Join us for the INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ON HUMAN RIGHTS

OPEN CALL - English version

 

In this document you will find information related to Under Our Skin 2024’s open call for film submissions (Running till end of May  2024). Please note that by submitting a film to Under Our Skin 2024’s open call, you commit to the rules, regulations, and procedures of the film festival, as outlined below. For additional information or queries please email: film@underourskinkenya.org

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R E G U L A T I O N S 2 0 2 4
 

ARTICLE 1  - Thematic focus

1. Cultural Diversity and Pluralism: Explore the richness of cultural diversity and pluralism as fundamental aspects of human societies. Celebrate the uniqueness of cultural traditions, languages, and practices that contribute to the tapestry of global heritage.

2. Cultural Identity and Self-Determination: Celebrate the importance of cultural identity and self-determination in fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment among communities. Acknowledge the role of cultural norms and practices in shaping individual and collective identities.

3. Cultural Heritage Preservation: Highlight efforts to preserve and safeguard cultural heritage sites, artifacts, and intangible cultural practices. Recognize the intrinsic value of cultural heritage in promoting social cohesion, intergenerational transmission of knowledge, and collective memory.

4. Community Cohesion and Solidarity: Explore how cultural norms and practices foster community cohesion, social solidarity, and mutual support networks. Celebrate cultural rituals, festivals, and traditions that strengthen social bonds and promote a sense of belonging.

5. Gender Equality and Women's Rights: Question cultural norms and practices that perpetuate gender inequality and discrimination. Challenge harmful traditional practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and gender-based violence, and advocate for women's rights and empowerment within cultural contexts.

6. Freedom of Expression and Cultural Creativity: Celebrate freedom of expression as a fundamental human right that allows individuals to express themselves creatively and challenge cultural norms. Highlight the role of art, literature, music, and media in critiquing societal norms and promoting social change.

7. Intersectionality and Multiple Identities: Recognize the intersectional nature of cultural identity and human rights, acknowledging that individuals may belong to multiple cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic communities. Explore how intersecting identities shape experiences of discrimination and marginalization.

8. Cultural Adaptation and Innovation: Celebrate the resilience of cultures in adapting to changing social, economic, and environmental conditions. Highlight examples of cultural innovation and adaptation that address contemporary challenges while preserving core values and traditions.

9. Dialogue and Reconciliation: Advocate for intercultural dialogue and reconciliation as essential processes for building understanding and bridging divides between different cultural groups. Celebrate initiatives that promote dialogue, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence in diverse societies.

10. Human Rights Education and Cultural Sensitivity: Emphasize the importance of human rights education and cultural sensitivity training in promoting respect for cultural diversity and human dignity. Encourage inclusive approaches to human rights advocacy that honor cultural norms while upholding universal human rights standards.

 

ARTICLE 2 - Objective

The purpose of the Under Our Skin 2024 film festival is to entertain, inform and inspire through the medium of film. We hope to motivate audiences and participants to question, debate, and reflect on the state of human rights in Kenya and internationally. The aim is to engender positive change for society and individuals. We welcome documentaries, fiction, conceptual films, and animations of short, medium, and long/feature length. Submissions to the open call should fit with the ethos of this human rights-focused film festival.

 

ARTICLE 3  - Festival dates

The fourth edition of Under Our Skin 2024, Kenya will be held in Nairobi from the 7th to the 15th of November 2024. 

 

ARTICLE 4  - Additional scheduling

Under Our Skin will also be hosting one-off events and screenings in the months before the festival in a variety of cities, towns, and communities in Kenya. We aim to stage events and screenings in schools, universities, rural communities, and rehabilitation centers for young people. You will be notified in advance if your submission is selected to be part of this programming.

 

ARTICLE 5  - Pre-selection conditions

The festival selection committee is exclusively responsible for the official selection and scheduling. The selection committee has exclusive and final say on which films are selected and shown during the festival. There will be an award ceremony at the end of the Nairobi edition of the festival where awards will be given to a selection of those films screened. Films will be nominated and awarded by an independent panel of judges.

 

SUB-ARTICLE 5.1 - Tariffs

1. The submission of your film is subject to a non-refundable fee of €10 (EURO)

2. Each filmmaker can enter more than one film.

 

SUB-ARTICLE 5.2 - Criteria

Films sent for selection must meet the following criteria:

 

1. Be related to the education, promotion, and/or violation of Universal Human Rights (as adopted by the United Nations [UN]) in general and/or in particular.

2. Be related to topics including, but not exclusively, traditions, cultural norms, education, sustainable development.

3. Has been submitted via the open call registration form.

4. Has been released or completed after the 1st of January 2022.

5. Has been rated/classified for screening.

6. Respect the aims of the festival as defined in Article 1.

 

SUB-ARTICLE 5.3 - Deadline for submissions

Registration ends at 23:59:59 East Africa Time (+3 GMT) on May 31st, 2024. Films submitted after this deadline will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the film selection committee.

 

SUB-ARTICLE 5.4 - Duration of films

During the festival films will be categorized by duration including credits. Films no longer than 20 minutes will be counted as short films. Films between 20 minutes and shorter than an hour will be categorized as medium length. Those which are an hour or longer will be categorized as features or long films.

