Tirana International Film Festival ()

Festival start: 22 September 2024      Festival end: 28 September 2024

GENERAL INFORMATION

TIRANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is the first international film festival created in 2003 as one of the most important cinematic events in Europe.

We are thrilled and honored to be approved as an official Academy Awards® and European Film Awards qualifying festival, it’s truly a tremendous opportunity for our filmmakers and future Best Short Film Award winners also for Student Academy Awards (SAA).

TIFF aims to create in Albania, as well as in the region, a cultural center of worldwide alternative and independent cinema. Albania is a solar, enthusiastic and friendly country and besides the “strong competition” TIFF aims at the same time to be a meeting point of cultures, where people of Tirana, the guests and all those who love films will have a cinema-language-communication week.

TIFF aims to create a friendly space for film artists and cinema enthusiasts from Albania, Europe and the entire world to come together and share their linked passion and knowledge of the motion picture art form. The intention of TIFF is to bring filmmakers, producers and distributors from all around the world to Tirana, in hopes of fostering future co-operation in this interesting scenic area. By bringing together these distinct voices and their work, TIFF commits itself to introducing audiences to alternative visions of extraordinary diversity. "Think Different, Watch Alike" is the slogan and motto of TIFF.

TIFF aims to demonstrate strong efficiency in audience development (especially toward young audience) by implementing activities before, during and after the event, including year-long activities and traveling to other cities with various smaller partner and smaller festivals in the country. Partnering with small organizations and youth centers around the country in order to use the existing facilities in each city will not only give to TIFF a large national impact, but will enhance on the other side the increase of values of small events in each respective city in which TIFF will be present.

The festival gets thousands of submissions a year from over 120 countries around the world that of submitted online through online platforms, which are then considered for selection. TIFF is an international cinema event whose main objective is to enlarge the number of venues and time of screening of European and non-European films of all genres and durations in Albania as well as it is considered to be an event to develop new audiences around the country, combining film screenings with public debates and thematic debates approaching new and an increased Film Audience and focusing also on Film Literacy.

The daily program of TIFF combines more than 200 premieres of feature and short films in competition in all formats and genres: fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and video art. Open to any filmmaker from around the world, TIFF showcases new cinematic work by established directors with international reputations as well as movies by talented students and young artists.


A. COMPETITION PROGRAM
1. FULL LENGTH FILMS
• Feature films
• PerspecTIFF (debut feature films)
• Documentary
• Made In ALBANIAn

2. SHORT FILMS
• Fiction/Live Action (Oscar® & European Film Awards qualifying)
• Animation (Oscar® & European Film Awards qualifying)
• Documentary (European Film Awards qualifying)
• Video Art & Experimental (European Film Awards qualifying)
• Student films (all genres) (Academy Awards® qualifying)
• Balkan Films (all genres)
• In Albanian (all genres)

3. PANORAMA has some thematic sections dedicated to the most sensitive social topics and problematic social groups as for children, women, immigration, integration of persons with disabilities, LGBT, etc. with those sections:

• KIDs
• GENERATIONs
• NEW WORLD
• DIVERGENT MINDS
• PARADE

4. SCREENPLAY ContesTIFF
Consists in the application of original live-action and animated short film scripts and other short form scripts of all genres (max. 20 pages).
The said competition did not aim to evaluate only the best script, but to evaluate from our partners, producers and distributors, the best and most possible script to be produced by them and with the greatest chances to be successfully distributed in the most popular international festivals for short films.


B. SPECIAL PROGRAM & SCREENINGS

Besides the competition program TIFF reserves a large space to the special programs and screenings.

1. FOCUS is a special program, which is based on tribute or homage to the cinema author and/or the filmography of a given country.

2. RetrospecTIFF and TIFF Classics brings to the new audience the most prominent national or international authors of the film history.

3. PICTURE YOUR LIFE, CREATE THE FUTURE
TIFF will continue to have a large space to the special program KIDs, an exclusive program for children from 5-15 age average. This initiative comes as a long-term investment to raise and educate future cinematic audiences with artistic films through acquired projects in Creative Europe for the distribution and promotion of European films.

4. REFLECTING ALBANIA is the oldest program of the festival, dedicated to the foreign filmmakers who have produced their films in Albania or in Albanian speaking territory.

5. Oscar® Nominated Short Films & European Film Awards Shorts Tour

6. FesTIFFal is a special program with selected films by festival partners.


C. NEW FEATURES – PARALLEL SCREENINGS
TIRANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL has the pleasure to announce four major services available for the applicants. Since its inception in 2003, TIFF received over 50,000 short and feature films from over 120 countries around the world. Out of all these applications more than 200 films can be chosen each year for the competition program. With these four new services, TIFF offers the opportunity to many films to be shown in alternative ways (TV, online, market, special programs) in a wider audience and experts.
The applicants must optionally apply clearly for each one of these new services.

