REGULATIONS

1. The 73rd Venice International Film Festival is organised by La Biennale di Venezia, and will be held on the Lido di Venezia from August 31st to September 10th, 2016. The Festival is officially recognised by the FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Association).

2. The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote the various aspects of international cinema in all its forms: as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. In addition to the sections mentioned in the following paragraphs, the Festival also organises retrospectives and tributes to major figures as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.

3. OFFICIAL SELECTION

3.1 Venezia 73           
An international competition comprising a maximum of 20 feature-length films, presented as world premieres.


3.2 Out of Competition

Some of the most important works of the year will be presented in the non-competing section, for a maximum of 18 films. They may include the works of established authors who have participated in Competition in previous editions of the Venice Film Festival, documentaries or films in which the spectacular dimension is accompanied by forms of expressive or narrative originality. Some films Out of Competition may be screened during the Midnight time slot, if their characteristics make them particularly suitable for showing at this time of night.    
Only feature films presented as world premieres at the Venice Film Festival will be admitted to the selection.

 

3.3 Orizzonti

An international competition reserved to a maximum of 18 films, dedicated to films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema, with special attention to debut films, young talents who are not yet firmly established, indie features, as well as works that address specific genres and current production, with the aim of innovating and demonstrating creative originality.

The Orizzonti section contains a selection of competing short films lasting a maximum of 20 minutes, selected on the basis of criteria such as quality and originality of language and expression.
Only feature-length and short films presented as world premieres at the Venice Film Festival will be admitted to the selection.

3.4 Venice Classics

This section features a selection of the finest restorations of classic films carried out over the past year by film libraries, cultural institutions and productions around the world, committed to the preservation and cultivation of the cinematographic heritage and the rediscovery of neglected or undervalued works of the past.                                                                                       
The section may be completed with the presentation of documentaries about cinema or individual authors of yesteryear or today, that can offer innovative elements of historical and/or critical assessment.

 

3.5 Cinema nel Giardino

This non-competitive section features a selection of films of various genres and lengths, which may be preceded or accompanied by encounters and discussions with directors, actors or personalities in the field of art and culture.

Only films presented as world premieres at the Venice Film Festival will be admitted to the selection.

 

4. THE VENICE PRODUCTION BRIDGE

           
A film market will be organised during the Festival: besides continuing the programmes developed in the last few years (Industry Office, European Gap Financing Market, Final Cut in Venice, Industry Club, Digital Video Library), it aims to create a platform specifically targeted at producers and financiers, by means of panels, pitching and networking sessions, with the purpose of presenting new projects and works in progress and supporting their realisation.

 

 

5. INDEPENDENT AND PARALLEL SECTIONS

 

5.1 Settimana Internazionale della Critica (SIC - International Critics’ Week)

A series of no more than 8 films – debut works – independently organised by a commission appointed by the National Syndicate of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) in accordance with its own regulations.

5.2 Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days)

A series of no more than 12 films, independently promoted by the Italian filmmakers association (ANAC) and by the 100 Autori association.  Films are selected in accordance with the regulations of these associations.

 

 

6. JURIES AND AWARDS

Each Jury will operate according to its own regulations. The Director of the Festival may attend the meetings to advise on matters of regulations or procedures, when required.

6.1 Venezia 73

An International Jury composed of 9 personalities from the world of cinema and culture from various countries, excluding any person involved in any capacity in the production of the invited films or who may have an interest in their distribution, will award the following prizes for the feature films: 

−       Golden Lion for best film

−       Silver Lion - Grand Jury Prize

−       Silver Lion - Award for Best Director

−       Coppa Volpi for Best Actor

−       Coppa Volpi for Best Actress

−       Award for Best Screenplay 

−       Special Jury Prize

−       Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress

 

There will be no joint winners.  

Furthermore, individual films may receive no more than one of the awards listed in the Regulations. However, in exceptional cases, and after consultation with the Festival Director, the Jury may confer the Coppa Volpi and Marcello Mastroianni awards to actors or actresses featured in films which have won the Grand Jury Prize, the Award for Best Director, the Special Jury Prize or the Award for Best Screenplay.

 

 

6.2  Orizzonti

An International Jury, composed of no more than 7 personalities from the world of cinema and culture from various countries, excluding any person involved in any capacity in the production of the invited films or who may have an interest in their distribution, will award the following prizes (no joint awards permitted):

−       Orizzonti Award for Best Film

−       Orizzonti Award for Best Director

−       Special Orizzonti Jury Prize

−       Orizzonti Award for Best Actor or Actress

−       Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay

−       Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film.

