ROOKIE INT.L FILM FESTIVAL ()

Festival start: 07 July 2021      Festival end: 11 July 2021

The Rookie International Film Festival (RIFF) was founded in 2020, by an idea of Silvio Sardi, on behalf of the non-profit Association "Sardi & Friends", and is supported by other associations, institutions and private sponsors.

We are perfectly aware of how difficult it is to be able to emerge in the international audiovisual industry and this is the main purpose that pushed us to organize the RIFF in order to be able to help all those people who want to be appreciated for their talent. We are looking for producers, directors and writers who have brilliant ideas and who do not know how to make them known to the world.

RIFF's philosophy is to enhance and promote producers, directors and writers who have the talent to make commercial audiovisual products that can be appreciated internationally by the public.

RIFF is a celebration of feature films, producers, directors and writers who intend to promote their first independent feature film on the international market, offering them an opportunity to make themselves known to the "buyers" of the international audiovisual industry, such as television networks, distributors and online platforms. It has been shown that feature films are the greatest cultural form of communication that binds the various cultures between peoples.

Cash Prizes: 15,000€

Erbaluce Award for Best Feature Film, money prize of € 10.000,00 (ten thousand euro/00 cents) for the Producer;
Erbaluce Award for Best Director
Erbaluce Award for Best Actor
Erbaluce Award for Best Actress
Erbaluce Award for Best Screenplay, money prize of € 5.000,00(five thousand euro/00 cents) for the Writer.

RULES & TERMS

Art. 1
The 1st edition of the Rookie International Film Festival (RIFF) 2021 will take place from July 7 to July 11 2021 in the cozy and welcoming town of Caluso (To), Canavese, Piedmont (Italy).

The main aim of the RIFF founded by Silvio Sardi in 2020 is to celebrate feature films, producers, filmmakers, and screenwriters to promote international independent feature films, in recognition of the fact that feature films are the most powerful form of cultural communication and link between cultures and peoples.

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The Artistic Director of RIFF 2021 is Mr. Silvio Sardi.

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RIFF 2021 will include the following sections:
- “World Cinema” - International Feature Competition
- “World Screenwriter” – International Screenplay Competition
- Special Events and Tribute

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RIFF will accept feature film and screenplay from every countries in any genre. By submitting the feature film and/or screenplay to 1st RIFF 2021 you confirm to own the rights of the film and/or of the screenplay. Each feature film and screenplay requires the submission fee. Rates for submission are not refundable. The payment of the festival’s submission fee implies the acceptance of the rules and condition shown on www.rookieintfilmfestival.com , the contestant declares to accept without exceptions.

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The Artistic Director of the RIFF 2021 no later than June 20th 2021 will make public the composition of the 9 (nine) members of the Jury of Experts, who will have to express themselves on the evaluation of the competing films and screenplays, and assign the prizes awards. The members of the Expert Jury will be chosen by the Artistic Director and will be selected, among characters who work in the entertainment world, by journalists who are experts in culture and shows, and by people who represent the public. The prizes will be awarded on the basis of the majority vote expressed by the Jury of Experts. The Jury of Experts will deliver the verdict of the votes for the final prizes to the Artistic Director in a sealed envelope. The Artistic Director can in no way interfere with the voting expression of the jurors and in no way can modify the result of the verdict expressed by the Jury of Experts.

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Section “World Cinema” – Competition
Reserved for 8 international feature films. Priority will be given to feature films never shown in Italy, in other festivals or out of the European country of origin. The feature films will be judged by a Jury of Experts based on their verdicts, the following awards will be assigned:

- Erbaluce Award for Best Feature Film, money prize of € 10.000,00 to the Producer
- Erbaluce Award for Best Director
- Erbaluce Award for Best Actor
- Erbaluce Award for Best Actress

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Section “World Screenwriter” – Competition
Reserved for 12 international screenplay. The screenplay will be judged by a Jury of Experts based on their verdicts, the following awards will be assigned:
- Erbaluce Award for Best Screenplay, money prize of € 5.000,00) to the Writer.

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Section Tribute & Retrospective - Out of competition
RIFF 2021 will assign a special prize to a young emerging Italian talent working in the audiovisual industry. The prize will be awarded at the discretion of the Artistic Director of RIFF 2021.

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The awards of the RIFF 2021 are represented by a sculpture, which reproduces the bunch of grapes, of the Erbaluce vines.

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The money prize of € 10.000,00 (ten thousand euro/00 cents) awarded to the Producer for Best Feature Film will be made available to the Producer to support the development costs of his next project. The new project must be sent by email to info@rookieintfilmfestival.com from the Producer to the RIFF Artistic Director within the next 6 (six) months with the script, the production budget, the artistic cast, the director and the financial coverage plan, which can prove that 50% of the production funds are available to the Producer. The money will be credited by the RIFF to the Producer by bank transfer on the first day of filming of the new project.