• TIFF.TV Competition
With our media TV partners we offer the possibility to directors screening their films (selected for the official competitive program or not) to the Albanian audience and win the TV juries and audience awards.

• TIFF on Tour
TIFF will act as ambassador for the submitted films and will travel with a selection to other Albanian cities during the year. TIFF will also propose special screenings to other regional festivals in accordance to a specific subject or theme of each collaborative festival.

• TIFF Online Library
TIFF offer the online presentation of each film, in a dedicated page, as a part of a film library, with all related information and with the possibility to receive comments from the international internet audience and industry. The screening of films is open to anyone without charges. The films will be available for viewing in the film library as long as director/producer wishes.

• TIFF Market Corner
TIFF will create a market corner, where potential buyers can watch all films and make their selection. TIFF will also act as a festival promoter and distributor. In case of financial contract with a distributor, TIFF will receive a fee of 5%.


Find us:

info@tiranafilmfest.org | www.tiranafilmfest.org | facebook.com/TiranaFilmFest |
instagram.com/tiranafilmfest | twitter@TiranaFilmFest | youtube.com/user/TiranaFilmFestival1 | vimeo.com/ tiranafilmfest | linkedin.com/ company/1796049/admin/

On the occasion of this 22nd edition of TIFF, five international juries comprised of leading film writers, directors, producers, distributors and critics will evaluate and then select the best films and scripts with awards presented on the closing night ceremony.
Awards will be presented in the following categories:

• FULL LENGTH FILMS
Best Feature Film
Best PerspecTIFF
Best Director
Best Screenplay
Best Documentary
Best Made In ALBANIAn

• SHORT FILMS
Best Short Film - Nominee for 97th Academy Awards® 2025 & European Film Awards 2024
Best Short LIVE ACTION
Best Short ANIMATION
Best Short DOCUMENTARY
Best VIDEO ART & EXPERIMENTAL

• STUDENT FILMS
Best Student FICTION
Best Student ANIMATION
Best Student DOCUMENTARY
Best Student EXPERIMENTAL

• Best BALKAN Short Film
• Best Short Film In ALBANIAn
• Best DEBUT Film “Ron Holloway”

• Best Screenplay ContesTIFF – Distribution Awards

• PANORAMA
Best KIDs
Best GENERATIONs
Best NEW WORLD
Best DIVERGENT MINDs
Best PARADE

• AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
• KIDs AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD

Official awards consist of an Owl Trophy statue or Plaque Trophy and a Certificate. The cash prize is determined by the available budget. Special awards can be given by organizers, Festival director, sponsors and partners, professional organizations, NGOs, media, etc.

Recipients of the Tirana International Film Festival Best Short Film will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/ Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy Rules.
Eligible students can submit one film to the Student Academy Awards if that film meets all other eligibility criteria and has been selected for screening in competition at three film festivals recognized by the SAAs over the last two years.

Festival accepts applications in all running times, topics, style and production technologies and in the following categories: Fiction/Live Action, Animation, Documentary, Experimental and Video Art.
The director/producer with the submission of his/her application accepts the terms of the Festival and has no objection to the submission process, screening, and election of prizes.
The director/producer with the submission of the film affirms that he/she has all the copyrights of audio, video, images and music of the film and he/she remains responsible before the law.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS | CONDITIONS
Entry fee must be paid online by PayPal (email account: info@tiranafilmfest.org) or if submitted through other available platforms online.
Entry fees are non-refundable.
There are no entry fees for films in the Albanian language.
Films in competition must have been completed after January 2023.
Feature films may not be shorter than seventy (70) minutes in length. Short films may not exceed thirty (30) minutes in length.
Competition in Short Documentary must not exceed sixty (60') minutes in length. Documentary films that exceed sixty (60' in length) must apply to the Documentary Feature Films category.
All films in competition must be Albanian premiere.
All films must be submitted with English subtitles and/or a timecoded srt file attached.
All requirements specified in the checklist should be uploaded immediately after the completion of the submission.
Submissions made via platforms are 100% online and do not require any other documents to be sent by email.
All entries must be submitted via a downloadable secure link on Vimeo or YouTube HD file compliant with the technical requirements.
Entries must be submitted by May 22, 2024.

