BIFFF - Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (43)

Festival start: 08 April 2025      Festival end: 20 April 2025

Every year, during the month of April, the city of Brussels becomes the capital of all things Fantastic. The BIFFF, one of the biggest International Fantastic Film Festivals of the world (certainly the craziest), screens more than 100 movies during its 13 days marathon, ranging from Fantasy to Thriller, Sci-Fi, Cult, Horror, Anime, Experimental, underground, etc., of which some 90 features and 100 shorts in World, International, European or Belgian premiere.

THE BIFFF AWARDS

1) Feature Film Awards

- An international jury will attribute the GOLDEN RAVEN, Grand Prize of the BIFFF, and two SILVER RAVEN, Special Prizes of the jury, to films presented in the International Competition.

- A national jury will attribute the WHITE RAVEN to a film presented in the White Raven Competition.

- The subscribers of the festival will attribute the PEGASUS, the Audience Award, chosen among all the feature premieres presented at the Festival, with the exception of the closing feature.

- A national jury will attribute a SILVER MELIES for Best European Fantastic Film to a film in the European Competition. The winner will automatically participate in the GOLDEN MELIES competition, an event organized each year by the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation.

- A jury of international film professionals will attribute the BLACK RAVEN to a film in the Thriller Competition.

- A jury of journalists will attribute the FILM CRITICS AWARD chosen among a selection of films from all festival sections.

- A national jury of film professionals will attribute THE EMERGING RAVEN for
best first or second feature.


2) Short Film Awards

- The winner of the Belgian Short Film Competition receives the Grand Prize.

-The winner of the European Short Film Competition receives the Silver Méliès and will participate to the European Competition for the Golden Melies www.melies.org

- The winner of the International Short Films Competition receives an audience award.

A) Regulations for Feature Films

General Conditions

1. A selection committee designated by the administrative board of the festival chooses and invites the films presented in competition and out of competition.

2. The 43rd BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL will take place from 8 till 20 April 2025 at Brussels Expo. The final date to enter a film for the selection is fixed for the 12th of February 2025.

3. Selected films will at least have to be Belgian premieres. Only in exceptional cases will the selection committee allow films that have already been shown at another festival in Belgium to be screened at the BIFFF.

4. Anyone who is directly linked to a film presented in one of the festival’s competitions, cannot be a member of that competition jury.

5. A film presented in the official selection of the BIFFF cannot be withdrawn once the rights holder has confirmed the selection.

6. It is not customary festival policy to pay screening fees for selected films. In case a fee is asked, the amount has to be agreed upon before selection and confirmed in a memo deal.

7. In the case that a movie is sold to a rights holder for our territory after confirmation of the title, the conditions under which the movie was accepted to the festival will have to be respected by the new rights holder. The festival has the right to present the film under the conditions agreed upon in the memo deal with the original rights holder.

8. Requested materials have to be delivered before the 12th of February 2025: entry form, promotion material for the film (press kit, poster, trailer…) and the dialogue/subtitles list in order to create the French and Dutch subtitles (if not available before).

Technical Specifications for the screening copy

1. Accepted format: DCPs 2K, can be Interop or SMPTE at 24, 25, 30 fps.

2. Encryption: DCPs may be submitted as encrypted or unencrypted, but we strongly prefer unencrypted.

a.If encrypted, KDMs will not be taken in charge by the festival.

b. If encrypted, official KDMs will be valid for the entire duration of the festival (9 till 21 April 2024).

c. If encrypted, we’ll also need KDMs for testing: 4 till 8 April 2024.

3. Screenings copies can be sent physically (deadline to receive them: 31 March 2024) and digitally (deadline to receive them: 25 March 2024)

4. Physical shipment: The Festival pays the costs for sending the DCP (go and return), as long as the shipping is done by the Festival's official carrier.
If the film comes from another festival, the transport up to Brussels will be at our charge, unless an arrangement has been made between the two festivals. If the film has to be returned to another festival, it will be at the charge of that other festival.

5. Digital delivery:

a. The Festival can download the film from other servers via FTP or other platforms such as Aspera; Signiant Media Shuttle... (The festival does not have a server to upload the films).

b. DCPs need to be uploaded without zipping them.

c. We cannot accept last minute digital deliveries.

6. Please check your DCP carefully in a screening room before you send it to us.

Participation in the Festival implies adherence to the present regulations.

More information :
Peymey Diffusion asbl.
Chris Orgelt
Rue de la Comtesse de Flandre 8
B-1020 Brussels
Belgium
tel : +32 2 201 17 13
fax : +32 2 201 14 69
e-mail : chris@bifff.net

B) Regulations for Short Films

1. The BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL has as its purpose to reveal and to promote the cinematographic works in the fantasy, science-fiction or thriller genre and to promote the worldwide development of the film industry towards the professionals and towards the public.

2. The 43nd BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL will take place from 08th April till 20th April 2025 in Brussels.

3. The festival presents 3 selections :
- the Belgian Short Films Competition
- the European Short Films Competition
- the International Short Films competition, rewarded by the audience.
The festival also presents movies in out of competition sections. The choice of the section is made by the selection committee.

4. A selection committee designated by the Festival organizers will choose the films presented in selection. Once a film has been submitted to the selection committee, it can not be withdrawn.

5. Films have to be submitted before 19th January at the latest (entry deadline) and it will only be valid after the reception of a secure online LINK (DVD’s are not accepted) and also :
- a synopsis (by preference in French, english and Dutch)
- the technical file
- a visual of the film

6. Films that inscribe themselves in the fantasy, science-fiction, horror or thriller genre will be taken into consideration. They have to be completed after the 1st of January 2024 and its duration will not surpass 25 minutes. Please let us know if the film has already been screened or will be screened in Belgium.

7. All the films will have to be in Original Version and subtitled in French or in Dutch or, if need be, in english.

8. Attention ! If the film is freely available on digital distribution platforms (ex: You Tube), we will be obligated to refuse your film for selection or withdraw it from the selection.

9. The projection copy will be sent in the DCP format (preferably without KDM key)

10. The (go and return) transport of the films will be at the charge, risks and perils of the director, producer, distributor, rights-holder.

11. The Festival will insure the selected film copies and this for the duration of the taking in charge of the copy by the festival until the return of the copy to the transporter.

12. The films will have to be in possession of the festival by 25th March at the latest at the following address: BRUSSELS INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL, Rue de la Comtesse de Flandre 8, B-1020 Brussels.

13. For promotional purposes, the organizers ask the lenders of the copies to cede distribution rights of an extract of the films to all Belgian television stations for a MAXIMUM of 10% of the film’s length, and this until the end of the Festival.

14. The Festival does not take in charge transport, accommodation and sojourn expenses of the guests related to the presented films.

15. Participation to the Festival implies adherence to the present regulations. In case of dispute, only the French regulations will count, and not the Dutch or english translation.

More information :

Peymey Diffusion asbl.
Thibault van de Werve
Rue de la Comtesse de Flandre 8
B-1020 Brussels
Belgium
tel : +32 2 201 17 13
e-mail : thibault@bifff.net