CODE OF ETHICS  


A Code of Ethics for Short Film Festivals

The number of short film festivals has increased rapidly in recent years. The ISFC code of ethics offers guidelines for short film festivals to follow. It is hoped that these guidelines will ensure that the highest professional presentation standards are followed by festivals, for the benefit of filmmakers, audience and the short film industry.

Preamble

A festival considers cinema and video as an art form and a film or a video as a work of art.

A festival's primary role is to present unreleased or rare films, its programming includes recent works, incunabula, repertory films or films which are rarely distributed

A festival gives the opportunity to view films from an artistic, sociological, historical point of view and thus incorporates tributes, panoramas. retrospectives

A festival defines its own precise and original artistic line, promotes its choices and displays its own identity and consistency. It explores a topic, a trend or a specific theme.

A new festival must be aware of the existing situation in order to become a harmonious, complementary and efficient part of the whole.

A festival is respectful of the filmmakers' work: original version, format, standard and speed.

A festival's role is also to arouse and to stimulate the audience's curiosity. It provides the means and promotes information and education.

Rules

1

Organization: A festival is organized by an independent and autonomous entity.

2

Length: A festival is a cultural event: it presents a variety of films at several daily screenings, in a period of time varying preferably from 5 to 12 days.

3

Dates: Dates are determined in terms of the regional, national and international calendar.

4

International Festivals: Conditions to be an "international" festival:

a) If competitive, the selection should include at least 25 films from 10 different countries;
b) At least 50% of films should come from different countries;
c) Translation or preferably subtitles for foreign films should be available to the public We recommend an official translation into an international language for foreign guests and professionals
5 Regulations: Any festival must define its conditions of participation in a written document including main awards, invitations, dates of registration, selection, returning of prints, compensation for damaged prints. Registration fees are totally excluded. The deposit of prints or cassettes is on a strictly voluntary basis. For an international festival, documents should be bilingual.
6 Insurance: The festival must have insurance covering any risks or possible damages of the prints between receipt and return delivery.
7 Selection: The festival should notify no later than four weeks the selected films producers and at least two weeks the non-selected films producers before the beginning of the event.
8 Promotion:
a) The festival should provide a press service;
b) It gathers photos, slides and press kits for each film;
c) The film excerpts broadcast on TV, or on the festival website, free of charge, must not exceed 3 minutes or 10% of the total length of the film, only upon written authorization of the rights-holder.
9 Catalogue: The festival catalogue should include the following information:
a) The complete addresses of all films' producers and distributors;
b) for films lent by cinematheques or collectors, the origin or the mention "private collection" is specified according to the lender's wishes.
c) A detailed list of the film credits, including at least the director, the screenwriter, and if possible, the director of photography, sound, music, sets, editing and cast as well as a summary of the film, a bio/filmography at the director and prizes previously awarded.
d) A detailed presentation of the members of the jury and their careers. (for competitive sections).
e) A list of awards. (if competitive)
f) An organizational chart and the address of the organization.
g) The catalogue of an international festival should be bilingual.
10

Reception: The festival should invite the directors (or other representatives) of the short films in competition and facilitate the presence of guests such as journalists and professionals (producers, distributors, buyers, programmers, festivals' organizers).
The festival should provide the professionals with a list of all professionals in attendance.

11 Screenings:
a) films should be screened in their original medium and format;
b) screenings must be handled by professionals who respect the technical and artistic conditions of the film: format and lens, dark film theatres, complete unwinding of the list of credits, speed etc.
Festivals are advised to have their equipment controlled by an official technical commission.
12 Programming:
I.  
a) all films should betreated equally: exposure, type of theatre, number of screenings (except for limitations imposed by the producer);
b) all directors of competing films may benefit from the same conditions regarding invitation and reception; and
c) all foreign delegations from countries presenting films will get an equal reception by the festival.
II.  
a) The number of screenings per film is limited to 6;
b) debates with film directors and other professionals are to be organized systematically; the festival must favour and organize meetings between authors on one hand, and the press and the audience on the other hand;
c) no screening may take place before or after the dates of the festival without the written agreement of the rights-holder; d) festivals are not to pay for screenings of films competing in the international section;
13 Jury:
a) At least 5 members must be film professionals or artists. They are not to be paid for their participation.
b) the members of the jury must not watch competing films more than 6 hours a day.
c) in an international festival, at least 50% of the jury members must come from different countries.
14 Prizes: Prizes are to include awards in cash or in services. Cash prizes are to be awarded within two weeks after the end of the festival. The festival must specify to whom the prizes are donated. Directors take priority in the awarding of prizes.
15 Audience statistics: The main objective for a festival must be to attain the largest possible participation of both professionals and general audience. The festival is invited to keep a precise count of admissions, including the distinction between paying and free admissions, schools and special screenings.
16 Customs rules: The festival must ask customs for temporary admission of all imported films. The festival must keep to the customs rules to guarantee good reception and return of all films.
17 Return of prints: Prints are to be returned during the two weeks following the end of the festival. In case of tour screenings after the festival, a special agreement must be made with the rights-holder. Participation in a festival does not imply screenings after the festival, even for awarded films. A festival must not forward prints to another festival without the rights- holder's written authorization.
18 Tour screenings: The festival's responsibility still holds in case of tour screenings, except in the case of an agreement between the rights-holder and the tour screenings' organizer or in the case of a discharge countersigned by the rights-holder. Films in tour screenings should receive financial compensation.
19 Festivals' archives: Festivals are encouraged to build up their own archives: files, photos, posters...

Rules established by the Carrefour des Festivals and adapted to short film festivals by the International Short Film Conference, 1995.