  

6.3 Venice Classics

A jury composed of students in their last year of film studies in Italian universities, headed by a personality from the world of cinema and culture, will award the following prizes (no joint awards permitted):

-   Venice Classics Award for Best Restored Film;

-   Venice Classics Award for Best Documentary on Cinema.

 

6.4 “Luigi De Laurentiis” Award for a Debut Film

All the debut feature films presented in the various competitive sections of the Venice Film Festival (Official Selection and Independent and Parallel Sections) are eligible for the Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film. An International Jury of no more than 5 personalities from the world of cinema and culture from various countries, including one producer, will award a prize of 100,000 US dollars, donated by Filmauro, to be divided equally between the director and the producer. No joint awards will be permitted.

6.5 The Director of the Festival will recommend the nomination to award one Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to the President and Board of Directors (in exceptional circumstances two Lions may be assigned).

6.6 The producers and distributors of the films presented pledge to display a notice with the announcement of the award received and the Biennale logo when any of these films are released in theatres. 

 

7. SELECTION OF FILMS

7.1 Conditions for the submission of a film

All films submitted must be recently produced, completed not prior to 12 September 2015, and must not have been presented earlier in any other format or length, not even as a work-in-progress, for any selection in previous editions of the Venice Film Festival. Under no circumstances may films to be presented at the Venice International Film Festival have been shown in prior public screenings. Works previously presented in competing or non-competing sections at other international festivals are also excluded, as are those already available on the web. Possible exceptions to these conditions may be decided at his discretion by the Festival Director.

 

7.2 Accepted formats

For films invited officially to the Venice Film Festival, only the following screening formats will be accepted:

·   Digital Cinema Package – DCP

·   35mm

The films invited to the ‘Cinema nel Giardino’ section may be accepted in other formats than the ones listed above, on condition that the Director of the Venice Film Festival has given his approval.

 

7.3 Selection procedure

Regarding the selection of the films submitted, the Festival Director will be assisted by his staff of experts, as well as by a group of correspondents and international consultants, each responsible for different geographical areas. The Cinema Department will put each decision on the record.

7.4 Registration fees.

For each film submitted to the selection of the Festival, a registration fee is requested to cover administrative costs. The fee is 120 Euros for feature length films and 60 Euros for short films. This fee will not be reimbursed under any circumstance. The costs of screenings organised outside the main venue (Venice) must be met by the participants.

7.5 Materials to submit for the selection

In order to be eligible for selection, the films presenters must, no later than 17th June 2016:

 

a) fill out the pre-selection entry form, exclusively online on the website www.labiennale.org;

b) pay the registration fee;

c) upload the film file to our streaming service, exclusively through the link that will be indicated at the moment of registration, or send a copy of the film to the Venice Film Festival (formats allowed for feature length films: DCP, 35mm, DVD, Blu-ray disc; formats allowed for short films: file upload only). 

d) send an information sheet on the director and on the film, with an information kit including a synopsis, director’s notes and the film production context;

e) for all non-Italian films, we request the submission of a copy sub-titled in Italian or in English (including films for which the original language version is in English).


Any other information regarding the film submitted for selection must be sent exclusively in electronic format to the following address: selection@labiennale.org.

The Festival is under no obligation to return the films submitted for selection, unless they arrive with prepaid return packaging via express carrier (courier or diplomatic bag). Any returns must be requested no later than 30th September 2016.  The work-in-progress materials and films for which no return has been requested may be transferred to the Biennale Archives for exclusive purposes of documentation and research. They will not be used for commercial purposes, in order to protect the interests of the filmmakers and the producers.

 

8. INVITED FILMS

8.1 Entry Form

Invited films will receive an Entry form to be duly completed and returned no later than 15th July 2016. Receipt of the form by the Festival implies the legal acceptance of the invitation by all concerned and will be considered definitive and irrevocable.

 

8.2 Programme

The invitation of a film to participate must remain absolutely confidential until the announcement of the programme by the Venice Film Festival. Failure to comply will result in its exclusion from the selection. The general scheduling and screening times are the sole responsibility of the Management of the Festival.

8.3 Film copies

The presenters of invited films must send the following on or before 19th August 2016:

‒       2 copies of the original version with Italian subtitles (English subtitles for Italian films) for the official gala and press preview screenings;

‒       1 copy of the original version, preferably with subtitles in English, as a reserve copy (if so wished by those presenting the film);

‒       1 DVD of the original version with English subtitles for the exclusive internal use by the Festival services;

‒       the list of subtitles.

All subtitling costs are to be paid by those submitting the film.

Only in exceptional cases, which must be authorised in writing by the Director, the deadline set for August 19th 2016 may be extended. However, should the film copies not be delivered to the Festival by August 29th 2016, the relevant screenings will be cancelled.

The Festival reserves the right to refuse any copy which, on advice of the Festival technicians, is considered to be of inadequate quality for public screening.

