PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS CAREFULLY

MIFF 2012 DATES
The 61st Melbourne International Film Festival will be held from Thursday 2 August to Sunday 19 August 2012.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
These guidelines are for the submission of both short and feature films.

Deadlines & Fees:
Early bird submissions open Wednesday 19 October 2011, 10:00am AEDT
Early bird submissions close Thursday 17 November 2011, 11:59pm AEDT

Early bird submission fees:
Shorts AUD$65
Features AUD$75
*Submissions in this category must be submitted and post-marked on or before Thursday 17 November 2011 to be considered.
**DVD/package must be received by the MIFF Submissions Department by Thursday 1 December 2011 to be considered.

Regular submissions open Friday 18 November 2011, 12:00am AEDT
Regular submissions close Thursday 1 March 2012, 11:59pm AEDT
Regular entry fees:
Shorts AUD$70
Features AUD$80
*Submissions in this category must be submitted and post-marked on or before Thursday 1 March 2012 to be considered.
**DVD/package must be received by the MIFF Submissions Department by Thursday 15 March 2012 to be considered.

Late submissions open Friday 2 March 2012, 12:00am AEDT
Late submissions close Thursday 22 March 2012, 11:59pm AEDT
Late entry fees:
Shorts AUD$90
Features AUD$100
*Submissions in this category must be submitted and post-marked on or before Thursday 22 March 2012 to be considered.
**DVD/package must be received by the MIFF Submissions Department by Friday 6 April 2012 to be considered.

Only submissions accompanied by the correct fee, and received by the allocated deadline, will be accepted/considered.

• Payments must be made in Australian currency.
• Submission fee is payable by credit card (Mastercard or Visa) only.
• Films submitted without payment WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED
• Films not submitted through the MIFF website system or Withoutabox WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

By accepting these regulations you understand the entry fee cannot be refunded

MIFF accepts Short and Feature fiction, animation, documentary and experimental films.
Note – Definition of Short and Feature:
A film is considered a Short if it is 30 minutes or less
A film is considered a Feature for entry and categorisation purposes if it is 31 minutes or more

Preview Screener formats:
MIFF can only accept DVDs as submissions. Please ensure your DVD is playable and is suitably protected in transit. You must include the automated response email that you will receive once you have correctly entered your film online with the DVD.

Eligibility requirements:
To be eligible for consideration, all films must meet the following requirements:

• Films must be available in one of the following exhibition formats if selected to screen at MIFF2012:

o 35mm
o 16mm
o Digital Betacam PAL
o Digital Betacam NTSC
o Betacam SP PAL
o Betacam SP NTSC
o HD CAM
(we DO NOT screen from HD CAM SR)

Please advise us if your film is in another format.

• Films must have been completed after 1 January 2011.

• Films must NOT have been/will not be screened commercially in the state of Victoria, Australia, in any form or duration prior to August 20, 2012.

o Private cast and crew and graduation screenings are accepted.
o Films broadcast on Australian television (free-to-air, Pay TV), or released on home video/DVD, for sale or rental, prior to August 20, 2012 are ineligible for entry.
o Films broadcast on the Internet in any capacity prior to August 20, 2012 are ineligible for entry.

• Films must be in their original language, with English subtitles if the original language is not English.

• Films 30 minutes or less may be eligible for entry in the MIFF Shorts Awards.

***Please refer to the Short Film Competition Regulations (below)

NB: The Festival reserves the right to program films completed prior to 1 January 2011 or that have screened in Victoria prior to the 2012 Festival. These films will be screened out of competition.

Works-in-progress & ‘rough cuts’:
MIFF encourages filmmakers to submit films that are as close to finished as possible at every opportunity.

Works-in-progress and rough cuts will only be accepted on these conditions:

• The only things to be completed are colour grade, final sound mix or credits (film must be at picture lock stage).

• A work-in-progress/rough cut can only be submitted in the late submission period.
• You have discussed your submission with submissions@miff.com.au and have had your film approved for submission as a work-in-progress/rough cut.

Submission materials:

• Please include the following materials with your submission:
• One DVD per submitted film, with the DVD clearly labelled with film title, director and run time. MIFF will NOT accept compilation DVDs (more than one film on a DVD).
• A printout of the automated email response you will receive after successful completion of the entry process (if submitted via MIFF website). If submitted via Withoutabox please include the Tracking Number on your film.
• Please do not include publicity materials with your submission, as MIFF cannot store or return them.

Preview DVDs will NOT be returned.

Selection:
Festival programmers select and invite all films presented at MIFF. All entrants will be notified of the Festival’s programming decisions by email by mid-June 2012. Please ensure the email you have supplied is active and in working order.

MIFF’s selection decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into. We do not provide critical analysis or feedback.

Shipping and Customs:
MIFF will not pay freight or customs charges for preview DVDs. MIFF will only pay the in-bound freight and customs charges for films invited to the festival.

Insurance:
MIFF will only insure prints/tapes of films invited to the festival, for the duration of their stay in Australia and during return transit to the entrant or to a following engagement. 

Screenings:
MIFF abides not to hold any more than three (3) screenings of any film.

MIFF SHORTS AWARDS REGULATIONS
MIFF is an Academy®, AACTA, BAFTA and IF Awards accredited festival.

MIFF Shorts Awards Eligibility
All films completed after January 1 2011, less than 30 minutes long (including credits), not available in entirety for download or viewing online, including DVD release, theatrically exhibited (excluding graduation and cast and crew screenings) or broadcast on Australian television (cable or free-to-air), and have the Victorian premiere screening at MIFF, are eligible for competition.
The Festival Artistic Director and Short Film Coordinator will select films from the official competition program to be submitted to the Short Film Awards Jury. The shortlisted films will not be made public.

MIFF Shorts Awards Jury
The MIFF Shorts Awards are adjudicated by the MIFF Short Film Jury, consisting of at least three Australian (and/or international) film industry professionals with no connection to any of the films presented in the short competition program of the festival.
The Jury’s processes, discussions and deliberations are strictly confidential and no discussion will be entered into regarding their decisions.

MIFF Shorts Awards
The award winners will be announced during the MIFF Shorts Awards Ceremony during the festival.
The short films competition are competing for the following prizes:

Grand Prix for Best Short Film (Academy Accredited Award)
Award for Best Australian Short Film
Award for Emerging Australian Filmmaker
Award for Best Fiction Short Film (Academy Accredited Award)
Award for Best Animation Short Film (Academy Accredited Award)
Award for Best Documentary Short Film
Award for Best Experimental Short Film

The prizes are subject to change and will be announced in the festival program.

CONTACT DETAILS
submissions@miff.com.au

Postal address:
GPO Box 4982, Melbourne, 3001, VIC, AUSTRALIA

Street address:
Level 5, 225 Bourke Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
AUSTRALIA

T: +613 8660 4888
F: +613 9654 2561