Recipients of the Tirana International Film Festival Best Short Film will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/ Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy Rules. (Please check the rules at: http://www.oscars.org/oscars/rules-eligibility)
Eligible students can submit one film to the Student Academy Awards if that film meets all other eligibility criteria and has been selected for screening in competition at three film festivals recognized by the SAAs over the last two years.
(For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.oscars.org/saa/apply)

CHECKLIST
Required items for submitted films:
• A secure link downloadable. Are acceptable for application only preview private links, not wetransfer or other cloud-based computer file transfer service.
• Dialogue list/Srt timecoded file in English and/or voiceover’s text for all films, including films in English.
• 4 still frames (print quality).
• Poster, banner and cover.
• Separate electronic press kit (EPK) with a passport-sized photo of the film’s director(s), synopsis, list of credits, biography and/or filmography, festival and awards. Additional material is welcome.
• A trailer link downloadable.

SELECTION
Please note that the online screening link (with English subtitles) of the film can be downloaded for the use by TIFF team and the password remains valid until the end of TIFF.
Applicants must apply clearly for each of the new services. By submitting a film, the applicant accepts that the film can be selected for any of the competitions and/or for another program section.
TIFF reserves the right to invite films outside the specified deadlines.
In the event that a film is selected, the festival will notify the applicant and/or director, producer, distributor of the film no later than August 22, 2024.
Once the film has been selected, the applicant may use the TIFF logo and the relevant TIFF laurel for publicity purposes. The file will be sent in digital form.
Due to the volume of entries received, TIFF cannot offer individual feedback of declined films.
Once the participation of a film selected for one of the competitions has been confirmed by the Director or the Producer, no cancellation is allowed. Should this occur, a lump sum of 1.000,00 Euros will be paid to the Tirana Film Festival as compensation for damage.

SCREENING
All films in competition must be available for festival screening in DCP.
All films submitted optionally for the Parallel Screenings must include a signed and properly filled in entry form, whether it is submitted by postal mail or through online platforms.
Each selected film will be screened not more than three times during TIFF.
There is no screening fee for films in competition.

PROMOTION | PUBLICITY
By filling the submission form, the applicant authorizes TIFF to use and publish press packages, posters, other specified materials and information in the TIFF catalogue, programs, flyers, promotional materials and in press for promotional purposes.
For the purposes of publicity all film entries agree that up to three minutes of the selected film may be used by TIFF for promotional activities. Up to three minutes of the competing film may be shown on the TIFF website, official social networks and in media TV partners.

ACCOMMODATION
TIFF offers 3 days of full board accommodation to the director or producer representing the selected film in competition during the Festival.
Other guests will be provided with facilities for accommodation and tariffs.
Guests of the festival are not covered by the festival’s insurance.
Anyone who wants to attend the festival must fill out an online accreditation form via the festival’s website.

INSURANCE
All films will be insured for the period that they are in the festival's possession. In the case of loss or damage during this period, the festival is only responsible for the replacement value of the disc. Only films in perfect condition for projection will be accepted.
The submitting party or the film-maker has insured the exhibition copy for damage and loss, and TIFF is not liable for any damage or loss during shipping, preview or screening.


NOTIFICATION | SHIPPING
All filmmakers of official selected films will be notified via e-mail and on the TIFF website approximately four weeks before the festival. Shipping instructions for films selected for competition will be included upon notification.
The festival will pay for one-way shipping of DCPs screening copy of films by forwarding them to their next destination approximately four weeks after the conclusion of the festival. All films/hard-discs chosen to compete in the festival must arrive in Tirana, Albania by September 1, 2024.

Label the outside of the package: FOR FESTIVAL ONLY - NO COMMERCIAL VALUE

Do NOT courier film discs to Albania via EMS or other similar couriers, as you may be liable for duties which the festival will not pay. If this is done by the filmmakers, TIFF will return the discs at the cost to the filmmakers. All customs duties and taxes incurred when sending packages with express couriers must be paid by the sender. TIFF will refuse any packages that arrive cash-on-delivery.

POSTAL ADDRESS:
TIRANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Address: Komuna e Parisit, Nd. 6; H. 11; Ap. 1; Njësia Administrative Nr. 5; 1019; Tirana-ALBANIA
Phone: +355 692088771
info@tiranafilmfest.org
www.tiranafilmfest.org


I want to compete in the following sections:
Ɵ Fiction Ɵ Documentary Ɵ Animation Ɵ Video Art & Experimental
Ɵ In Albanian Ɵ Student Ɵ Balkan Film Ɵ Non-Competition

I want to participate in the following services:
Ɵ TIFF.TV Competition (one year of rights) Ɵ TIFF on Tour (five years of rights) Ɵ TIFF Online Library (five years of rights) Ɵ TIFF Market Corner (two years of rights)

ENTRY DEADLINE: May 22, 2024