Black Star International film festival (10)

Inizio del Festival: 24 settembre 2026      Festival si chiude: 27 settembre 2026

To be considered for selection, kindly read the following rules thoroughly before submitting. Flouting any of the Eligibility Rules & Terms below may lead to a disqualification of your work. Please read before submitting:

General Rules

* BSIFF accepts films in the following forms: Features, shorts and episodic series.

* Feature-length, short films and episodic series must be at minimum Ghana premieres. This means, you should not have been screened publicly in Ghana prior to the 2024 Festival.

* Features and short films including episodic series must not be available online in any form, for any period of time at the time of submission.

* All films must be in English, subtitled in English or English versioned. Non-English language works must have English subtitles at the time submitted. Dialogue lists will not be accepted. Films that do not comply will be immediately disqualified.

* All films submitted must have been completed after January 2022. Any film created before the year 2022 will not be accepted.

* All films must not have submitted to the Festival previously in any stage of completion (i.e. films that were submitted in previous years will not be reconsidered. If you have questions, please contact bsiffsubmissions@gmail.com.

* If you are a student or representing a film school, you have to submit a soft copy of your Student ID or submit proof (an email confirmation from the Head of the Department of the film school via bsiffsubmissions@gmail.com ) that you are currently a student at that school.

* It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to secure clearance from all copyright holders of materials included in the submitted film. BSIFF will not be held responsible for the unauthorised inclusion of copyrighted materials within or relating to the submitted film. BSIFF reserves the right to disqualify any film with unauthorised copyrighted materials.

* You will be required to provide a properly completed and signed official BSIFF "Film Information Form” which will be provided by the Festival upon selection.

*Submission Categories*

Submissions to the Festival are divided into seven categories:

* Ghanaian Showcase (Odehye3): All fictional films (feature-length, short or episodic series) produced in Ghana and/or directed by Ghanaian filmmakers. The director must currently reside in Ghana or be able to provide proof of Ghanaian citizenship. If the film is co-directed, at least one of the directors must meet this criteria.
Please note: Animated films are not acceptable in this category. If you have an animated film, submit into the Animated Film category

* Africa Rising Showcase: All films (feature-length, short or episodic series) produced in Africa and/or directed by African filmmakers. The director/producer must currently reside in an African country. If the film is co-directed/produced, at least one of the directors/producers must meet this criteria.
Please note: Animated films are not acceptable in this category. If you have an animated film, submit into the Animated Film category.

* International Showcase: All fictional films (feature-length or short) produced outside of Ghana and Africa and/or directed by non-Ghanaians/non-Africans. Please note: Animated films are not acceptable in this category. If you have an animated film, submit into the Animated Film category.

* Documentary: A non-fiction film of any length about real events and people, often transcending traditional narrative structures. Documentary is the creative treatment of reality.

* Film School/Student category: Film must be made entirely by students in a film school with technical support from the school but without financial or technical support from broadcasters or production houses.

Please note: For this category, evidence of a student card and/or an email confirmation from the Head of the Department of the film school is a must and should be submitted to the Festival at the time of submission in order for the film to qualify. Failure to submit proof warrants an automatic disqualification.

* Animated Film: An animated film of any length (feature-length, short or episodic series) from Ghana, Africa and any part of the world.

* Music Film (Music Video): A music video with strong story-telling, conceptualization, and film production from any part of the world. Please note: Music Videos must be under 10 minutes and from any year, regardless of budget, popularity, or language.

*Fees*

BSIFF is a non-profit organization. Submission fees support administrative expenses related to cataloguing and previewing each film and for programming consideration.
Kindly note the submission fees into BSIFF:

* Early-bird entry fee = $25 dollars [December 15th - February 15th]

* Late submissions = $30 dollars [February 16th - April 30th]

* Film Schools/Students = $5 dollars

* Submission fees are non-refundable.

Programming Consideration

* BSIFF accepts Ghanaian, African and international films of all lengths and subject matter.
For the purposes of eligibility and program consideration, BSIFF uses the following definitions:

Feature-Length: 60 minutes or longer
Short: Less than 60 mins
Episodic Series: Episodic Series: Long-form fictional films that can't be told within the framing of a feature-length film and is therefore broken into episodes. No set runtime.

