ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
1. Only films completed after 1st January 2018 are eligible.
2. Films previously submitted to the festival will not be considered.
3. Non-English language films must have English language subtitles.
4. Films submitted must feature mental health as one of their primary themes. If this is not clear from the overview or director statement, please provide a cover letter specifying the ways in which the film relates to mental health.
5. Films created by people who identify as having lived experience of mental health problems are particularly welcome.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
1. Films must be submitted through FilmFreeway.
2. All submitted work must be original, and the submitter must either have festival rights to the film or permission to submit it.
3. All films submitted must have full festival clearance, including written consent/contracts where appropriate for individuals identifiable within the film (paid or unpaid), full musical clearance and third party clearance. It is also the responsibility of the person submitting the film to ensure that any necessary agreements are in place and valid prior to submission. By submitting a film, the person doing so guarantees that all required permissions have been obtained.
4. There is a submission fee of $8-$12 - this fee helps us to cover the cost of running the competition. The festival is led by the Mental Health Foundation, a registered charity in the UK (www.mentalhealth.org.uk).
5. Submission fees are non-refundable.
6. If you would find it difficult to pay the submission fee for any reason, please contact us at smhaf@mentalhealth.org.uk. We will issue a waiver code to enable you to submit your film with no charge. In your email, please provide a brief synopsis of your film, which explains how it relates to mental health. Filmmakers who identify as having lived experience of mental health problems or are from marginalised or underrepresented communities are particularly encouraged to get in touch. Waiver codes are limited to one per submitter.
7. The festival cannot accept or assume responsibility in the event of loss or damage of screening materials.
8. Feature films submitted must not be publicly available online. This does not apply to short films.
9. If your film is selected, a high quality digital screening copy of the film will be requested. The format requested will vary depending on the exhibition venue/space and will be confirmed upon selection. We cannot pay for screening copy costs or shipping to the festival, but we will cover return.
10. If your film is selected, we may utilise clips, trailers, high resolution still images, and descriptive text, in order to publicise the festival and related events. Submission of an entry form is considered granting the festival permission to do so. Clips, images, and copy will be requested, or, where available, downloaded from FilmFreeway.
11. Decisions made by the programming team and International Film Awards jury are final. We are unable to provide feedback on individual submissions.