REGULATIONS OF THE CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL (CIDF)

The Chicago International Documentary Festival will be held on March 21-30, 2003 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
The Festival is organized by the Society for Arts, 1112 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60622, USA; phone: (773) 486-9612, fax (773) 486-9613, e-mail: program@chicagodocfestival.org, www.chicagodocfestival.org

REGULATION REQUIREMENTS

Selection

The CIDF shall accept applications for films in VHS/SVHS/Betacam format in PAL, SECAM, or NTSC system. The condition for a film’s inclusion in the selection shall be the presentation of an accurately completed entry form.

Entry forms with a preview tape of the submitted films and any other enclosures should reach the CIDFF office by February 10, 2003. In the event of applicant’s failure to meet the deadline, or of inaccuracies in any application form, the CIDFF shall be free of any obligation whatsoever to enter the film for selection.

Applicants should submit a preview tape for selection at their own expense. These tapes shall not be returned.

Competition

Applicants will be given notice of their film’s acceptance or rejection by 30 days before the Festival starts. Immediately upon a receipt of such notice of the film’s admission to the competition or special section , applicants should replace tapes submitted for selection by a 35mm or 16mm print with optical soundtrack, Betacam SP or Digital tape, or DVD. English subtitles are mandatory.

Screenings

A number of the Festival screenings of any selected film cannot exceed three screenings allowed by international regulations.

For the promotional purposes, the CIDFF may give TV stations access to any promotional material made or designated by the film’s producer upon his written approval.

Prizes

The Festival Juries shall award the following prizes:
Chicago Doc Grand Prix Award for the best documentary film;
Cinematography Award for the distinguished efforts by the cinematographer;
Innovation Award to the most innovative filmmaker.

In addition the Festival Jury may award other prizes and diplomas of honorable mention outside of the Regulations, funded by corporate and private donors.

The Festival audience selects a winner of the Audience Award in a public voting.

The CIDFF Board of Governors may award a special prize, the Achievement Award, for extraordinary contribution to the art of documentary film

Dispatch & Return of Films

Shipping and handling costs of tapes submitted for selection and those selected for screening at the Festival, and other transportation costs of any kind, shall be borne by the applicants.

Applicants shall be liable for all customs clearance costs outside U.S. customs territory and shall be bound to abide by customs rules.

35mm & 16mm prints, Betacam tapes and DVDs shall be returned at the CIDFF’s cost within two weeks of the closing date of the Festival.

Insurance

The CIDFF shall insure films submitted for the Festival against any damage, theft, and for third-party liability during the period they are in the Festival’s possession.

Final Remarks

The submission of a film for participation in the CIDFF shall be taken to mean acceptance of all conditions of the Regulations. All matters not covered by the Regulations will be decided by the CIDFF Executive Board.