Vía XIV - Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Verín (9)

Festival start: 29 August 2024      Festival end: 08 September 2024

The Roman road VIA XIV has crossed the Monterrey Valley for 2,000 years. Today the roads and railways, some of them built on the old Roman roads, and others that run parallel and a short distance away, give us an idea of its importance and validity.

During all this time they have been a path of new ideas, progress and culture. The Verin short film festival wants to continue this path of culture, bringing the gaze of creators from all over the world around carnival, emigration and the border.

Date: August 29th to September 8th, 2024.

Place: Municipal Auditorium and Assembly Hall of the Casa da Cultura de Verín

Cash Prizes: 2,850€

Jury Award for Best Short Film in the Official Category HORIZONS: €750 and Trophy.

Jury Award for Best Short Film in the Official Category A RAIA: €750 and Trophy.

Jury Award for Best Short Film in the NOVA Official Category: €750 and Trophy.

Audience Award for Best Short Film: €600 and Trophy.

1. Short films submitted for the competition must have been made after January 2022.

2. Participation in the contest is open, and any amateur or professional person of any nationality can participate.

3. The works submitted for the competition will be valued if they are Galician, Spanish, or international premieres. The history of the exhibitions will be stated in the comments section of the registration form.

4. Films of less than 31 minutes of any genre will be accepted. The organization will decide in which category to place each film and will communicate it to the authors before closing the program.

5. Each author, producer, or distributor may submit as many works as they deem appropriate, but the organization will not accept mass submissions.

6. In case of winning any of the awards granted by the Festival, the winners will include a written reference to said award at the beginning of all copies of the film distributed for exhibition in commercial theaters and/or audiovisual competitions, as well as in all informative material. Said reference will consist of a text indicating the type of award granted, invariably accompanied by the corporate image (logo and name) of the Via XIV International Festival of Verín, which will be provided by its organization.

7. Works previously submitted to FIC Via XIV will not be selected.

8. Advertising and/or commercial videos are excluded.

9. The registration fee for a short film at FIC Via XIV will be three euros at the standard limit, four euros at the late limit, and five euros at the extended limit.

I. Payment will be made through the Festhome Platform or PayPal. Registration will only be effective once the fee has been paid.

II. For preselection, works must be uploaded in the following format:

- MPEG4 AVC (H264 codec).
- Maximum bit transfer rate: 3000 kbps.
- Audio: AAC.
- Embedded subtitles.
- Minimum resolution: 720 x 480p.

10. Selected films must include subtitles in Spanish, Galician, or English.

11. All short films must have the following screening format:

- AVI, MOV, MP4, or MPEG (H264 codec)
- Maximum bit rate: 8000 kbps
- AAC stereo audio.
- Resolution: 720 x 576 or higher.
- Subtitles: Shorts without the original Spanish or Galician language must be submitted with subtitles embedded in the image in Galician or Spanish. Otherwise, an attached English subtitle file must be provided, preferably in srt format.

12. The festival reserves the right to modify the format or reject any short film - with prior notice - that does not meet the technical and screening requirements expressed in the guidelines or the minimum required projection quality.

13. Likewise, any short film that requires a specific technical and projection need (Betacam, S-8, S-16, etc.) will be evaluated and authorized by the Festival organization.

14. If a short film is selected, its legal representative must provide three images, a trailer of the work, synopsis, technical sheet, and any other material that the organization deems appropriate for use in Festival publications, through any of the media used. They must also authorize the use of the trailer for the promotion of the Festival and the works themselves.

15. The festival will only contact the representatives of the selected films. The screening schedule of each short film, as well as parallel activities, will be announced before the start of the festival on our website and on social media.

16. The Festival will not pay screening rights for the selected films.

17. Selected works will be screened as part of the programming of the IX Edition of the Via XIV International Short Film Festival of Verín, which will take place between August 29 and September 8, 2024.

