General registration and participation guidelines

Introduction

• The competition is open to films that deal with the topics of nature / animals / people and the environment / environment and sustainability. Preference is given to documentary formats, although we are open to all types of visual realisation. In justified exceptional cases, fictional formats will also be admitted to the competition.
• The condition for participation in the international competition 2024 is that the film must be completed after 01.01.2023.
• The completion date for the short film competition is after 01.01.2012. Please note that the short films cannot exceed a maximum length of 20 min.

Guidelines for registration

1. General information

Films can be entered for one or more categories.

The jury reserves the right to change the entrant’s choice of category.

2. Processing fee

• The fee is charged to cover administrative costs; a refund is therefore excluded in any case.
• Until 31st December 2023 there is a 50% discount on the entry fee.
• Afterwards the entry fee for the first category is €40, for each additional category €20, VAT included.
• The entry fee applies per film and is payable on submission of the film, after receipt of the invoice.
• For pupils and students, there is no entry fee for the NaturVision Newcomer Award. Written proof of school/student status must be enclosed.

3. Entry form short film award

Please note that there is a separate entry form for the NaturVision Short Film Award. There is no entry fee for the Short Film Award. The submission period is from 25. Sep. 2023 until 24. Jan. 2024.

The completed registration form must be submitted by the registration deadline at the latest.

4. Required material

Regarding any submissions we must receive the following materials at the latest by 22nd February 2024:

• A preview copy on a USB stick or as a downloadable file (not online streaming), without watermark or timecode
• A 50-80-word synopsis of the film (as the basis for the film’s description in the NaturVision programme catalogue)
• Filmmakers Intention / Producers Intention (50 – 80 words)
• A minimum of three good photos from the production (1500 pixel on the large side); by submitting these photos, entrants are granting publication rights for the photos to NaturVision for promotional and/or illustrative purposes (print and online)
• For registration for the "NaturVision Film Music Award": Please attach a list of the music, showing clearly who created which pieces and where they occur in the film.
• Press clippings and a press kit – if available

Please send the enclosures, e.g. photos, texts, in digital form (by e-mail or e.g. WeTransfer) to festival@natur-vision.org. None of the registration will be returned.

All enclosures are mandatory and must be included for an entry to be complete. All submissions must be sent prepaid; C.O.D. shipments will not be accepted. The Festival management will not assume responsibility for, nor will it accept shipments which incur expenses for shipping, customs duties, taxes or other charges.

Legal information

1. Screening licence, special events, best-ofs

• Entrants automatically consent to their productions being added to the NaturVision archive.
• Competition entrants automatically consent to the submitted film being shown at the NaturVision Film Festival. Furthermore they agree that clips of up to three minutes from each submitted production may be used free of charge for the purpose of promoting the Festival (on the radio/TV/Internet).
• The Festival also includes the NaturVision School Programme, the NaturVision Film Festival in Vimperk (Czech Republic) as well as supporting events at which individual films are shown in order to promote the Festival. Furthermore, in collaboration with various institutions, we hold “Best Of NaturVision” events, at which primarily the winners of the competition as well as outstanding films from the programme are shown. The aim of these events is not only to promote the NaturVision Film Festival, but above all to provide a forum for the genre of nature, wildlife and environmental films that will open up new audiences.
  Both these events and the Festival are non-commercial. By registering for the competition, entrants consent to their submitted film also being shown at these events. If films are to be made available to the public via an online platform, prior agreement is reached with the rights holders.
• There will be no remuneration for the showing of the films at our events (as described above).

2. Rights

• The Festival undertakes to use the submitted films only for the purposes stated in the regulations. Any other use not mentioned in these Conditions of Participation will be agreed with the entrant.
• By submitting the film and returning the registration form for the NaturVision Film Festival competition, the entrant confirms that they possess all the rights necessary for their film to be screened at a film festival. They affirm that its use does not infringe any copyrights or performance rights of third parties. The entrant also affirms that they are satisfied that all other persons involved in the production are agreeable to its participation in the Festival.

3. Organisation of the competition / prizes

• If the submitted film is selected for the programme or the competition, we will request a screening copy.
• The “NaturVision Competition” awards prizes in various categories. The winners are chosen by an independent jury of experts, which is recast each year based on suggestions by the Festival management. The decisions of the jury are final.
• Various prize monies will be awarded to the winners. The respective amounts and the endowed categories may vary and are dependent on the funds raised by the current Festival. The prize money represents a recognition of the creativity of the various people involved (director, writer, camera, music) and for this reason cannot be paid out to TV channels or production companies.

The submission of a film constitutes acceptance of the above regulations. In the case of exceptions and unspecified cases, the festival management will make the final decision. In case of doubt, the German version of the regulations shall apply. The exclusive place of jurisdiction is Ludwigsburg. NaturVision reserves the right of judgement in all cases not expressly regulated in this document.

For further information, please contact:

NaturVision Filmfestival
Please e-mail to María Vallecillos Soldado
festival@natur-vision.org

Tel +49 – 7141 992248-02
Fax +49 – 7141 992248-18

Ludwigsburg, 07. November 2023