Gateshead International Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 16 July 2027      Festival end: 18 July 2027

The Gateshead International Film Festival (GIFF) is a three-day annual event celebrating distinctive, challenging cinema from around the world, with a particular focus on underrepresented voices, international co-productions, and filmmakers working outside the dominant commercial centres.

Our mission is to bring new audiences to the North East of England, support local and regional talent, and create a genuine cultural bridge between the North East of England and the wider world of international cinema.

We aim to forge a film festival that will ultimately launch the careers of writers and filmmakers.

The official symbol of our festival is the wild goat, inspired by the town's original name. The goat symbolises pioneerism, curiosity and exploration.

They also represent independence, perseverance, determination and inspire us to pursue our goals even in the face of obstacles. Just as a Goat climbs into the unknown with confidence, we shall embrace the unknown with an adventurous spirit, allowing us to learn more about ourselves and the world around us.

~ The Gate Award - BEST UK NORTH EAST FILM (short films and feature films)

~ Audience Award.

~ Best International Shorts - Short films from anywhere in the world (up to 59 minutes)

~ Best International Feature Films - Feature films from anywhere in the world (from 60 minutes)

All selected directors will receive free tickets to attend the 3 days festival screenings, workshops, parties and closing ceremony. However, we will contact the filmmakers to set a deadline for confirming attendance due to limited seats on certain venues.
Additional tickets for crew and cast might be provided if the director contacts us in advance after the notification date.

The Gate Award is for national North East submissions. It encompasses the spirit of film and filmmaking. It will be awarded to a film that excels beyond its writing and aesthetic qualities, but also does something that has been made through trials and tribulations. Someone who has gone through the crucible of the industry and remained creative, crafting something truly meaningful and beautiful in the aftermath.

Our festival might also grant digital certificates and laurels for Honourable Mentions in technical categories such as Best Director, Best Production Design, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Sound and Best Music, depending on the submissions.

I. GENERAL RULES

Official Selections:

a) Best UK Feature Film: Feature Films produced or shot in the UK, including co-productions where a majority of British participation.

b) Best UK Short Film: Short Films up to 30minutes long, shot or produced in the UK, including co-productions where a majority of British Participation.

c) Best International Feature Film: Feature Films from anywhere in the world, except the UK.

d) Best International Short Film: Short Films up to 30minutes long from anywhere in the world, except the UK.

e) Best North East Film: Feature or short film produced or shot in the North East of England, including co-productions of majority North East participation.

The organisers may select a film for a different section from the one it was submitted to, cancel sections or create others not listed here, for programming purposes if required.

All films must have been completed AFTER July 2024.
We do accept rough cuts and work in progress submissions.

II. SUBMISSIONS:

We accept Films and Documentaries of all genres and from all over the world. We do not discriminate based on gender, nationality or ethnicity. We also encourage the submission of regional and minority languages from the UK and everywhere else.

1) Submissions to GATESHEAD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL are exclusively made via Festhome.

2) All screener copies must come with English subtitles. This is not mandatory for films with English dialogue, but we suggest adding Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH), or closed captions.

3) All submitted material must be original, and all rights must be wholly owned by the writer(s) and filmmakers.

4) The participants are fully responsible for the content of the films they submit, namely in what concerns copyrights. Underage participants must have a written and signed authorisation from their parents or legal guardians.

5) Submissions of North East productions or co-productions with a majority of North Eastern participation or films shot in the North East are exempt from paying submission fees. Films from outside of the North East region that are submitted to this category will be disqualified.

6) All student films may be eligible for a submission discount.

7) Re-submissions from previously unselected films are not accepted. However, we might select a film that was rejected in a previous edition. We will contact the filmmaker if that happens.

8) Submissions received after the deadline may be considered for the following year's edition.

9) Writers and Filmmakers retain all rights to their work.

10) We do not accept the following:

a). Extremist content or propaganda of any kind.
b). Films that denigrate other cultures or religions.
c). Films completed before 2023, unless they never had a premiere in the UK and are not available online.
d) Films that were already selected in previous editions.

11) Films available online will not be considered.

12) We are a green competition. To reduce waste, only electronic submissions are accepted. Physical submissions are NOT accepted. However, if you are attending the festival, we encourage you to bring the film with you.

13) There is no limit to the number of projects you may submit. However, if the same film is submitted twice or more, the doubled submissions will be disqualified. If you have a different cut of the film, we encourage you to update the new version directly on your submitted project and send us an e-mail to let us know, instead of submitting it again. A fee is charged for each submission except for North East Films, and if you do submit the same film more than once, we might not be able to provide you a refund.

14) The decision of the judges is final. Entrants are prohibited from contacting the judges during the competition. Any entrant who attempts to contact a judge will be disqualified and their entry fee forfeited.