 

8.4 Specifications for the Digital Cinema copy of the film.

Specifications about the systems used by the Venice Film Festival for digital cinema are available on the official website.

 

8.5 Catalogue

All the material required for the Festival catalogue (synopses, cast and credits, biography and a complete filmography of the director, photographs of the director, of actors and scenes from the film in b/w and colour, plus a brief director’s comment on the film) must reach the Festival as soon as possible, but no later than 15th July 2016, and must be marked as “Material for Catalogue”.

 

8.6 Press Material

The presenters of films participating in the Festival must send the promotional material for distribution to the press and potential buyers (press book, digital images of the film and the director, video material, audio clips, etc.) under separate cover, at their own expense, no later than 22nd August 2016, in the quantities that will be requested after the invitation.

The publicity and promotional material must state “Film Selected for the 73rd Venice International Film Festival” and, where applicable, the phrase “World Premiere”.

 

8.7  Official Logo

After the official presentation of the programme by the Venice Film Festival, those submitting the films must explicitly guarantee that all forms of promotional activity will mention their participation in the 73rd Venice Film Festival, including the relevant section and with the official logo of the Biennale di Venezia, as supplied by the Venice Film Festival. Films awarded a prize must also state which award was won, in accordance with the official graphic designs predetermined and supplied by the Biennale di Venezia.

 

9. SHIPPING AND INSURANCE

9.1 Shipping Costs

All shipping costs to and from the Venice Film Festival (including any shipping costs from Venice airport to Venice Lido and custom charges for films sent from outside the European Union), will be at the expense of the participants.

 

9.2 Addresses

In case of DCPs and 35mm films, the presenters should contact the Cinema Sector beforehand for instructions regarding shipment (print.traffic@labiennale.org).

Copies of films in DVD and Blu-ray disc formats, as well as all the materials sent for selection, must be sent by courier or post directly to the address of the Venice Film Festival:

La Biennale di Venezia - Settore Cinema

73. MOSTRA INTERNAZIONALE D’ARTE CINEMATOGRAFICA

Ca’ Giustinian - San Marco 1364/a, 30124 Venezia, Italia

Tel. +39 041 5218878

Fax +39 041 5218854

cinema@labiennale.org   

www.labiennale.org  

From 23rd May to 15th September 2016 the address will be:

La Biennale di Venezia - Settore Cinema

73. MOSTRA INTERNAZIONALE D’ARTE CINEMATOGRAFICA

Palazzo del Cinema, Lungomare Marconi, 30126 Lido di Venezia, Italia

Tel. +39 041 5218878                                                                                  
Fax +39 041 5218854

 

9.3 Shipping of Promotional Material

All costs relative to the shipment of publicity, promotional and photographic material for the films from the place of origin to the Biennale offices or the venues of the Venice Film Festival will be at the expense of the participants, including all customs charges for material sent from outside the European Union. Publicity and promotional material sent to the Festival will not be returned.

 

9.4 Shipping Insurance

All insurance costs covering the transport of films and press material to and from the Venice Film Festival will be at the expense of those presenting the films.

9.5 Insurance at the Venice Film Festival

The Biennale provides “fully-comprehensive risk” insurance coverage for the entire period during which the copies are in the care of the Venice Film Festival. The insurance value of a film may not exceed the average laboratory costs for a standard copy. Furthermore, all necessary measures will be taken by the Festival to protect the author’s copyright for works entrusted to the Festival, in accordance with the FIAPF dispositions regarding safeguarding against piracy.

 

10. COPIES FOR THE ARCHIVES

 

10.1 Donation to the Archives

Directors and producers of the films presented at the Venice Film Festival are warmly invited to donate a copy of their work, to be added to the Biennale’s Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts (ASAC), destined solely for the purposes of research and documentation, and excluding all commercial use in order to protect the interests of the filmmakers and the producers.

Moreover, the directors and producers of all films that receive awards are obliged to deposit a copy of their film with the ASAC, at least in high-definition Digibeta, complete with the official logo, along with the indication of the competition section and every award won by the film at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival.

 

10.2 Conservation of works

These copies will be preserved at the ASAC for the sole purpose of documentation and research, excluding any commercial use, in order to protect the interests of the filmmakers and the producers.

 

11. GENERAL RULES

Participation in the Venice International Film Festival automatically entails observance of the present regulations. Producers, distributors or other parties who submit films to the Festival must guarantee they are legally authorised to do so. 

The Director of the Venice Film Festival reserves the right to adjudicate any cases not covered by the regulations herein, and can make exceptions to the regulations in justified, well-motivated cases. Should any dispute arise regarding the interpretation of any article contained in these regulations, the original Italian version is to be considered binding.