Programming Decisions

* All BSIFF screening programs are curated and all submissions will be considered by our programming team.

Applicants will be notified of programming decisions via email by August 2024. Final programming, categorization and slotting of films will be determined by the Festival programming team. Their decision is final.

*BSIFF is under no obligation to provide comments or feedback regarding the submitted film to the applicant or any other representative of the submitted film.

*BSIFF reserves the right to determine which award category and program the film will reside in if selected.

*AWARDS*

Feature Films

BSIFF has three competition programs for feature films —International Showcase, Africa Rising Showcase & Odehye3 Showcase— plus some non-competitive programs. Our competitive programs for Feature-length films are eligible for jury prizes.
International Films shortlisted by the programming department will be considered by the jury for “Best International Feature Film.” The films must be at minimum an International Premiere, with priority given to World Premieres.

African Films shortlisted by the programming department will be considered by the jury for “Best African Film.” The films must be at minimum an African Premiere, with priority given to World Premieres.

Ghanaian Films (Odehye3) shortlisted by the programming department will be considered by the jury for “Best Ghanaian Feature Film.” The films must meet the requirements of Ghana’s National Film Authority (NFA) and be directed by a Ghanaian citizen or permanent resident.

*Short Films*

BSIFF has two competition programs for short films — International Shorts Showcase, AfroShorts —plus our non-competitive film program, Shorts on Shots.
African and International short films that have premiere statuses will be eligible for the “Best International Short Film Award.”

Ghanaian short films that are produced in Ghana and directed by a Ghanaian citizen will be eligible for the “Best Ghanaian Short Film Award.”

Please note: Selected short films that are available online will only be considered for our short film event, “Shorts on Shots.”

*Audience Awards*

BSIFF Audience Choice Awards: All African films directed by Africans and selected for BSIFF are eligible for the audience award for their runtime category (Feature, Short, Episodic Series).

Unless otherwise agreed by the Festival in writing, awards will be given to the winning film director (as identified in the Film Information Form) on behalf of the film.

*Craft Awards*

Awards for Best Screenplay, Best Directing, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Editing will be given directly to the respective people and will be fulfilled approximately 12-30 weeks after the closing date of the BSIFF.

Award eligibility is subject to any restrictions or conditions imposed by applicable laws and regulations (international, federal, state or otherwise), and the award recipient is responsible for all applicable taxes, customs, tariffs, insurance and similar charges or costs (if any).

*Distribution Opportunities*

BSIFF is focused on supporting films with distribution opportunities through our platform, the Africa Film Market. Shortlisted and award-winning films in our award categories qualify for distribution consideration with our distribution partners.

Eligibility

This call is open to artists worldwide, regardless of nationality or professional background. Collaborative submissions and AI-assisted artworks are welcome but must be disclosed as such.

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Terms & Conditions

By submitting your artwork, you agree to the following:
1. Originality & Ownership
• You confirm that the submission is your original work and does not infringe on third-party rights.
• You retain full ownership and moral rights over your artwork.
2. License to Use
• You grant BSIFF and Leti Arts a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to:
• Display the work at BSIFF 2025 and associated exhibitions
• Publish the work on digital platforms, social media, and press materials
• Include the work in an open-access heritage archive
• This license is valid for 20 years from the date of submission.
3. Selection & Display
• Submission does not guarantee inclusion. A selection panel will assess submissions based on:
• Historical depth and research
• Artistic quality and innovation
• Relevance to the theme and project vision
• BSIFF and Leti Arts reserve the right to format or crop artworks for display purposes while preserving artistic intent.
4. Artist Recognition
• All selected artists will receive full credit whenever their work is displayed or reproduced.
• Artists may be featured in BSIFF 2025 programming, catalogues, interviews, or documentary materials.
5. Data Privacy
• Personal information submitted will be used exclusively for project-related communication and will not be shared without consent.
6. Liability & Indemnity
• Artists agree to indemnify BSIFF and Leti Arts against any legal claims or disputes arising from their submission.
7. Project Flexibility
• BSIFF and Leti Arts reserve the right to modify, postpone, or cancel the project due to unforeseen circumstances, with prior notice to participants.
8. Governing Law
• This agreement shall be governed by and interpreted under the laws of the Republic of Ghana.