Competition Sections

• International Competition
• National Competition

Non-Competition Sections

• MIFF Prism
• Retrospectives/Special Packages/Homage

Eligibility

International Competition - Films made in India or abroad between 01 January, 2022 and 31 December, 2023 are eligible.
National Competition – Films made in India by Indian citizen between 01 January, 2022 and 31 December, 2023 are eligible.

• One film can be entered in one competition section only, either in International or National.
• Film(s) entered / screened in earlier MIFF / shorter version(s) / revised or re-edited version of film(s) will not be eligible.
• Animation feature films, film series, episodes made/commissioned for TV Channels/Cable TV/OTT & any other digital platform are not eligible for entry.
• Film can be entered by any organization / agency or by individual film Producer /Director who holds the copyright. There is no restriction on number of entries.

Awards

In International Competition

• “Best International Documentary Film” shall be honoured with Golden Conch and cash prize of Rs.10 Lakh and
• “Best International Short Fiction Film” (upto 30 min.) in the International Competition shall be awarded with Silver Conch and cash prizes of Rs.5 lakh and
• “Best International Animation Film” in the International Competition shall be awarded with Silver Conch and cash prizes of Rs.5 lakh
• Besides, a Special Jury Award “Pramod Pati Award for Most Innovative/Experimental Film” carrying a trophy & cash prize of Rs.1 Lakh shall be given in the International Category.

In the National Competition,

• “Best Indian Documentary Film” in the National Competition shall be awarded with Silver Conch and cash prizes of Rs.5 lakh.
• Best Indian Short Fiction Film (upto 30 min.) shall carry Silver Conch and cash prizes of Rs.3 lakh and
• “Best Indian Animation Film” awards shall carry Silver Conch and cash prizes of Rs.3 lakh each.

There shall also be two sponsored awards

• Best Debut Film and
• Best Student Film carrying Trophy and cash prize of Rupees One Lakh each in the National Competition

Apart from the above, three Technical Awards for

1. Cinematography
2. Editing and
3. Sound Design,

Each carrying Certificate & Cash Prize of Rs. Three Lakh, common from National & International Competition, shall also be awarded in the 18th MIFF-2024.

A Special Award for Best Short Film on “India in Amrit Kaal” (upto 15 min.) (for Indian film maker only) shall also carry a trophy and Cash Prize of Rs. One Lakh in National Category

How to Apply?

• Online Entry – Entry Form for 18th MIFF 2024 is active w.e.f. 15-01-2024 and is available on filmfreeway. No entries will be accepted offline.
• Procedure – Applicant has to fill up the required fields and upload bio-data, photographs, filmography etc.
• Entry Fee – To be paid through online payment gateway (Entry fee is non-refundable)

Submission Date : 15-1-2024 to 29-2-2024

International
Film makers SAARC & BIMSTEC Countries	US $ 30
Film makers from other Countries	US $ 50
Indian film makers	INR 1,500
National (Filmmaker from India only)	INR 1,000

• Entrant is required to submit film in H.264/MP4 (under 2GB with 1920x1080 resolution) through Vimeo Link/ Google Drive and a soft copy containing Director’s photograph, bio-data, filmography, synopsis of the film, stills of the film, posters and pamphlets along-with promos/trailers, packed properly and freight pre-paid.
• Film other than in English, should be sub-titled or dubbed in English.
• Director's Debut Film: Entry for the film in “Director's Debut Film” Category should be submitted alongwith a certificate by the applicant that the film is the debut film of Director, failing which the film will not be treated as Director's Debut Film. If the Director has made, at an earlier date, any other film-feature, short, documentary or animation film, (except a student film as a part of curriculum), he/she shall not be eligible for this award.
• Student Film : Entry for the film in “Student Film” category should be submitted along-with a Certificate from the Institute/Film School concerned, failing which, the film will not be treated as Student’s film.
• MIFF Prism (Non-Competition Section): Films which miss out on final selection but recommended by the Selection Committee for MIFF Prism shall be included in this section. (Entrant may please see the relevant column in the Entry Form)

Cut–off Date: 15th January to 29th February 2024 (for both International & National competitions).

