Festival Internacional de Cine con Medios Alternativos (8)

Festival start: 18 November 2023      Festival end: 26 November 2023

CALL FOR ENTRIES FICMA 2023
The International Alternative Media Film Festival (FICMA) promotes and disseminates the creation of films and audiovisual projects with new digital narratives and disruptive technologies made with various devices such as smartphones, DSLR cameras, GoPro cameras, Black magic pocket, drones, among others. Using techniques such as virtual reality, digital animation, artificial intelligence and exhibition media such as projection, transmedia narratives, VR viewers, website and streaming platforms.

For the second consecutive year, our theme is "artificial intelligence", focusing on its ethical and humanistic aspects and its sustainable development as a tool for the human being and its influence and impact on current audiovisual media.

FICMA will take place from November 18 to 26, 2023 in Mexico City.

JURY AND AWARDS
The jury will be composed of professionals from the film, culture and technology industry and its resolution will be final.
The winners of the different categories in competition and the honorable mentions will be announced on the last day of the festival at the closing ceremony and through e-mail, website and social networks of the festival.
The members of the jury will not be able to participate in the different categories in competition of the festival.
No member of FICMA may be part of the jury or compete in the festival.
The official FICMA award consists of a printed and/or digital recognition with official validity, as well as prizes in kind in some categories by our sponsors, which will be revealed on social networks and the official page.
The festival reserves the right to award honorable mentions to the works it deems worthy of these.

The registration and participation of a film or project requires full acceptance of the bases, conditions and rules of FICMA.


RULES AND TERMS

-Registration will be open from Monday, April 3 from 11:59 p.m. to July 31, 2023, Mexico City time.

-All films and projects that are in any another language than Spanish, will be subtitled in Spanish or english to be part of the selection process.

-The films and projects that are chosen to be in the “Official Selection” and/or “Competition Selection” must have subtitles in Spanish otherwise they will not participate in the festival. There will be given a reasonable time to subtitle them, there will also be given a link to companies associated with the subtitling service, whose cost will depend on the project in question, this will be reviewed with the participant via email and / or via private mobile (WhatsApp)

-All participants must register their film with a private cell phone number and email. In the pre-selection process, an immediate response is required with a maximum tolerance of 10 days. Do not forget to check your SPAM, social, notifications and promotions folders.

-National and foreign filmmakers will be able to participate with films and projects produced between 2021, 2022 and 2023.

-Films and projects entered in all categories must be made with devices such as smartphones, tablets, Action Cameras, drones, DSLR cameras, Blackmagic pocket, Osmo, 360° cameras or other alternative techniques such as Zoom, Parkview cameras, surveillance cameras, digital animations, etc.

-Films made with Red One, Scarlet X, Epic, Arri Alexa, Sony f6, 35mm, 16mm will not be accepted.

-The films and projects registered must clearly specify which devices or creative media they used for their realization, checking through photos, stills or videos (Behind the scenes).

-Films and projects must be registered on the platform FESTHOME: https://festhome.com/festival/ficma-6
In-person and online functions will be carried out.


CATEGORIES
WORLD QUADRANTS
Fiction Feature Film: Productions with a minimum duration of 60 minutes and a maximum of 120 minutes including credits, in case of being in another language other than Spanish, it must be delivered subtitled, either sent the file .srt or inserted in the film. Free theme.

Documentary Feature Film: Productions with a minimum duration of 60 minutes and a maximum of 120 minutes including credits, in case of being in another language other than Spanish, it must be delivered subtitled, either sent the file .srt or inserted in the film. Free theme.

Fiction Short Film: Productions with a minimum duration of 1 minute and a maximum of 30 minutes including credits, in case of being in another language other than Spanish, it must be delivered subtitled, either sent the file .srt or inserted in the film. Free theme.

Documentary Short Film: Productions with a minimum duration of 1 minute and a maximum of 30 minutes including credits, in case of being in another language other than Spanish, it must be delivered subtitled, either sent the file .srt or inserted in the film. Free theme.

Digital Animation Short Film: *Non stopmotion* Productions made with digital animation methods, with a minimum of 1 minute and a maximum of 30 minutes including credits, in case of being in another language other than Spanish, must be delivered subtitled, either sent the file .srt or inserted in the film. Free theme.

New Media

Experimental Short Film: Projects carried out with unconventional and/or abstract narrative methods seeking expression through the use of new symbolisms and alternative resources to express concepts and experiences that meet the festival's requirements to not to use professional cameras, (Video dance, performance and filmed theater will not be accepted) of a minimum duration of 1 minute and a maximum of 30 minutes including credits, in case of being in another language other than Spanish, it must be delivered subtitled, either sent the file .srt or inserted in the film. Free theme.

Transmedia: Transmedia narrative projects that have at least 3 communication platforms and one of them is an audiovisual medium such as feature film, short film, webdoc, video game, web series, etc., that comply with the rules of transmedia, the description of the project will be delivered in a PDF document that contains what is necessary to describe the work, attaching viewing or links of the audiovisual part and files on the FESTHOME platform. In case of being in another language other than Spanish, it must be delivered subtitled in Spanish or english, either sent the file .srt or inserted in the film. Free theme.

