Cultural Education Centre, AMU | FILMSAAZ – Cultural Education Centre, AMU

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About Us

FILMSAAZ is an International Film Festival of Short Films & Documentaries, which is one of the largest multi-disciplinary art & cultural festival in India dedicated to the exhibition of short films, documentaries, music, art & cultural advocacy panoramas. First, of its kind in India to be organized by a university, it had its first edition in 2008 in the Aligarh Muslim University, organized by the University Film Club. The festivals aim to promote and encourage awareness, appreciation and understanding of the art of Cinema, inspire cultural exchange, seek out hidden talent and provide a platform for aspiring young filmmakers.

The mission & objective of the FilmSaaz is to give short films, documentaries & other submissions an identity that differentiates this art form, from the conventional big screen.FilmSaaz showcases films that celebrate diverse cultures, aesthetics traditions, socio-political and relevant themes and other works that challenge and transcend expectations. Our particular interest is in films that deal with novel themes, cutting-edge technology and unusual visualization, tradition as well as those that dissent in form, technique or content from the mainstream.

Each year FilmSaaz receives hundreds of entries both, for Indian & World Premier, it exhibits numerous films made from around the world and India, specifically.

Submit Your Entries right away

Notices

2. Our Online Portal for online submissions is live now (25/01/2019)

1. Our Online Portal for online submissions will start shortly Click here or visit www.filmfreeway.com/12thFilmsaaz (19/01/2019).

Our Alumni

Begum Para (Actor)
Wajahat Mirza (Writer/Director)
K.A. Ahmad abbas (Writer/Director)
Akhtar-ul Imaan (Writer/Director)
Naseeruddin shah (Actor)
Talat Mehmood (Play Back Singer)
Nigar Sultana (Actor)
Dalip Tahil (Actor)
Kulbhusaan Kharbanda (Actor)
Javed Akhtar (Lyrics Writer)
Saeed Jaffrey (Actor)
Uma Devi (TUN TUN) (Actor)
Anubhav Sinha (Director)
Muzaffar Ali (Director)
Surekha Sukri (Actor)
Faraz Haider (Director)

Our Guests so far

Satyakam Anand (2018)
Zeeshan Ayyub (2017)
Sharib Hashmi (2017)
Nishikant Kamat (2016)
Piyush Mishra (2015)
Nimmi (2015)
Zeishan Quadri (2015)
Ritesh Batra (2015)
Tigmanshu Dhulia (2014)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui (2013)
Adil Hussain (2013)
Pitbash Tripathi (2012)
Nirmal Chander Dhandriyal (2012)
Anuj Kumar (2012)
Dinesh Kumar Gupta (2012)
Sudhir Mishra (2011)
Imtaz Ali (2010)
Muzaffar Ali (2009)
Top Alter (2008)
S. M. Zaheer (1999)

Rules and Regulations

ELIGIBILITY

Submission to the Festival is open to short films, documentaries, animated films, advertisement films and music video created by Independent and Student Film Makers.

Competitive Section
All the films Submitted by Independent and Student Film Makers to the Festival under all categories and completed after January 1, 2016, are eligible for the Competitive Section of the festival program. The duration of the films should be no longer than the time stipulated for each category.
The date of production is determined by the copyright /Censor certificate printed on the film.
Festival Dates
The film festival will be held in Feb 2019.
Non‐Competition Section
All the films Submitted by Independent and Student Film Makers to the Festival under all categories and completed before January 1, 2016, will be included under the Non‐Competition Section of the festival program. Films previously submitted to the Festival and not selected will not be considered for the 2019 edition.
Film formats
File formats that can be presented for selection and exhibition for the Festival should be in MPEG 4, WMV, AVI, MOV, MKV, AVCHD or FLV
Entry Fee
The entry fee for the festival is $50.
Entry Acknowledgements
University Film Club will confirm the receipt of the submission materials by e‐mail.
Number of submissions
Independent and Student Film Makers may submit any number of films under the Festival’s Film Categories.
Participation
Participation in the 12th Filmsaaz- 2019 implies acceptance of the Rules and Regulations by filmmakers, producers and their representatives.

