The WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (International Film Festival of Montreal) is the only competitive film festival in North America recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations.

1. AIM The aim of the Festival is to encourage understanding between nations, to foster the art of cinematography, to promote meetings in North America between cinema professionals from around the world, and to stimulate the development of the motion picture industry.

2. SECTIONS The World Film Festival - Montreal 1997 will include the following categories:

   I. Official Competition
   II. Hors Concours Section (Official selection, non-competitive)
   III. Cinema of Today: Reflections of Our Time
   IV. Cinema of Tomorrow: New Trends
   V. Latin American Cinema
   VI. Focus on One Country's Cinema
   VII. Panorama Canada
   VIII. TV Films
   IX. Tributes

   The Festival selects and invites all the films to be presented during the event, and determines in which section the films will be included. All producers can submit their films for consideration by the Festival.

3. SELECTION For selection purposes only, it is possible to send cassettes (any format) of films shot in 70mm, 35mm or 16mm. However, only films shot in video can be presented in video format during the Festival.

4. REGISTRATION To enter a film, a completed registration form must be sent along with the following material:

   a) synopsis (approx. 20 lines)
   b) biography-filmography of the director
   c) complete cast and credits
   d) press clippings (if the film has already been presented publicly)
   e) various stills from the film
   f) a recent photo of the director (films over 60 min.)

   Once the selection of a film is confirmed, the following documents should be sent:

   g) press books (at least 100)
   h) stills of the film (at least 100)
   i) posters of the film (10)
   j) original dialogue list and, if possible, a list of existing subtitles
   k) excerpts for television (article 6)

5. DEADLINES

   July 5: deadline to receive films, or cassettes of films, for consideration by the Selection Committee.
   July 5: deadline to receive registration forms and complete documentation for films already selected, as well as for films submitted to the Festival for consideration.
   August 1st: deadline to receive prints of films selected by the Festival and excerpts for television. No programmed film can be withdrawn after this date.

6. EXCERPTS FOR TELEVISION Producers or their representatives are advised to send excerpts to the Festival for promotion on television, or to authorize the Festival to reproduce exceprts following the guidelines on the registration form

7. TRANSPORTATION OF PRINTS The prints of the films participating in the different sections of the Festival should be sent prepaid before August 1st to the following address:

   Montreal World Film Festival
   c/o J.J. Robertson Customs Brokers
   1432 de Bleury
   Montr�al (Qu�bec) Canada H3A 2J1

   A proforma invoice should be affixed on the outside of the box to facilitate customs clearance.

   The print will be returned collect.

   Cassettes and prints of short films should be sent directly to the Festival by a transportation service which includes customs clearance (example: Federal Express).

   Cassettes and prints of short films may be sent by air mail, however it must be done several weeks prior to the deadline.

   A notice of dispatch should be sent to the Festival by fax, indicating the title of the film, date of shipment and transporter (AWB).

   The Festival must be informed in writing of any change of address for the return of a print.

8. TRANSPORTATION COSTS Transportation and brokerage costs for the shipping of the print to and from the Festival are the responsibility of the producer or his agent. This policy applies to films selected and invited by the Festival, as well as films and cassettes sent to the Festival for consideration.

9. INSURANCE The Festival will assume insurance responsibility once the carrier has delivered the film to the Festival's office, and until it is returned to the carrier. In the case of damage or loss of a print, the Festival will reimburse an amount not exceeding the value of the lab print. This rule applies to films selected and invited by the Festival, as well as those sent to the Festival for consideration.

   If a producer or his agent borrows his print from the Festival for screenings organized outside official Festival screenings, the Festival will not be responsible in case of loss or damage during that period.

10. PRIVATE SCREENINGS Selected films may not be shown to any individual or organisation before the official screening, except on special permission of the producer and the Festival.

11. ACCEPTANCE To register or send a film for any section of the Festival implies acceptance of these regulations by the producers or their agents.

    The General Director of the Festival has the right to rule on all cases not foreseen by these regulations as well as allowing for exceptions.

