GRIFF – Garden Route International Film Festival 2021 OPEN for SUBMISSIONS
GRIFF is back with a Virtual Film Festival. With entries last year from 27 countries and 15 awards, GRIFF is fast becoming “must be part of” festival. In addition to its judges of whom some are also EMMY judges, GRIFF has 15 awards on offer and many success stories.
Check out the reviews for GRIFF: https://filmfreeway.com/Griff#reviews
“Great communication from the festival team.
Due to us being on shoot, the filmmakers were unable to attend but the festival hosted our production manager who handled the Q&A on our behalf which led to a great screening with deep audience engagement afterwards” Susan Scott Stroop Documentary
To submit your film simply follow this link:
https://filmfreeway.com/Griff

Best Film Director Short Film
Best Short Film
Best Cinematography Short Film
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Best Editor Short Film
Best Community Short Award
Best Student Film (SA)
Best Film Director Feature Length
Best Documentary Film
Best Cinematography Feature Length
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Best Editor Feature Length

RULES AND REGULATIONS

PLEASE READ IN FULL

SUBMISSIONS
* NO WAIVERS
* Do not submit a film if charging screening fees.

* Films without Trailer, Director Bio, Synopsis, Poster and link to film will not be considered.

Submission of a project constitutes acceptance of these Entry Rules & Regulations (by you and your agents).

Entry Fee Note: Entry fees are in U.S. Dollars, are per project and are non-refundable. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify a submission, without refund of any kind, if eligibility requirements are not met including if eligibility status changes post-submission.

Submission must be made online at https://filmfreeway.com – please refer to entry DEADLINES on our page.

Film Publication Board rating certificate may be required. Please submit the equivalent for your country.

a) Submission must not be available online if a feature film prior to the festival.
b) Due to Covid Feature Films commercially distributed after 1st January 2019 will be considered.
c) Any broadcast, digital broadcast, distribution or public screening in South Africa before January 1st 2018 will be ineligible. Limited broadcast outside of South Africa will be considered for eligibility. DVD of limited distribution outside South Africa after 1st January 2018 will be eligible.
e) Submissions may be fiction, documentary, animation, non-fiction and short films.
f) You must fully comply with these Entry Rules & Regulations, including all deadlines, project length, entry material, and other requirements.
g) Non-English language projects must have English subtitles at the time submitted. Dialogue lists will not be accepted.
h) Submission must have story telling element, no commercial spots will be considered.
i) Submission must be a standalone in line with minimum/maximum minute requirements per category.
j) Festival - Exhibition held outside of South Africa as part of a film festival and on/after 1st January, 2018 will be eligible.
k) Only 1 version of a film can be submitted. The Festival will not view further versions.

Feature and Short Films:

Eligible projects include feature films (runtime ≥ 40 minutes) and short films (runtime < 40 minutes but greater than 15min); including documentaries, narratives, animation, and experimental films. For a full list of genres refer to FilmFreeway submission platform listing for the Garden Route International Film Festival

Links and Downloads:
Submissions must be via password protected links. Links must be downloadable links or submitted via dropbox or wetransfer. Note as some links expire please ensure links stay active until 15th September 2019. Should a link become inaccessible you will be sent a notification to rectify within 48hrs after which your submission will be deemed ineligible.

Out of Competition:

The festival reserves the right to screen films out of competition after consolation with the filmmaker.

Multiple Entries

Each project must be individually submitted and accompanied by its own completed online entry form; please do not send links to multiple project entries in your online entry form, as any or all of them may be disqualified.

Entry format

i) If selected then delivery must as a downloadable file. Both the film and trailer Other formats will be accepted once reviewed based on equipment available in each cinema. Downloads also acceptable in HD format.
ii) Foreign language films or dialogue in languages other than English must be subtitled in English.
iii) Feature Narrative Films and Feature Documentaries (60 minutes and longer), (1920 X 1080p/Full HD/FHD), 16.9 ratio.
iv) Short Films and Documentaries shorter than 60 minutes: H264 (at best quality
constant bit rate 44.1 audio KhZ).

Awards
a)
i) Awards are at the sole discretion of the Awards panel selected by the Festival Director. The Festival reserves the right to change the awards at its discretion.
ii) Awards will be decided by a Jury Panel.
iii) Awards will be announced on social media and couriered to recipients.
iv) Awards will be delivered within 3 calendar months unless otherwise agreed with the recipient in writing.

b) The Following awards will be awarded:

Best Film Director Short Film
Best Short Film
Best Cinematography Short Film
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Best Editor Short Film
Best Community Short Award
Best Student Film (SA)
Best Film Director Feature Length
Best Documentary Film
Best Cinematography Feature Length
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Best Editor Feature Length

Prizes to be as combination of Cash, Benefits, Certificates, Trophies and Sponsored value prizes as our partnership agreements are confirmed.

Award eligibility is subject to any restrictions or conditions imposed by applicable laws and regulations (international, National or otherwise), and the award recipient is responsible for all applicable taxes, customs, tariffs, insurance and similar charges or costs (if any).