18. The FIC Via XIV de Verín will accept works in three thematic categories:

• HORIZONS. This category will focus on the idea of the horizon as an imaginary and invisible, distant and unattainable line of great emotional and symbolic violence as a metaphor for borders.

This year, within our thematic category, we focus on exploring mental boundaries through cinema. In this space, we seek films that address issues related to the limits of the human mind, the psychological and emotional barriers we face, as well as experiences that challenge our perceptions and lead us to explore new territories of consciousness.

We seek works that explore the complexity of mental boundaries. They can address a wide range of topics, from the struggle against mental disorders to the exploration of the limits of perception. From films that delve into the human psyche to those that challenge conventional notions of reality. Ultimately, we seek powerful and visually impactful stories that make us reflect on the nature of the mind and the human spirit.

We want stories that inspire, challenge, and provoke conversations about the complexity of our mental experience. Whether through narrative, visual experimentation, or a combination of both, we encourage filmmakers to explore new creative territories and share their unique visions of mental boundaries.

• A RAIA. Some of the best films in the world are made from the bank of a small, silent river... Given the uniqueness of our territory, the Támega valley, divided by the Raia, and our history of emigration and border with all its meanings, this category will welcome short films by filmmakers from Galicia and Portugal.

• NOVA. Short films that do not fit into categorized themes will be selected. This is a general category that will include contemporary films, author cinema, and works that do not adhere to obsolete industrial formats.

19. The following awards are established:

• Jury Award for Best Short Film in the Official HORIZONS Category: €750 and Trophy.

• Jury Award for Best Short Film in the Official A RAIA Category: €750 and Trophy.

• Jury Award for Best Short Film in the Official NOVA Category: €750 and Trophy.

• Audience Award for Best Short Film: €600 and Trophy.

20. In case of winning, the organization will contact the representatives of the short films via email. Documentation required for prize collection: receipt and certificate of tax residence or similar document. Deadline for submitting documentation: 30 days. In case of non-receipt, the organization reserves the right to withhold payment of the prize.

Documents to be submitted

Payment receipt
(http://ficviaxiv.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CARTA-DE-PAGO_FIC-VIA-XIV.doc)

Certificate of tax residence (if the short film is not Spanish)

21. In the event of a tie between two shorts (ex aequo), the prize will be divided among the winners. The monetary amount of the prizes is subject to withholding tax determined by the current Spanish tax legislation at the time of payment and will be understood, in any case, included in the economic allocation of said prizes.

22. The prizes are subject to withholding taxes in the country of origin, which are in force by law at the time of the Festival, starting from September 2024.

23. The physical trophy will only be delivered if a team member personally attends to collect it at the final gala. If not, those interested in sending it (postage paid) must expressly communicate it.

24. The legal representative of the short film undertakes to present works whose content is original and whose rights correspond to them. The organization is not responsible for subsequent problems in this regard.

25. The award-winning works in this edition will be exhibited at the Entre Curtas Festival in Chaves in 2025. The awarded works may be exhibited in their entirety after the celebration of the event, in a circuit of promotional events of the FIC Via XIV Festival of Verín, as well as in external cycles, always designating the legal representative. It will not be necessary for the festival management to request authorization for the screening of the film from its legal representative. In any case, they will be informed of the date, time, and place of the meeting.

26. The jury will be composed of audiovisual professionals. The jury may establish as many special mentions, consolation prizes, and ex aequo awards as it deems appropriate, as well as declare prizes void. Its decision will be final.

27. For the audience award, voting will be done by ballot handed out to attendees before each session. The work with the highest average will be the winner.

28. The natural or legal person who formalizes the registration of a work in the FIC Via XIV irrevocably accepts the Festival's regulations.

29. The management team reserves the right to modify or expand its participation guidelines, making them public before the start of the Festival.

30. In case of unforeseen conflicts or non-compliance with these rules, the Festival management retains its sovereignty and reserves the power of final decision.