III. SELECTED FILMS

All selected films will have a live screening. We do not provide online screenings.

If a film is selected, the following will be requested:

a) The copy of the film for screening;
b) Legal permits (if required);
c) Credits list and synopsis;
d) List of festivals in which the film was screened and awards received;
e) 3 high-resolution film stills;
f) 1 high-resolution photo of the director;
g) Director's biography;
h) Teaser or Trailer if available;
i) An online copy of all promotional materials available (poster, postcard, EPK, etc.) if they exist.

1. The screening copy must comply with the following characteristics.

1.1 Image:
a) Screening formats: 35 mm and DCP for cinema (you must please contact us if your film is 35mm)
b) The organisation might refuse to screen prints due to technical or quality reasons, in its sole discretion.

1.2 Subtitles:
a) All non-English spoken films must have English subtitles if they do not have English dialogue;
b) Any strong dialects are encouraged to have English subtitles as well when required, if possible.

Although not mandatory, we encourage filmmakers to include English subtitles in English-spoken films to support the deaf community.

2. Awards

Please note that winners are never informed in advance under any circumstances. All awards are officially revealed during the closing ceremony. Attending the closing ceremony does not influence the results. The judges' decisions are final.

3. Disqualification

Please be informed that films that have been selected can also be removed from our festival if they exhibit disrespect towards our festival, our team, or fail to comply with the guidelines, rules and terms mentioned.

IV PREMIERE STATUS:

We do not require a premiere status, but we will prioritise World Premieres, EU Premieres, UK Premieres and North East Premieres in that order.
While we still focus on quality, we prioritise world, country and regional premieres to give more opportunities to films and filmmakers who haven't yet premiered over the ones who have. We might curate films for that same reason.

Regardless of the premiere status, the selected filmmaker or film representative can get in touch with us to discuss attendance, Q&As and alternative marketing strategies to promote the film.

Films made available online in England, or on worldwide unpaid streaming platforms during our festival, will be immediately disqualified.

V ATTENDANCE:

We will provide free tickets to each selected director, but due to limited seats per venue, we will ask each team to confirm their attendance two months before the festival. The number of free tickets provided per selected film will be discussed after the notification date.

After confirming the number of tickets per project, we advise selected filmmakers to arrive early to receive the badges that will give them access to all festival events.

Attending the closing ceremony is possible but not mandatory. However, please remember that seating priority will always be given to guests who have purchased tickets.

If any event does not reach full capacity, free seats may be offered last minute.

Attending screenings other than your own, workshops, panels and other activities is also possible, but it will operate on a first-come-first serve basis.

For Filmmakers or Guests who have specific requirements regarding accessibility, we encourage them to contact the festival in advance. We will make reasonable efforts to assist whenever possible.

The festival does not cover transport or accommodation. However, discounts on local accommodation might be provided to selected filmmakers attending the festival.

If the crew or cast are not able to attend the festival, they can send a film representative in their place. Film representatives will receive free tickets and may be invited for the Q/A, but they must have a connection with the film, either having been on set or during the post-production process, helped with locations, casting, art department, etc. Directors' friends, family, lover, teacher or gym instructor, dog or cat with no connection to the film do not count as film representatives.

If the film is available online either before or during our festival, the film will be removed from our program even if the filmmaker confirmed their attendance.

VI WORK IN PROGRESS:

We accept Work in Progress (WIP), Rough Cut and Locked Picture Cut as long as it is guaranteed that the film will be ready before our notification date.

For a Work in Progress (WIP) submission, the first frame is required to be a static slate (text on black) that clearly identifies the film's current status. For example, "Pending Sound Mix", "No Colour Grade", "Temporary VFX", "Missing Music", "ADR/Voiceover needed", etc. That slate must be clearly visible and remain static for enough time so it is easy to read.

VII CLOSING RULES:

1. The submission of a film to GATESHEAD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL implies the acceptance of all the terms herein presented. Non-compliance with any of the clauses in the regulations may imply the rejection of said film.

2. All selected films must comply strictly with the DCP delivery requirements as outlined in our communications, typically requested one to two months before the festival.

3. You must own or be given all of the rights to anything you submit to this festival.

4. Submissions are non-refundable. We cannot be held liable for materials which are lost or damaged.

5. If your film is selected by our festival, you automatically agree that we may use images and text from your project application for marketing purposes.

6. The festival will not pay any fees for screening the film.

7. The festival retains the right to change the dates and venues of the festival under special circumstances. All selected filmmakers will be informed about any changes.

NOTE:
All judging and all decisions are made at our sole discretion. Furthermore, we do not use “celebrity” judges, and we do not advertise our judges. We use unbiased, experienced judges with a passion for cinema who love to read scripts and watch films.

We only judge the material sent to us. We do not judge our contestants. To prevent tampering, we do not reveal the identities of our judges.