I. OFFICIAL COMPETITION

Films selected and invited for the Official Competition must meet the following criteria:

Feature films:

* be in 35mm or 70mm;
* have been produced during the 12 months preceding the Festival;
* have not been released commercially, except in the county of origin;
* Canadian films must not have been released commercially, or presented on television in Canada, or participated in any cinematographic event in Canada;
* have not been entered in any competitive international film festival; priority will be given to films which have not yet been released;
* a film in a language other than French must be subtitled preferably in French or in English;
* films produced by or for television are eligible for the Official Competition if their theatrical exploitation is planned;
* industrial, advertising and instructional films are not eligible;

Short films:

In addition to the above-mentioned criteria, short films in Official Competition should also meet the following criteria:

* the length should not exceed 15 min.
* only films in 35mm or 70mm are eligible.

Jury:

The Board of Directors of the Festival appoints each year the members of the Jury of the World Film Festival to judge films in the "Official Competition" category. The Jury is international with at least 2/3 of its members coming from outside Canada. The members of the Jury cannot be associated with any film participating in the Official Competition category. The General Director of the Festival attends the Jury's deliberations but does not have the right to vote.

Awards:

The Jury must award the following prizes:

a) Feature films:

- Grand Prix of the Americas (best film);

- Special Grand Prix of the Jury;

- Best Director;

- Best Actress;

- Best Actor;

- Best Screenplay;

- Best Artistic Contribution (awarded to a technician).

In the feature film category, only one of the above can be awarded ex aequo.

b) Short films:

- 1st Prize;

- 2nd Prize.

Other awards:

A second Jury will award the "Prix de Montreal" to the director of a first fiction feature film. All first fiction feature films presented in all categories are eligible for this prize.

Publication of prizes:

Participation in the Festival obliges winners to include the logo of the Festival and the prize when advertising the film (i.e. on posters and in advertisements).

II. HORS CONCOURS SECTION

Films selected and invited for this section must meet the following criteria:

* be a feature film in 70mm or in 35mm;
* have been produced during the 12 months preceding the Festival;
* have not been released commercially, or presented on television in Canada, or participated in any cinematographic event in Canada;
* films in a language other than French must be subtitled preferably in French or in English;
* short films are not eligible for this section.

III. CINEMA OF TODAY: REFLECTIONS OF OUR TIME

IV. CINEMA OF TOMORROW: NEW TRENDS

V. LATIN AMERICAN CINEMA

VI. FOCUS ON ONE COUNTRY'S CINEMA

Films selected and invited for these sections must meet the following criteria:

* be a feature film or feature-length documentary film in 35mm, 16mm or video;
* short films must be in 35mm only;
* have been produced during the 12 months preceding the Festival;
* have not been released commercially or presented on television in Canada, or participated in any cinematographic event in Canada;
* films in a language other than French must be subtitled preferably in French or in English;

VII. PANORAMA CANADA

Films selected and invited for this section must meet the following criteria:

* be a feature film or feature-length documentary film in 35mm, 16mm or video;
* short films can be in 35mm, 16mm or video;
* have been produced during the 12 months preceding the Festival;
* have not been released commercially or presented on television in Canada, or participated in any cinematographic event in Canada;
* since this section allows foreign visitors to screen Canadian films, films in the French language should be subtitled in English and films in the English language should be subtitled in French.

VIII. TV FILMS

Films selected and invited for this section must meet the following criteria:

* have been produced by or for television;
* be a feature film or feature-length documentary film in 35mm, 16mm or video;
* have been produced during the 12 months preceding the Festival;
* have not been released commercially or presented on television in Canada, or participated in any cinematographic event in Canada;
* films in a language other than French must be subtitled preferably in French or in English;

Notes:

Only Canadian short films may be presented in 16mm or video format (Panorama Canada section). All other short films must be presented in 35mm.

If your film is ready, we advise you to send all your material before the deadline to facilitate the task of our Selection Committee.

ADMINISTRATION:

Montreal World Film Festival
1432 Bleury St.
Montreal (Quebec) Canada
H3A 2J1

Tel.: (514) 848-3883
Fax: (514) 848-3886
Email: [email protected]