 

SUB-ARTICLE 5.5 - Viewing for selection

All films must be presented in their original language (the language in which a film is or will be exhibited in its country of origin). It is for the selection committee to decide whether or not a film that does not

exactly meet these criteria may participate in the Festival.

 

Films that are not in English (including Swahili) should be submitted with English subtitles for selection purposes. Electronic subtitles (the additional digital text file containing the time codes with each dialog corresponding to the film in .srt or .sub formats) are accepted and may be requested if your film is selected for the awards section. Please do not send copies with double subtitles. Swahili may be requested for films in English. If you do not have a copy of your film in English please contact our submissions department for additional information. Under Our Skin is not able to contribute to subtitling costs.

 

SUB-ARTICLE 5.6 - Formats

Only films matching the following specifications will be accepted:

 

1. Video format MP4 (H.264) in HD (from 1080 x 720 pixels to 3840 x 2160 pixels if possible)

2. It is suggested to encode the video with a constant bit-rate and with 24, 25, or 30 progressive frames per second.

3. The audio, video, and subtitles must be contained in a single file and the file size must not exceed 10 GB. (electronic subtitles in an extra file in .srt or .sub format)

4. The file name must not include any special characters. Do not use, for example, any file name such as: "myfilm! @ &% $ § * ().mp4".

5. The film must be sent once and in a single file.

 

To guarantee the high technical quality, the following configurations are suggested for the file compression:

 

Size / aspect ratio

Video codec/min. bit rate

Audio codec/min. bit rate

1920 x 1080 px / 16: 9 HD

High profile H.264

5.000 - 10.000 Kbit / s

Sampling rate AAC / 320 Kbit / s 48 kHz

 

HandBrake is a free video converter software available for all operating systems.

 

SUB-ARTICLE 5.7 - Submissions

The films must be sent via the open call online submission form by providing a link to Wetransfer, MyAirBridge, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Vimeo (direct download).

 

ARTICLE 6 - Screenings

The main movie selection will be screened at a range of venues and settings throughout Nairobi. Short films, medium length, feature-length, or a combination will be displayed at every screening (competitive or non-competitive). There will be additional screenings in alternative spaces: movie theaters or cultural spaces suitable for films. 

 

ARTICLE 7 - If your film is selected

1. If your film is selected you will be notified before the official press release announcing the selection, which will be published by the end of July 2024.

2. We request confidentiality before the selection is officially announced.

3. Once selected, no film can be removed from the programme.

4. We ask you to send a trailer of the film of max. 3 mins in H.264 HD file format to be used only to promote the film’s exhibition. (If the trailer is not sent, then whoever holds the rights to the film authorizes the selection of a clip from the work, being a three-minute fragment max, or 10% of the total duration, for its dissemination as information material to be used for promotional purposes.)

5. We ask you to send a poster of the film, in a JPEG or TIFF file, 60 cm. x 100 cm 300 dpi minimum. (If the poster is not sent, whoever holds the rights to the film authorizes the use of a fragment of the work for dissemination as an informative graphic material to be used for promotional purposes.)

6. We ask you to send a photograph of the film in a digital JPEG format (720x576 pixels minimum) as an attached document for publication in the Festival Catalog.

7. We ask you to send a photograph of the filmmaker or filmmakers in a JPEG digital format (720x576 pixels minimum) as an attached document for possible publication in the Festival Catalog.

8. Please send us a digital copy of the identity document of the owner of the rights to the film.

9. If you have any questions, please contact us as soon as possible using the email address indicated at the end of this document.

10. You will receive a digital certification of your participation in the festival.

 

ARTICLE 8 - Additional notes

1. The films selected for this exhibition may be shown in the festival tour and special screenings, always for cultural, solidarity, educational, or training purposes without profit.

2. After the festival and any subsequently associated screenings, any further use will be dependent on the permission of the rights holders, who will be contacted for permission.

3. The editorial content of the catalog is the responsibility of the festival organizers. 

4. Any person or institution interested in acquiring a copy of any of the films will be put in direct contact with the film rights holder, leaving the organization outside of any commercial transaction.

 

ARTICLE 9 – Unforeseen Issues

The festival general coordinator may decide on any situation not mentioned in this paper.

 

ARTICLE 10 - Participant responsibilities

1. Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of all the aforementioned regulations and the pre-selection conditions.

2. In case the submitted works include the author's music, they must have the respective rights and/or give the appropriate credit to the authors of the music tracks.

3. Whoever holds the film rights must have the licenses, copyrights, copyleft, and rights over the images, sounds, or any other intellectual property right that has been used for the film realization.

4. Whoever holds the rights to the film agrees to the registration form in the open call as a sworn statement, which holds the rights and authorisations and the acceptance of conditions.

5. This regulation applies to the entire official selection.

6. In case there are questions or doubts regarding these regulations, we kindly ask you to get in touch with the festival organization: film@underourskinkenya.org

CONTENT AND ACQUISITIONS UNDER OUR SKIN FESTIVAL KENYA

film@underourskinkenya.org

Nairobi, Kenya.