Web series: (Documental or Fiction) Series for the internet exclusively, only one episode or pilot is accepted where it is considered that it describes and best represents the web series, in case of being in another language other than Spanish, it must be delivered subtitled in Spanish or english, either sent the file .srt or inserted in the film. Free theme.

VR projects and / or 360° videos: Projects made with virtual reality technologies and 360° videos, with a minimum duration of 1 minute and a maximum of 20 minutes including credits, free theme, either fiction, documentary or entertainment in general. Projects must be uploaded to the festhome platform with YouTube or Vimeo link, with the specifications recommended by the same platforms. The viewing of the short VR, and /or 360° must be able to be reproduced on any device with a gyroscope and / or viewfinders.

Artificial Intelligence Projects (Documentary or Fiction): Projects carried out with Artificial Intelligence or that touch on the subject of it. No matter the realization tool or device.

MEXICAN STORYTELLERS
Mexican Short Fiction Film: Mexican films with a minimum of 1 minute and a maximum of 30 minutes including credits. Free theme.

Mexican Documentary Short Film: Mexican films of 1 minute and a maximum of 30 minutes including credits. Free theme.

Mexican University Short Film (Documentary or Fiction): Mexican productions made by students of Cinema, Communication Sciences or related careers as long as they can verify it with a document that endorses that they are part of the university enrollment and / or are supported by the same university, with a minimum of 1 minute and a maximum of 30 minutes including credits. Free theme.
*FICMA HAS THE POWER TO RELOCATE PROJECTS IN THE CATEGORY CONSIDERED MOST SUITABLE FOR THEIR SELECTION*

REGISTRATION CONDITIONS AND FEES

Registration will begin on Monday, April 3 and will close at 11:59 p.m., on July 31, 2023, Mexico City time, with no possibility of extension.

During April, registration will be free. From May the first, the registration will cost $14 USD for feature films and $8 USD for the other categories. From June 1, registration will cost $17 USD for feature films and $10 USD for other categories.

Participants may submit one or more films. Advertising spots or corporate or government videos will not be accepted.

Once a film is registered in FICMA and subsequently chosen for the official selection, the project will become part of the Eighth Edition of FICMA 2023, it cannot be withdrawn or canceled from the final programming.

Participants must submit a Press Kit that contains a technical sheet, film stills (300 dpi, in jpg or png format), Director's photograph (300 dpi, in Jpg or png format), film poster, production photographs ( 300 Dpi, in jpg or png format) and trailer (optional).

The Press Kit must be previously organized in a Google DRIVE or Dropbox folder with access permissions to share, on the FESTHOME platform where the material can be downloaded.

ABOUT THE PRE-SELECTION PROCESS:

Once the call closes, in the months of August and September a pre-selection will be made. The FICMA team will communicate with the shortlisted filmmakers via email and/or WhatsApp (a frequently reviewed email address and WhatsApp number are required) to follow up on said process.

If there is no response from the shortlisted filmmakers within 10 calendar days, the project will be automatically disqualified.

Filmmakers will be able to register and pay the registration fees for their projects through the FESTHOME platform.

The download option (via FESTHOME) is mandatory. If it is not enabled, the project will be discarded from the pre-selection process.

The format for viewing and downloading is MP4 1920 x 1080 full HD WITHOUT WATERMARK and with the best quality that your device or camera allows, physical copies will not be accepted.

Any questions or clarification for film registrations, write to the emails: info@ficmafest.org or festivalficma@gmail.com

SELECTION AND EXHIBITION

The Organizing Committee will evaluate the registered films and will choose the best of the works in the different categories of FICMA and will choose those that will make up the official and competition selection of the Eighth Edition of FICMA 2023 and reserves the right to schedule the order, date and form of exhibition (online or face-to-face) of the selected projects.

FICMA does not grant any type of economic compensation for exhibition rights of the films that participate in the official selection or in competition.
To make the selection, the committee will evaluate the projects taking into account the production values ​​of the film (script, direction, photography, editing, image quality), devices used to record, use of alternative technologies, creativity and originality.

The filmmakers who register the film are accredited as the authors of the work and holders of the moral and patrimonial rights of the same, the filmmakers undertake to hold FICMA harmless from any responsibility for the possible copyright claim that could be generated by part of third parties.

If the registered project presents internal conflicts or with third parties that affect the image or organization of the festival, as well as the interaction between the public and/or the other participants (whether in person or digitally), it will be automatically disqualified from the selection.

The films that are chosen for the official selection will form part of FICMA's digital heritage, which will be used only for cultural and artistic purposes.

The results of the official selection will be published as of Tuesday, October 24, on FICMA's digital platforms and social networks. Those selected will be notified by email and Whatsapp.
FICMA may use fragments of the films for its promotion and dissemination.

The films of the official selection will be part of traveling exhibitions and film cycles in exhibition agreements with other festivals, institutions and digital platforms with the required digital security.

THE REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION OF A FILM OR PROJECT IMPLIES FULL ACCEPTANCE OF THE CONDITIONS AND RULES OF THE FESTIVAL.

The organizing committee of the FICMA will resolve any matter not foreseen in the call and for more information write to the emails: info@ficmafest.org / festivalficma@gmail.com