How to submit

The Brief

We love trees. We also acknowledge that trees have been for centuries harvested and used for shelter, beauty and warmth. As in all things, how we harvest sensitively and sustainably is at the heart of this Festival.

We invite you to submit films for screening at the Evolving the Forest Festival 2023. Films can be of any length, must have been completed after January 1, 2017 and must either be in English or have English subtitles.

We are looking for films about trees and how we use and live with them. What we mean by that is your film should in some way address trees, woods, forests, timber or anything related. The style is open and may include documentary, narrative films, art/experimental films, commercial films or anything that otherwise fits the criteria. We have a special category for mici-films of less than one minute long. We are particularly interested in the fine balance between conserving and maintaining our forests, growing (the right kind of) new ones, and felling them as part of a sensitive and sustainable forest industry. We are as interested in plain facts as we are with poetic flights of fancy; what we are not interested in is ill-informed, impolite rhetoric.

The selected films will be screened live and on line during the festival together with interviews with selected makers.

There are three categories: feature-length (more than 30 minutes), shorts (up to 30 minutes), and micro-films (up to 60 seconds).

Deadlines

  • Submissions accepted from December 1, 2022
  • Deadline for submissions Sunday March 5, 2023 @ 23.59 GMT/UTC+0 || SUBMIT HERE
  • Programme announcement Friday March 10, 2023
  • Event dates Wednesday April 19 to Sunday April 23, 2023 .

Selections

The selection panel will curate a programme of films that will be screened publicly during the Festival.

Festival selections will also be screened in a virtual screening room up to the end of 2023.

Prizes

From the official selection we will award two prizes: one to a film-maker under 25, and a Festival Prize for best film.

We reserve the right to make no award in a particular category.

Judging Criteria

We will select films for screening that:

  • are of excellent technical quality
  • are interesting and capable of holding the audience’s attention
  • are not biased or overtly political; facts must be verifiable if challenged
  • represent a broad constituency
  • teach us something new
  • are extraordinary

Jurors are Charlie Brentnall (Carpenter Oak), film-maker Alice Carfrae and one other.

How to Apply

To apply, send us your submission using the form at https://art-earth.org.uk/forest-submission/ We are unable to accept any applications through any other channel unless you can explain to us why you are unable to use the online form. We must agree in writing to accept your proposal outside the form.

All proposals must be received by the deadline of 23.30hrs GMT/UTC+0.00 on Sunday March 5, 2022. We cannot accept any late applications. We encourage you to to send us your application in advance of the deadline.

All proposals must abide by the submission rules (below).

Submission Rules

  1. We will accept films in any style of any length.
  2. Initial selection will be based on a trailer/preview which should be no longer than ten minutes.
  3. The film should have been shot / completed after 1st January 2017.
  4. Films may be in their original language, but MUST be subtitled in ENGLISH. 
  5. FORMAT: Selected films should be sent to us in minimum 1080P HD format up to a maximum of 8K. All files must be Apple ProRes and at least HD at full resolution (although we prefer 4K or greater). We prefer 4444 or 4444XQ but will accept 422 HQ. If ProRes is not native to your editor there are numerous converters available for post-processing.
  6. RIGHT TO SCREEN: The participants grant the Organisers (www.art-earth.org.uk) the non-exclusive rights to screen (non – commercial) their film / entry at the Festival and on the festival website and in related marketing materials. Selected films will be screened at the Festival and remain available online until December 31. With additional permissions we may choose to keep some films available for a longer period.
  7. COPYRIGHT: The Film must not contain any copyrighted work(s) belonging to third parties unless (1) Participants have a license to use such works in the Film; or (2) the use participants’ Film makes of such works is a fair one under the copyright laws. Participants will retain any licenses and provide them to organisers upon request.

Competition rules

  1. The Evolving the Forest Film Festival is a live and online film festival administered and sponsored by artdotearth CIC and Timber Strategies Ltd.
  2. The judges will award prizes (as set out in the Materials). The prizes are not transferable or exchangeable.
  3. Prize in the Young Film-maker category is £500. There will be two additional Special Mention awards that have no prize money.
  4. The main Festival Prize is £2,500 (or monetary equivalent). There will be two additional Special Mention awards that have no prize money.
  5. Entering the Evolving the Forest Film Festival does not guarantee that you will win a prize or derive any other benefit. The prizes are awarded at the sole discretion of the panel judges. We are not responsible in any way for the decisions, actions, or conduct of judges. Our decisions (and those of the judges) in respect of all aspects of the Festival are final.
  6. Individuals or small teams may enter the Competition. To enter the Evolving the Forest Film Festival, you must fully complete and submit the online submission form by the due date shown on the form. By doing so, you agree with to be bound by these terms and conditions. You will receive an electronic acknowledgment sent to the email address on the form. We are not liable for late, lost, misdirected, incomplete or incorrectly submitted applications. If you did not receive an acknowledgement contact us at filmfestival@art-earth.org.uk.