All you need to know about the rules and regulations for the Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2010.

Submissions for the 2010 Doha Tribeca Film Festival are now closed.

1. About Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF)

Launched in 2009, DTFF is a cultural partnership between the Doha Film Institute and Tribeca Enterprises with a shared focus on education and community engagement. Celebrating the best in Arabic and international cinema, DTFF's ongoing mission is to inspire, engage and educate a new generation of film enthusiasts. The 2010 edition of the Festival will run from 26-30 October.

2. Key Dates

• June 1, 2010 – Submissions open
• August 6, 2010 – Deadline for submissions
• September 30, 2010 – All applicants will receive a status of their entry on or about this date
• October 26 – 30, 2010 – 2nd Annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival

3. Festival Sections

Works invited to participate in the Festival will be shown in the section Festival programmers determine most appropriate in their sole discretion.

3.1 Arab Film Competition – A cross section of feature-length narrative and documentary stories representing current Arab works.

• Works are eligible for Best Arab Film and Best Arab Filmmaker awards per Article 6.3 of these Rules and Regulations.
• Works are eligible for an Audience Award in its genre category for either Best Narrative Film or Best Documentary Film, unless otherwise determined by festival organizers in their sole discretion.

3.2. World Panorama – An international and regional showcase of feature-length fiction and documentary films.

• Works are eligible for an Audience Award in its genre category for either Best Narrative Film or Best Documentary Film.

3.3 Arab Short Film Competition – A cross section of short-length narrative and documentary stories representing current Arab works. Works are eligible for Best Arab Short Film award per Article 6.3 of these Rules and Regulations.

4. List of Awards

4.1 Arab Film Competition Awards:

• Best Arab Film: $100,000 (USD)
• Best Arab Filmmaker: $100,000 (USD)

4.2 Audience Awards:

• Best Narrative Film: $100,000 (USD)
• Best Documentary Film: $100,000 (USD)

4.3 Arab Short Film Competition Award:

• Best Arab Short Film: $10,000 (USD)

5. Awards Guidelines and Prize Recipients

5.1 The Best Arab Short Film Award will be chosen by a jury of Arab Filmmakers present at the 2010 edition of the Festival. The selection of the jury members will be at the sole discretion of the Festival.

5.2 Juries

• The Arab Film Competition will have a Jury comprised of a president and select members chosen from a diverse group of international figures in film, journalism, media, culture and art.
• The decisions of the jury are final.

5.3 Arab Film Competition

• All films in the Arab Film Competition will be eligible for the Best Arab Film Award.
• All Arab directors, screenwriters, and cinematographers attached to the films selected in the Arab Film Competition section will be eligible for the Best Arab Filmmaker Award.

5.4 Audience Awards

• The audience awards will be decided by the festival audience. Each audience member at applicable public screenings will have the opportunity to rate the film with a score between 1 and 5.
• The narrative film with the highest averaged score as voted by the audience at all applicable public screenings will be the winner of "Best Narrative Film".
• The documentary film with the highest averaged score as voted by the audience at all applicable public screenings will be the winner of "Best Documentary Film".

5.5 Prize Recipients

• Best Arab Film Award, Best Arab Short Film Award, Best Narrative Film Award and Best Documentary Film Award will be presented to the Director on behalf of the film. It is up to the Director to distribute awards to the appropriate legal beneficiaries.
• Best Arab Filmmaker will be awarded to the designated filmmaker (director, screenwriter, or cinematographer) recipient.

5.6 Eligible Films and Screenings

• All films from the Arab Film Competition and World Panorama sections will be eligible for the audience awards, unless otherwise determined by festival organizers in their sole discretion.
• Opening film, Closing Film, Arab Short Films and other select special screenings to be decided at the festival organizers' sole discretion will not be taken into consideration for the Audience Awards.

6. Eligibility for Entry

6.1 Unless a special waiver is granted by DTFF at its sole discretion, films submitted to DTFF 2010 should not have been theatrically released or publicly exhibited before November 1, 2009, with the exception of a festival world premiere in the film's country of production.

6.2 Premiere status - Priority will be given to films that have not been publicly exhibited in the Gulf region prior to the Festival's 2010 edition with special attention to world and international premieres.