Final Submission: All selected films in prescribed format should be received in the Festival Directorate by 30thApril, 2024.

Format for final Screening :

• DCP 24fps / NTFS format / J2K (JPEG 2000) file without KDM & Blue Ray Disc for backup
• In case of no DCP, two Blue Ray Discs

No other format will be accepted for final screening in competition section

Intimation

• Successful submission of entry shall be acknowledged via e-mail
• List of films selected in the Competition and MIFF Prism shall be published on MIFF Website
• Only entrants of films selected in Competition and MIFF Prism Section shall be informed about the selection

Hospitality

Directors whose films are selected in the MIFF Competition/ MIFF Prism, shall be extended To &Fro Air Ticket and local hospitality as per the Festival Rules & Regulation.

Selection Process

• Entries will be previewed by a duly constituted Selection Committee, which will select/ recommend best films for the competition sections.
• Festival Directorate will have the right to make copies of Blue Ray/DVD for pre-selection / selection purpose.
• The decision of the Selection Committees shall be final & binding on all.
• Final screening in the festival is subject to exemption/approval by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting as the case may be.
• Film once selected and submitted for the final screening, will not be allowed to be withdrawn under any circumstances.
• Participation in the festival implies acceptance of Festival Regulations.

Jury

• A duly constituted International Jury and National Jury shall determine the winning films in respective categories. The decision of the Jury will be final and binding on all.
• The Jury reserves the right to withhold an award in any category where no entry, in the Jury's view, meet the standards for award / recognition. It also reserves the right to recommend sharing of award(s) in any category and to recommend special Jury award/Certificate of Merit.

Rights of Festival Directorate

• Festival Directorate reserves the right to accept or not to accept any film for screening in any category without assigning any reason(s) whatsoever.
• Pre-certification will not be applicable for entering films in the festival. However, screening of films will be subject to exemption granted by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
• Copy of the award winning films will be retained by the Festival Directorate for Festival Archive/non-commercial screenings.
• The Festival Directorate will have the right to screen Award Winning /MIFF Prism films in different places in India and on social media platforms on non-commercial basis for promotion/publicity of documentaries and MIFF.
• Decisions of the Festival Directorate/Ministry of Information & Broadcasting regarding all matters, not expressly provided for in these regulations or which require interpretation of the clauses mentioned above, shall be final and binding on all.

Copyright

• It is the sole responsibility of the entrant to secure clearance from the copyright holders of any copyrighted material included in the film. MIFF will not be held responsible for the unauthorized inclusion of any copyrighted material within or relating to the submitted film. MIFF reserves the right to disqualify any film with any unauthorized inclusion of copyrighted material.

Shipment

Cost of shipment (by any mode) of film in any digital media to the Festival Directorate shall be borne by the entrant

Insurance

• Insurance cost of film in transit from the country of origin to the Festival Directorate shall be borne by the entrant.
• The Festival Directorate undertakes to insure DCP against technical damage, fire, destruction, loss, theft during the period between their arrival at the Festival Directorate and dispatch
• Festival Directorate will not be responsible for normal wear and tear of the filmic materials.

General

• MIFF is under no obligation to provide comments or feedback regarding the film entered to the entrant or any other representative
• For promotion/publicity of MIFF, clippings from any film entered in the festival shall be shown on the National/International/Local television networks/Cinemas/social media platforms/Internet, etc.
• Clippings of selected films will be screened on the official website of the festival.
• Entry Forms with incorrect/inadequate illegible/ambiguous particulars and not submitted along-with the required entry fee/certificate/undertaking will not be considered.
• Request for fee waiver shall not be entertained.

Disclaimer

All disputes in respect of any matter relating to the MIFF shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts and fora in Mumbai.

ATTENTION: - All filmic materials and documents should be sent freight prepaid, addressed to:

THE DIRECTOR
18TH MUMBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (MIFF-2024)
Documentary | Short | Animation

NATIONAL FILM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India 24, Dr. G. Deshmukh Marg, Mumbai – 400 026, INDIA
Tel. : +91 (22) ,
Film Freeway Submission Web-link:
Festival enquiries- miffindia@gmail.com or festivalcoordination@nfdcindia.com
Website: - www.miff.in