Selection / Notification and Delivery of Screening Copies

i) Submissions are reviewed by a Submission Review Panel selected by the Festival Director. The final decision is at the sole discretion of the Festival Director.
ii) Notification of submissions selected for both in and out of competition will be made as per the deadlines listed on FilmFreeway.
iii) Successful submissions must be sent timorously.
iv) International selected submissions when posted must indicate “Preview Copy for Cultural purposes and festival consideration and will be returned to its country of origin and has no commercial value”
v) A tracking number must be supplied to the festival. Please send to [email protected]
vi) Insurance, all risk of loss or damage are the sole responsibility of the filmmaker and the festival cannot be held liable in any way whatsoever including if the material supplied fails to screen.

Applicant must:

(a) complete the registration process at FilmFreeway and pay the required fee.
(b) provide a Vimeo online screener via FilmFreeway for review or Dropbox, Wetransfer copy less than 1Gig.
(b) Submitted films must be in one version only, in the original language of production, with English subtitles if the original language is not English.

Must include:

(1) Film title
(2) Film length in hours, minutes and seconds
(3) Country of origin
(4) Production Company
(5) Sender’s Name, Phone Number Physical Address and Email Address
(6) Director’s Name, and
(7) FilmFreeway Tracking Number.
(8) PG guide (Film Publication Board) Parental Control

Must be supplied with

(1) A trailer
(2) Two film posters in the following sizes: Poster 1. A6 300dpi or 1240 pixels by 1748 pixels RGB 72dpi and, Std Poster Size A1 or A3
(3) Film synopsis (250 words or less), and (4) Director's Biography (100 words or less).
(4) Headshot of the Director High Resolution
(5) Film Poster can be supplied as Digital file High Resolution.

If at any point following its initial consideration, the Festival determines that a submission no longer meets all of the eligibility criteria described above, such submission will be deemed ineligible. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify any submission, without refund of any kind, if it is not completed in accordance with these Entry Rules and Regulations.

Should you not receive confirmation of receipt of your submission within 72hrs please email: [email protected]

Any deviation of any of the above-mentioned Rules and Regulations shall be decided on a case by case basis by the Festival Board who has the power to change these Rules and regulations at its discretion.

Invited Projects

The Festival may invite projects to screen. Filmmakers will be approached directly in this regard. The Film Festival does not pay screening fees.

Intellectual Property, Legal Claims & Indemnities
1. By submitting the film to GRIFF Film Festival, the Applicant and Film Owners (the “Submitting Parties”) hereby warrant and represent that: (i) the Film is wholly original and is not copied from and does not include any other work that is the subject of copyright or other protection, unless such work is in the public domain or the Submitting Parties have obtained any and all consents, releases, licenses, and other authorisations or waivers of any kind necessary for the inclusion or reproduction of any person, character, location, thing, trade-mark, sound recording, musical composition or other work in the film; (ii) the Film does not defame any person or violate the common law or statutory rights, including, without limitation, the rights of privacy and publicity or any other right of any person; (iii) the Film is not the subject of litigation; (iv) there are no agreements, nor will there be any agreements made subsequent to the date of this Film submission that would or could have the effect of impairing the Submitting Parties’ ability to provide the Film as contemplated herein, or otherwise conflict with any provision of these Terms; and (v) the Submitting Parties have the full right, power and authority to submit the Film to GRIFF Film Festival for Festival consideration, and to grant all of the rights granted hereunder and in the FilmFreeway registration form, and there is no obligation or disability which would in any way impair, restrict or impede the Submitting Parties from fully performing all obligations pursuant to the submission and these Terms.
2. (2) The Submitting Parties agree to indemnify and hold harmless GRIFF Film Festival, its licensees, successors and assigns, and its and their members, officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, associates and affiliates (each, a “Releasee”), from any claim, suit, action or other proceeding brought against a Releasee and from any losses, costs, or damages, including the Releasee’s full legal fees and costs, which it may have suffered or incurred or may suffer or incur, directly or indirectly based on, in connection with, or arising from the use and exhibition of the Film submitted by the Applicant or the breach or alleged breach of any representation, warranty or other agreement made by the Applicant in these Terms, or in the Applicant’s FilmFreeway registration form.
3. (3) GRIFF Film Festival takes all reasonable anti-piracy precautions. While in GRIFF Film Festival’s possession, all Films are securely stored and regularly inventoried. Access to Films is limited to GRIFF Film Festival staff who require access in order to screen and consider submissions. No duplication and loaning of Films is permitted. By submitting a Film to GRIFF Film Festival, the Submitting Parties hereby release the Releasees from any and all liability in the event of theft, unauthorised access or copying, or any breach of copyright of the submitted Film while it is in GRIFF Film Festival’s possession.
4. (4) By submitting the film to GRIFF Film Festival, the submitting parties agree to the screening of the submitted film at any edition of GRIFF Film Festival that could take place anywhere in the world within two years of the original edition of the festival for which the film was entered.