Joutseno Art Summer International Film Festival ()

Festival start: 29 June 2023      Festival end: 01 July 2023

Welcome to Joutseno Art Summer International Film Festival. This international festival which has the main theme of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) is the Nordic celebration of independent filmmaking!

To highlight the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), Joutseno College (Joutsenon Opisto in Finnish) is holding this international film festival offering the pleasant atmosphere and the great natural scenery of Lake Saimaa just 2.5 hours train trip from Helsinki, the capital city of Finland.

Joutseno College, which organises the festival, has been an established educational provider of arts and languages for over 70 years, and it is well equipped to allow the preparation of such a programme that includes both outdoor and indoor activities.

As an addition to the college's Art Summer programme running for decades, this festival provides not only a novel cinematic experience for audiences as well as filmmakers, but it also renders an opportunity to reflect on the future of our planet emphasising on the role and responsibilities of us as human beings.

Our main goal with Joutseno Art Summer International Film Festival is to help maximise the engagement of select independent filmmakers who choose to challenge and reflect on global scale problems. The festival would offer filmmakers a unique opportunity to screen their works in one of the most scenic venues and locations in Finland!

In addition to live screenings, we offer:

❄ networking events
❄ open dialogue sessions
❄ pre/post festival training/discussion sessions
❄ an extensive network of different stakeholders
❄ a guided tour of Lappeenranta and Joutseno
❄ several recreational events such as live music

Visit our website https://www.joutsenonopisto.fi/ff2023 for more information and updates.

• Best Feature Film (More than 70 minutes)
• Best Short Film (Less than 35 minutes)
• Best Feature Documentary (More than 70 minutes)
• Best Short Documentary (Less than 50 minutes)
• Special Track SDG Goal 4: Quality Education (More than 25 minutes)
• Special Track SDG Goal 5: Gender Equality (More than 25 minutes)
• Special Track SDG Goal 13: Climate Action (More than 25 minutes)
• Special Track SDG Goal 15: Life on Land (More than 25 minutes)
• Best Student Production (Proof of studentship is required)
• Best Animation (More than 25 minutes)
• Best Mobile Phone Production (More than 6 minutes)
• Best Technology-enabled Films (e.g., metaverse)
• Best Video Game Art

✓All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles (if in a different language).

✓ All films must not have been made before 2021.

✓ Films must adhere to the time specified for the category they sign up for.

✓ Filmmakers are responsible for sorting out the copyright on their own materials.

✓ By submitting your project, you give us consent and right to screen your film in front of live audience, and, under special circumstances, online screening.

✓ Nominations: These are all the films that have been nominated for an award in one of the categories. Showing all nominated films is a matter of future stipulation depending on programming and logistics.

✓ We may promote clips from your film on social media, based on the press kits you provide us with.

✓ We retain the right to change the date and venue of the festival under special circumstances. All filmmakers will be informed about any such changes through email and on our online platforms.

✓ We place no restrictions on your work in terms of premiere status or it has been shown earlier.

✓ We do not accept partial screeners, trailers, or screener links that require any access other than password protected links.

✓ Any technical issues with the submitted films are 100% the responsibility of the filmmakers. If, at the time of judging, your video file does not work or does not have English subtitles (if in a language other than English), it will be automatically rejected, without a refund. Please contact the festival team in good time if there are any issues with the submission process.

✓ We cannot provide refunds.

✓ We do not offer visa assistance; however, we can provide a letter if your submission has received the "Nomination" status. This letter could be presented to the Finnish immigration authorities as part of your application material. We, however, bear no responsibility of the final decision made by the concerned parties.

✓ By submitting to us, you agree to our terms and conditions and to receiving marketing newsletters and discounts about film festivals in the form of emails. We will never sell your information to third parties.

✓ We reserve the right to update our terms and conditions.