customs should not exceed € 10.
6.2 Festival website and catalogue/program
For the promotion of all selected films on the official Bif&st website www.bifest.it and on other media, the following materials are required by March 23rd, 2018:
- link to the film’s official trailer (if available) and/or to the film’s official website
- pressbook (max 3Mb)
- film poster or postcard, .pdf or .jpg format, light version for the web
- 3 photos of the film, .jpg format, minimum 300 dpi
by email to the address catalogue@bifest.it
As an alternative, an official link can be provided, for the download of the above materials (except trailers).
7. Shipping and film formats
7.1 Shipping of the screening copies
Shipping expenses of the screening copies of selected films from and to their countries of production, if not by different agreement, will be at the expenses of the festival. If screening copies are coming from, or are destined to other festivals, Bif&st will only take charge of a one way shipping (either inbound or outbound). There will be no exception to the present rule; with regards to this issue, submitters must make specific arrangements with the other festivals involved. For Italian films, the festival will take charge of shipping expenses only in the country of Italy.
All screening copies of selected films – thoroughly verified by producers or distributors or other senders before their shipping – must arrive to the official Bif&st international courier in Italy, which will be indicated at the appropriate time, not later than March 30th, 2018.
For customs matters, shipments from non-EU countries must be marked: “FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES ONLY – WITH NO COMMERCIAL VALUE”, and must enclose proper pro-forma invoices.
7.2 Screening formats
All details related to the screening copy must be provided in a specific online technical form, which will be sent to submitters of selected films.
As to the films selected for the International Premières and International Panorama in Petruzzelli Theatre, the only accepted screening format is Digital Cinema Package – DCP (fully DCI/SMPTE compliant).
If the DCP is encrypted, it is mandatory that that producers or distributors provide KDMs for all the festival servers. KDMs must be sent well in advance considering the test screening (in Bari only), and the official festival screening. KDMs of selected films will be at the submitter’s charge.
8. Insurance of the copies
The festival will cover the insurance costs for the screening copies of selected works against all risks, for the entire period they will be in care of the festival, between their arrival in Bari and their departure from Bari. Should a selected screening copy undergo any damage on the festival’s responsibility, Bif&st’s insurance will uniquely cover the material costs of the damaged copy, based on average laboratory costs, and according to standard values. The artistic direction expressly commits not to duplicate selected films, nor to present them out of the official venues of the festival.
9. Anti-piracy
In Petruzzelli Theatre, Bif&st – together with a professional, well experienced and trusted service agency – will adopt all standard antipiracy measures.
Should producers or distributors of selected films prefer an anti-piracy service agency of their own choice, the festival will not take charge of the related costs.
10. Press and promotional materials
Producers or distributors of selected films are invited to separately ship to the Press Office of the festival, the following promotional materials for Bif&st accredited press and distributors, on paper or DVD or USB drive:
- pressbook
- 5 to 10 stage photos of the film (high resolution 300dpi) with no embargo date nor distribution deadline
- 3 promo clips with maximum running time of 3 minutes, in Full HD tv format, maximum 250 Mb
- 2 film posters (on paper only), to be displayed in theatres
All above promotional materials and any additional one (flyers, gadgets, etc.) of selected films may be made available to the festival by courier shipping with the label “Promotional material for BIF&ST 2018”– starting from March 30th, 2018 – to the following operative offices of the festival:
- Bif&st c/o Fondazione Apulia Film Commission, Padiglione 180, Fiera del Levante
Lungomare Starita, 1
70132 Bari, Italy
All costs related to shipping of the promotional materials, must be at sender’s charge.
For customs matters, shipments from non-EU countries must be marked: “FOR CULTURAL PURPOSES ONLY – WITH NO COMMERCIAL VALUE”.
Each Festival participant and/or guest acknowledges that Bif&st will be covered on tv and radio by accreditated television stations and other media partners. By accepting the Bif&st invitation, each participant agrees that broadcasting rights will be free of charge, that the media partners may use such materials as they seem fit, and that Bif&st will be granted an automatic authorization.
11. Conditions
The film participation and the shipment of the screening copy to the festival imply full acceptance of the Italian version of the present regulations. May any dispute not covered by these rules arise, the final decision is to the artistic director of the festival. Should any controversy arise regarding the interpretation of these Regulations, the Italian version is binding. The Court of Bari is the Competent Court.
12. Contacts:
Direzione Bif&st
Lungotevere Flaminio 44, pal. VI, sc. C, int. 7
00196 Roma
Italy
tel. +39.06.45595943
Artistic Director: segreteria.direzione@bifest.it
Programmer for international films: g.lavolpe@bifest.it
