7th Art Independent International Film Festival ()

Festival start: 24 August 2020      Festival end: 24 August 2020

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” Gandalf, Lord of the Rings

Our Mission

7th Art Independent International Film Festival is an international live screening monthly film festival with an annual gala event envisaged to push the boundaries of filmmaking. Our aim is to promote filmmakers with a unique vision by showcasing it to a large audience. Getting recognition is increasingly difficult for independent filmmakers in this world of the content boom, which is why our mission is to carefully consider and select a wide range of films and present them to the indie film-loving crowd. We are dedicated to the exhibition and preservation of independent films. We showcase the art and power of storytelling worldwide and gather communities to share diverse cultures, viewpoints, and conversation.

Who we are

7th Art Independent International Film Festival is envisaged by the multiple international award-winning filmmaker Venu Nair. It is the creative combination of great filmmakers, artists, local film lovers, friendships and talents from across the world that lead to the 7th Art Independent International Film Festival. The goal is to bring the diversity of films to the cultural heartland of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram.

The 7thArtIIFF Experience

Our mandate is to seek out the best in film, believing that you don't have to have a big budget to make a great movie. We’re a monthly festival that showcases feature films and documentaries across genres. Unlike other festivals, entries do not battle against each other. Instead, films will compete with themselves and are judged based on a high standard of merit and are scored accordingly.

The monthly live screenings take place at the end of each month at the University of Kerala Student’s Centre auditorium at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. Currently, all our screening events will remain postponed due to COVID 19 pandemic and will be scheduled for the first safe opportunity, once this situation is over.

Every month, the selected works will be screened and the winners will be awarded with digital laurel, certificate and trophy. The BEST OF THE BEST of every month from July 2020 to July 2021 will be automatically nominated for the prestigious GOLDEN CONCH AWARD. The winner shall be bestowed with the award at the annual gala event at Lenin Cinemas at the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city on Saturday 7th August 2021. All the official selections, nominees and the winners will be listed on our website permanently. All the winning films will receive a trophy, award, and certificate.

Awards & Prizes:
Awards & Prizes
Selected films will be recognized and awarded The Best of the Best Award, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit and Award of Recognition. The Best of the Best is chosen as the submission receiving the highest overall score. Award of Excellence is presented to those entries showing excellence in film making. Those displaying exceptional artistic or technical performance are presented with an Award of Merit. Entries that impress the judges and make an impact in one or several specific categories will receive an Award of Recognition.

Awards include:

• Best of the Best Award
Every submission meeting the required level of merit will win one or more of the following awards:
• Award of Excellence
• Award of Merit
• Award of Recognition in Creativity
• Award of Recognition in Directing
• Award of Recognition in Acting(Male)
• Award of Recognition in Acting(Female)
• Award of Recognition in Cinematography
• Award of Recognition in Background Score
• Award of Recognition in Production Design(Art Direction)
• Award of Recognition in Sound Design
• Award of Recognition in Colour
• Award of Recognition in Documentary Feature
• Award of Recognition in Documentary Short
• Award of Recognition in Short Film
• Award of Recognition in Film Production

Rules & Terms:

We will consider the following submission types:

• Feature Films (Over 70 min)
• Short Films (Up to 20 min)
• Documentary Feature (Over 40 min)
• Documentary Short (Up to 20 min)

Filmmakers may submit as many works as they wish to, as long as they have been produced after January 1, 2015. You are entitled to enter as many films as you like to the festival. If an entry does not win then it may be re-submitted in another month for consideration with separate entry fees. We prefer online screeners for the judging process.
We require an official trailer, poster, synopsis and a link to your film. Please select the correct category while submitting to avoid disqualification. We reserve right to re-assign films to the appropriate category.

A filmmaker’s submission fee will not be reimbursed if they decide to withdraw their submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.

No fixed number of awards will be granted. Every submission that meets the level of excellence will receive an award. Films can be in any language with English subtitles. 7thArtIIFF will not make your property available online.

The Official Selection status doesn’t mean that your film will be screened at the festival. It means that you are now eligible for the nomination and you can use the festival logo on your poster.

It is possible that a particular category doesn't have a winner. In this case the decision of the judges' is final. We DO NOT accept partially completed films.

The 7thArtIIFF is hereby granted the rights to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted for promotional purposes of the festival within India only. The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements, rules and regulations.

Notification:

Accepted entries will receive an Official Selection notification, laurel and certificate. After judging is completed, winners will receive a second email with their Winner certificates.

Official Selections and Winners will be posted on our website and Facebook site.

Laurels:

Every month selected works (selected for screening) will be screened and winners of each month will be awarded with digital laurel, certificate and Trophy. Filmmakers are allowed to use the 7thArtIIFF Laurels on their winning or selected film ONLY. They can be used on posters as well as other related media.

Disclaimer:

By submitting your film you agree that you own the rights to it and are responsible for the content. By submitting you are granting 7thArtIIFF the right to post the name, synopsis and artwork on our website. There is no refund given if your film is not selected for the festival.

We do not provide any airfare for the submitter to come and attend the festival. They need to arrange their own travel and accommodation for the same. Certificates are digitally printable which we will email to our winners and trophies will be couriered at submitter’s cost. Please note, we will not be responsible for (if) any damage occurs to the trophy or packaging during shipping.

7thArtIIFF may without advance notice amend these Rules & Terms from time to time. Each and every such amendment shall be become effective immediately. It is your responsibility to periodically check for updates of these Rules & Terms

Required Legal Stuff:

The filmmaker releases the festival (7thArtIIFF) from any and all liability for damages or destruction of the entered DCP. The Filmmaker understands that the entered DCP will be retained in a secure facility by the festival, and every effort will be taken to protect and control the viewing of this production. The festival assumes no liability whatsoever for theft, copyright violations or piracy of the entry. All entries are carefully pre-screened prior to the public showing to assure that the DCP does perform to industry Standards. The Festival (7thArtIIFF) assumes no responsibility for any technical difficulties in the presentation of the video at the actual event.
The Film Festival (7thArtIIFF) reserves the complete right to make changes in the program dates and times despite its being selected for screening. The filmmaker will endeavour to present to the Festival (7thArtIIFF) a new and pre-checked Hard disk / DCP for the gala event.