Festival start: 23 January 2024
Festival end: 20 May 2024
The Sobh International Media Festival was established in Iran in 2023 with the goal of introducing a wide range of television producers present in the IRIB World Service, as well as giving local and international artists a platform to create art and facilitate positive interactions and cultural transformations.
This festival aims to foster artistic creativity in order to build a strong and influential media platform on a global scale by recognizing and rewarding talented individuals with a background in media.
We hope that our educational activities, including workshops and seminars, will help introduce the artists to a variety of media, broaden their vision, and encourage independent thinking.
The "Sobh" festival centers around "Media and the New World Order," delving into the significance of local and regional identities, spiritualism, cultural authority, as well as the influence of family origins. Moreover, it explores the idea that discourse can give rise to resistance and opposition against oppressive powers.
This is the place where all artists, thinkers, activists, and creators strive for the dawn (Sobh) of justice, humanity, peace, and spirituality in a new world.
The second edition of this festival will open with three main sections: Main section, IRIB World Service, and the Palestine special.
Main Section
Television:
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $5,000 USD for the Best TV Show
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $3,000 USD for the Best Talk Show
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $3,000 USD for the Best Magazine Show
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $3,000 USD for the Best Reality Show
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $3,000 USD for the Best Documentary
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best News Report
Radio:
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $500 USD for the Best Radio Reporting
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Radio Magazine
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Radio Show
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Radio Documentary
New Media:
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Podcast
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Vlog
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Motion Graphic and Short Animation
The Palestine Special Section
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $5,000 USD for the Best Feature Film
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $5,000 USD for the Best TV Series
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Motion Graphic and Short Animation
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best TV News Report
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $2,000 USD for the Best TV News Coverage
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $3,000 USD for the Best TV Program
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Vlog and Music Video
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $3,000 USD for the Best Documentary
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $2,000 USD for the Best Short Film
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Citizen Journalism (Gaza journalist martyrs award)
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $500 USD for the Best Illustration
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $1,000 USD for the Best Podcast
Festival Trophy, Honorary Diploma, and Cash Prize of $500 USD for the Best Feature story (Essay, Article, Research report)
• Submitted works in the Main section must have English subtitles.
• In the television section, after being selected and entering the competition phase, it is required to present a clean copy of the work without subtitles.
• The IRIB World Service section has no language or subtitle restrictions, therefore, any work created in any language or subtitles can be registered.
• The producer is responsible for the participation of the work in the festival.
• Works that have previously participated in other festivals or been broadcast in the media are eligible for submission to the festival.
• The time of production must be after 2021.
• The festival staff is allowed to use 3 to 5 minutes of selected works for promotional purposes.
• A copy of the works submitted to the festival will be kept in the "works archive" for non-commercial use.
• If the festival prize is awarded to more than one person in particular field, the cash prize will be divided.
• The format of submitted works in each category is specified in the registration form for each section.
• Submitted works must be without watermarks and logos.
• Works that participated in the previous edition of the festival will not be able to participate in this festival without significant changes.
• Submitted works with incomplete documents or technical defects will not be considered.
• Only registrations through the festival's website are acceptable.
• Submitted works must be delivered to the festival's office within 7 days, or they will be removed from the competition.
• Television works must be produced in HD or higher resolutions.
• All submitted works for review in the television section must be in MP4 H.264 format with a bit rate of 6 Mbps or higher.
• Submitted works can be delivered with either a download link or in person, in (MP4 (H.264) - AVI - MXF - MPEG2 – MOV).
• The submitted articles must be in Word and PDF file formats with a font size of 12. It is mandatory to mention research sources as an attachment along with the text.
• The producer of the work is solely responsible for responding to any claims regarding the material, intellectual, and civil rights of individuals; the festival is not responsible in this regard.
• The signatories to the registration form are responsible for any promotional and legal issues related to the work based on the information provided in the form.
• According to the festival regulations, if the inaccuracy of the submitted documents or the proof of the applicant's work attribution is confirmed, the work will be removed, and the applicant will be held responsible for all consequences.
• Completing and submitting the registration form for the festival means acceptance of all terms and conditions of the festival.
Main Section
Short and Feature Films
No Fee
Submissions deadline
08 Apr 24
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In the Main section of the festival, all artists from both inside and outside Iran can submit their works. In this section, visual and audio works can be submitted in the Television, Radio or New Media group respectively.
"Media and the New World Order" should be the focus of all entries, examining the significance of local and regional identities, spiritualism, cultural authority, the influence of family origins and the idea that discourse can give rise to resistance and opposition against oppressive powers.
Television programs in the Main section must have English subtitles.
The Palestine Special Section
Short and Feature Films
No Fee
Submissions deadline
08 Apr 24
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0$
Submit
The Palestine special section, which had previously been a side event of the festival, was added to the festival's main sections in response to the events that unfolded in the region and following the October 7 Al-Aqsa Storm operation.
All artists, writers, scholars, and media activists in and out of Iran are welcome to submit their works about Palestine in a variety of categories in this section.