6.3 The Arab Film Competition and the Arab Short Film Competition are open to entries that meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Criteria 1: The entry must have an Arab director, producer, or screenwriter attached to the film (includes Arab diaspora). For purposes of these Rules and Regulations, Arab countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
• Criteria 2: The entry must be a production or a co-production with one of the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

6.4 The World Panorama section is open to entries from all countries.

6.5 To be eligible for consideration, submitted works must not, prior to or (unless approved in advance by Festival at its sole discretion) during the DTFF10, be publicly broadcast via TV, internet or otherwise.

6.6 To be eligible for consideration, entrants must fully comply with these Entry Rules & Regulations, including deadline(s) and entry material requirements, selected film requirements and premiere requirements.

6.7 To be eligible for consideration, non-English language works must either have English subtitles or be accompanied by dialogue lists in both English and the original language.

6.8 Films that have been submitted to prior editions of the Festival will not be considered unless they have been altered significantly. The Festival reserves the right not to consider any previously submitted films.

6.9 Feature films must have a running time of more than 40 minutes.

7. Selection procedure

DTFF will at its sole discretion appoint a selection committee to review submitted films. The committee will advise on the official selection of the Festival for both the Arab Film Competition and the World Panorama section.

8. How to enter?

8.1 No entry fee is required to submit your film to the Festival.

8.2 All entries must be submitted on or before August 6th 2010 by completing the entry form and mailing the DVD of the film.

8.3 DVDs must be sent before August 6th 2010:

• By registered post (the postmark will be taken as proof timely sending).
• By express courier (date of delivery to the express courier services as proof of timely sending).

8.4 You may submit a work-in-progress but please identify it as such on the entry form and the DVD. You must submit the final version of the film by September 1, 2010.

8.5 Submissions must include the following materials:

• Two multi-zone or region-free DVD copies of the film with English subtitles. Each DVD should be clearly marked with the film's title, director's name, year and country of production and running time.
• Press materials including production credit list, synopsis in English, director biography and filmography – if available.
• A signed copy of the completed entry form.

8.6 Shipping costs for submissions must be covered by the submitter. Submission materials will not be returned unless previously agreed upon between the submitter and the Festival.

8.7 Submission of a film for selection implies unconditional acceptance of the Rules & Regulations.

8.8 Submissions should be sent to the address below in envelopes clearly marked with "For cultural use only" and "No commercial value."

Doha Tribeca Film Festival
Attn: ENTRIES – "Film Title"
Doha Film Institute
P.O. Box 23473
Doha - Qatar.

8.9 Multiple Entries
Each entered work must be accompanied by its own entry form and by a separate DVD; please do not send a compilation DVD composed of works for separate entries.

9. Invited Works

Festival programmers select and invite all the films to be presented at DTFF 2010, with premieres given priority. Invited filmmakers will be notified (by email, phone or fax via the information in the submitted entry form) on or about September 30, 2010. Most updates and correspondence will be sent via email. Make sure to update us with any other festival invitations prior to DTFF 2010 at entries2010@dohatribecafilm.com. The Festival may rescind invitations if the film's eligibility status changes.

10. If your film is invited / Requirements and info for the selected films

You must fulfill the following requirements by the date(s) designated by the Festival upon invitation:

10.1 You will be required to execute a release and agreement wherein you:

• Accept responsibility for obtaining any and all clearances necessary to exhibit your film at the 2nd Annual Doha Tribeca Film Festival ("DTFF 2010").
• Warrant that you have the rights necessary to exhibit your film at DTFF 2010.
• Indemnify and hold harmless Doha Tribeca Film Festival, LLC and its affiliates against any claim arising out of exhibition of your film at DTFF 2010.

10.2 You will be responsible for delivery of the exhibition copy of the invited work in one of the Exhibition Formats specified below to the address designated by the Festival. The Festival will arrange and cover the cost of the return shipping of your print or video after the conclusion of the Festival. We recommend shipment via courier in order to permit the tracking of your entry once it leaves your hands.

• We exhibit in 35mm and HDCAM only.
• Films in competition will be required to provide a second exhibition copy to accommodate juror screenings.
• The Festival may request additional exhibition copies to allow for multiple screenings at more than one venue.

10.3 You will provide a properly completed and signed official DTFF 2010 "Film Information Form" including all press and publication assets as specified in the "Materials Checklist"

10.4 You will provide at least one DVD copy of the finalized and completed film for Festival archives