FESTIVAL SECTIONS

Competition Section
For the Competition Section, the selection of films which will compete in the 12th Filmsaaz- 2019 will be decided by the Festival Program Committee.
Non‐Competition Section
For the Non‐Competitions Section, the selection of films which will be exhibited at 12th Filmsaaz-2019 will be decided by the Festival Program Committee.
Jury Members
For the complete list and profiles of the jury members kindly visit our website http://filmclub.amu.ac.in
Awards/Prizes
The members of the Jury shall select the best film in each category. In case, the panel does not find any film to have the required levels of artistic merit; it may decide not to grant awards in one or more categories. In all instances, the panel’s decisions are final and no appeal in this regard shall be entertained.
Promotional materials
Participants are urged to make available all requested press kit/publicity materials for promotion. (Also see rule 18 Press Kit / Publicity Materials)
Mentioning participation
Producers and distributors of participating/winning films are requested to include in the future promotional material the mention of Official Selection/Winners at 12th Filmsaaz- 2019.
Committing to the Sections of the Festival
After accepting the invitation to participate in the various Competitive and Non‐Competitive sections the film cannot be withdrawn. However, the decision of the Festival committee shall be final in this regard.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND MATERIALS

Submission Method
Submission materials should be sent by ordinary mail, Registered Post with Acknowledgement Due or courier. All postage costs and duties are to be borne by the sender. Festival organizer is not responsible for loss or damage of the submissions materials.
Press Kit / Publicity Materials
Press Kit / Publicity Materials requested on the entry form:
Synopsis of the film (in English), At least 2 production photos of the Film (300 dpi), 1 photo of the director(s) (300 dpi), poster of the film (300 dpi), A statement of the director on the film, Biography and filmography of the director, Production details like Cast, Crew, Credits list and any other promotional material must be submitted in a separate CD/DVD for every film.
Kindly refer to the end of the Regulations document for shipping details and address.
Submission Materials
None of the above-listed submission materials will be returned.

SELECTED FILMS

Participants’ obligation
Participation in the festival requires unconditional adherence to its regulations as set out here.
Satellite Channel Exhibition
All the films selected under the Competition Section of the festival are requested to give absolute clearance for a one-time exhibition of their film in a Partnering Satellite Channel.
Catalogue materials
All contact persons of selected films will receive a request for catalogue materials upon confirming participation in the festival.
Required catalogue materials
In order to compile the Festival Catalogue, for each selected film the Festival must receive a duly completed entry form and press kit. The requested materials should be sent/ submitted.
Submission Deadlines
The submission deadlines for selection purposes, for the Festival’s office to receive all required submission materials, are 12th February 2019. The Festival is not obliged to view late entries under any circumstances.
Selection
Films selected for the 12th FilmSaaz 2019 will be announced by 20^th of Feb, 2019 on our website http://www.cecamu.in/filmsaaz
Credits
In principle, the catalogue will include the following technical and artistic credits: original title, international title, country(s) of production, year of production, premiere status, format, length, director, production company, producer, sales company, print source, screenplay, cinematography, editing, production design, sound, music, principal cast.
Catalogue writings
Catalogue writings are entirely at the discretion of the Festival.
Promotion
For the promotion of the entire selection and of each selected film, the Festival organizers website is allowed to use any photo or digital film clip (less than 3 minutes duration or the total duration of the excerpts not exceeding more than 10% of the film running time).
Press Screenings
During the festival and in collaboration with the Program Department, the Film Club will organize press industry screenings for the films.
Programming
General scheduling and the timetabling of public screenings are entirely at the discretion of the Festival Committee.
Subtitling
Selected films will be screened in their original version. In principle, if not with English dialogues, films must be subtitled in English. An electronic sub‐titling system should not be used for any film.

SHIPPING INFORMATION & CONCLUSION
Entry and participation of films imply unconditional acceptance of the regulations. On your DVD courier pack, please mention “For cultural purposes only and No commercial value”, or “value not more than 10 USD”. Submission Materials Checklist for each entry submission is FILM ENTRY FORM, 2 DVDs/PENDRIVE/MEMORY CARD and 1 PRESS KIT CD.

All submission materials must be sent fully prepaid by the sender by Registered Post with Acknowledgement Due or courier to:

The Secretary
University Film Club
Cultural Education Centre
Kennedy House Complex
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh-202002
Uttar Pradesh, India

Email – [email protected]
Website – www.cecamu.in/filmsaaz

Online Portal – https://filmfreeway.com/12thFilmsaaz