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The money prize of € 5.000,00 (five thousand euro/00 cents) assigned to the Writer for the Best Screenplay will be made available to the Writer when the screenplay is purchased by a Producer to make a feature film. The money will be credited by the RIFF to the Writer by bank transfer within 5 (five) days of receipt by email at info@rookieintfilmfestival.com, of the copy of the registered contract of sale of the script to the production company, with the declaration of the production company that within 12 months the production of the film will begin.

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The feature films to be admitted must run more than 70 minutes. And must be a first work for the Producer and by this we mean the Producer who has the majority of ownership of the commercial exploitation rights of the feature film. The Producer may have previously produced short-length audiovisual products. Each feature film can be any genre and from any part of the world. It must not have been released online (private screeners with password are OK).

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The screenplay to be admitted must be written in Italian or English language, in final draft and not less than 80 pages. And written by a Writers that never have been shoot a feature film.

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RIFF 2021 deadlines date and submission fee to be pay are the following:
• Opening date: December 15th 2020
• Euro 50,00 Early Bird Deadline: January 15th 2021;
• Euro 65,00 Regular Deadline: February 15th 2021;
• Euro 80,00 Final Deadline: March 15th 2021.



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To be selected, the completed feature film in original language with Italian or English subtitles, one page synopsis, producer and director brief bio (all those documents must be written in italian or english), must be sent exclusively by the rights owner, no later than the final deadline in one of the following ways:
• by email to info@rookieintfilmfestival.com the one page synopsis, producer and director brief bio;
• by email to info@rookieintfilmfestival.com, the link with the password on the Vimeo platform;
• by express courier at Rookie Int.l Film Festival in Via Nuova Circonvallazione, 1 in Caluso (To) 10014 Italy, the DVD with the timecode;
• uploading the feature film on the Festhome platform.

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To be selected, the completed screenplay (min 80 pages), one page synopsis and writer brief bio (all those documents must be written in italian or english in pdf format), must be sent exclusively by the rights owner, no later than the final deadline by email to info@rookieintfilmfestival.com.

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The feature film and the screenplay will be selected by the Artistic Director Silvio Sardi, who will choose the dates for the feature films to be screened at the RIFF 2021.

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The feature film selected must be presented in original version with Italian and English subtitles. The Italian film will screen with English subtitles. All costs of the selected features pertaining to the subtitling operations into Italian, of the selected features will be covered by the participants; Italian films must have English subtitles. Subtitles with time code in English and Italian must be in SRT format.

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The Producers and/or the Directors of the feature films selected will be contact by phone or email for any additional material needed for publication purposes, no later than April 30th 2021 for an official confirmation of the selection of the feature film. By signing the official entry form, the feature films representatives officially communicate their acceptance to screen their feature films at the RIFF 2021.

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The Writers of the screenplays selected will be contact by phone or email for any additional material needed for publication purposes, no later than April 30th 2021 for an official confirmation of the selection of the screenplay. By signing the official entry form, the writers officially communicate their acceptance to participate at the RIFF 2021.

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The feature film selected must be sent the final technical materials for the screenings such as Blu Ray disk and/or DCP for theater screening (any other standard will not be accepted) by courier at their own expense no later than May 15th 2021 must be sent directly to the following address:

Sardi & Friends
Rookie International Film Festival
Via Nuova Circonvallazione, 1
10014 Caluso (To) Italy

The following materials must be sent by e-mail to info@rookieintfilmfestival.com for each feature film to be included in the promotional materials:
• trailer of the feature film (max time running 30”)
• film stills/color slide (min. 10)
• director's picture
• director's bio-filmography
• main cast pictures (min.10)
• short synopsis

RIFF is not required to give back the submitted works unless they arrive with prepaid return packaging via express delivery service (courier or diplomatic bag).

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The Producer of the selected feature film must guarantee the presence for the entire duration of RIFF 2021 of at least one member of the cast and crew (director, producer, lead actor or actress). The feature film director and/or producer must attend the RIFF 2021 and present the feature film. The RIFF 2021 will cover accommodation only for all the nights for all present cast and crew members (1 persons at most), flight and any other expenses will not be covered.

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The Writer of the screenplay selected must guarantee his presence for the entire duration of RIFF 2021. The RIFF 2021 will cover accommodation only for all the nights, flight and any other expenses will not be covered.

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Award winners are expected to attend the RIFF 2021 closing ceremony. Award winners are obliged to mention the award as announced, nationally as well as internationally, in all publicity and promotional material.

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The RIFF is authorised to use excerpts of the selected works (3 minutes maximum), made available by the producers, for promotional purposes.

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Feature films submitted will not be copied, modified, broadcast or screened outside the RIFF 2021 without prior consent of the Producers.

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Round-trip shipping charges of the selected copies and/or materials will be paid by the participants.


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By signing the entry form, the candidates accept the above rules in full. Any controversy not solvable by the above rules and regulations will be submitted to the RIFF Artistic Director, whose decision will be final and binding.

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The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless RIFF from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.