Ceres Food Film Festival (6)

Festival start: 16 October 2022      Festival end: 20 October 2022

/ABOUT THE CERES FOOD FILM FESTIVAL/

​​In response to the changing scope of the Faces of Hunger International Film Festival, we spent the last few months immersed in rebranding our activism work around food issues. We are pleased to introduce you to the Ceres Food Film Festival (CFFF).

Join us as we embark on our 6th season this fall.

CFFF is an annual film festival dedicated to increasing awareness of food security issues globally and in the United States. Screenings of shortlisted films take place at educational institutions around the world.

We are looking for critical responses to the social and political structures surrounding food insecurity, quality and waste nationwide.

CFFFl was created by Palms for Life Fund, a NYC based non-profit that works globally with organizations on-the-ground to provide access to food, water, education, and sanitation. Through the CFFF we call upon filmmakers to explore solutions and shed light on this hidden reality.

/OBJECTIVES/

We are eager to see your point of view on the daily conditions and obstacles people face in accessing sufficient and nutritious food for themselves and their families. Let’s bring this discussion to the breakfast table by:

• Encouraging conversation through striking stories and visuals that demand to be shared

• Inspiring individuals who have first hand experience of food insecurity to speak out about their struggles

• Showcasing works by socially conscious filmmakers

We are pleased to offer financial awards to winning filmmakers, who are so often underfunded. Four monetary prizes will be awarded.

Some examples of what we consider relevant films for both US/global films:

· Marginalized individuals and communities
· Explore and challenge concepts of marginalization and discrimination
· Challenges working families face every day
· Living conditions of families
· Basic human rights and food insecurity within society (and relevant systemic issues)
· Alternative food choices for families living in poverty
· Children's eating habits
· Food insecurity at the family level
· Food waste and its connection to food insecurity/hunger
· The food industry and its connection to food insecurity/hunger
· Personal experiences with food insecurity, waste, and food quality.
· Societal beliefs about food insecurity issues
· Food insecurity and its relationship to the environment and sustainability

What exactly is CFFF looking for?

CFFF is looking for diverse, innovative and creative responses to food insecurity, food quality, and food waste in America and around the world. We want films that inspire and engage audiences. In particular, CFFF is seeking short and feature films that do so creatively, artistically, and critically and explore political and social structures in place that need to be challenged. It is also important that the films are accessible to the online audience and have a high degree of technical excellence.

Are there particular kinds of content that you won’t consider or that you’re less likely to consider?

· Our audience is intelligent and film-literate. We are less likely to consider films that are didactic and simplistic.
· Films that feature content including racist, pornographic, defamatory, obscene, hateful behavior or other acts or thematic material considered to be both extreme and gratuitous will not be considered.
· Films that are not cinematic or have very low production values may not be as likely to be considered.

What about duration?

Films must be between 1-40 minutes to qualify as shorts. Films over 40 minutes will qualify for the feature length category.

What should I know before submitting a film to CFFF?

Before submitting your film to our Festival, you should make sure you read and understand the CFFF Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions outline all of CFFF's conditions of entry and legal issues relating to you submitting the film. These are available on the website, ceresfilmfestival.org. When you submit your online application, we will ask you to confirm that you agree to these terms and conditions.

By submitting a film to the CFFF, am I assigning ownership to the Festival? Or does it mean that I can’t submit my work for screening anywhere else?

When you submit your film to CFFF, you are granting CFFF a non-exclusive license to screen your film to the public online as well as at other events we organize, such as schools screenings, conferences and fundraisers.

A non-exclusive license basically means that you are giving us permission to screen your film online at these events. There are no restrictions on your ability to submit your work to any other festival or to do anything else with the film. You retain absolute ownership of your film.

Does CFFF have any other rights to use our film?

By submitting a film to CFFF, you also grant CFFF a license to screen any part of your film for promotional and marketing purposes. This may include taking excerpts of the film to make a trailer, using still images for our program and making a copy of the film for judges or speakers.

Here are a few things we can’t do: CFFF can’t pass on, or give rights to other organizations to screen your film without your permission. CFFF can’t directly make money from screening your film in a context outside the Festival.

What else do I have to do before submitting a film?

When you submit a film, you’re saying that you have the authority to give us a license to screen the film and that you have obtained all the necessary permissions and consents from the people who may have rights in elements of the film. Before submitting your film, you will need to make sure that you have written permission to, for example, use all the music that features in your film.

I am under 18. Can I still submit my film to CFFF?

Yes. Please contact us if you have any questions.

I still have questions! Who can I contact?

If you have any questions, whether about our terms and conditions or submission process or selection criteria, please email us at: ceres@palmsforlife.org