Welcome to FirstCut, one of India’s biggest international festivals of
student films organized by FLAME University, Pune! Set up to provide
an active platform for young filmmakers all over the world, FirstCut
encourages them to explore the medium of film as a potential agent of
change.

In its 2020 edition, Firstcut received 300+ short films from students from over 40+ countries.

As part of the final event of FirstCut on 3rd, 4th and 5th March,
shortlisted works will be screened for a live audience and an eminent
panel from the film industry. Screenings will be followed by a panel
discussions with renowned film personalities as well as interesting
talks.
We believe that freedom is essential for any creative work, and provide
our participants with the complete freedom to choose their own themes
and styles of work. While offering opportunities in fiction as well as
documentary filmmaking, FirstCut also has a unique “Nano” film
a category that aims to challenge the students’ creativity to make super
short films.
Winners from each category shall be awarded a cash prize.
Submissions to FirstCut are FREE and do not
require a processing fee. Attending the event is FREE and
open to all interested individuals.

Ten films from each category will be shortlisted by a panel of film organizations and screened during the film festival. The jury will select the winning film from each category during the days of the event.

Each awardee will get a certificate and a cash prize*.
*Transaction charges will be deducted from the cash prizes to International winning films.

GENERAL RULES & GUIDELINES.

A student is allowed to submit only one film in one category
and/or one film each in each category. Submitting a copy of STUDENT IDENTITY CARDS
IS MANDATORY and a necessary requirement at the time of submission.
All individuals involved in film creation (directors,
cinematographers, editors, scriptwriters, sound designers) who
are pursuing their undergraduate or masters degree or graduated in the past year are eligible to submit their films to the festival.

Actors and other crew members involved in the film may be
non-students. There is no restriction on the number of
students participating in an institution.

P R O D U C T I O N G U I D E L I N E S

FirstCut believes that the contents of a film, originality, and innovation are dimensions of a young person’s film that matter. Therefore, Students may use any camera/technology available to them.
Rules:

Projection-worthy picture/sound quality is preferred.
Films once submitted to FirstCut in previous years are not eligible for re-submission.
All films, even in English, MUST be subtitled in English. Submissions without subtitling will not be considered.
While students have complete freedom in selecting a film’s theme, story, approach, and style, all laws of the land need to be respected (including those relating to obscenity, defamation, copyright, and inciting communal disharmony). The final call regarding the content shall be taken by the jury members.
In the categories of Fiction, Non-fiction, and Nano, all films completed on or after 30th January 2022 shall be accepted for competition. For the Animation Category, all films completed on or after 30th January 2021 (two-year acceptance window) may be submitted.

S U B M I S S I O N G U I D E L I N E S .

All participants must follow the procedure as provided on FirstCut’s Festhome, WFCN or FilmFreeway page. Make sure you submit the film ONLY ON ONE PLATFORM. Indian participants can also choose to submit their films using the google form available on the FirstCut website. It is mandatory for the films to be submitted as Vimeo or Youtube links.