Open Call: Sharjah Film Platform 4

Overview

Sharjah Art Foundation is pleased to invite filmmakers to submit entries for this year’s Sharjah Film Platform (SFP), taking place in November 2021. Organised by the Foundation to support the flourishing art scene in the UAE and MENA region, SFP provides a critical platform for emerging and established filmmakers, producers, critics and students alike. The platform has three main components: the curated film programme and awards; the public programme of talks and workshops; industry events, including the Pitching Forum; and the SFP Short Film Production Grant, which funds films that premiere at SFP. Screenings take place in Sharjah at the Foundation’s Mirage City Cinema, Al Mureijah Square, and other locations in and around the city.

All films accepted for Sharjah Film Platform will automatically be considered for a juried award.

Application

This opportunity is now closed.

Terms and Conditions

General
• Only one film submission per director is considered; multiple submissions are not accepted.
• All films must be original.
• Only Vimeo and YouTube screeners are considered.
• Submission is free and open to the public worldwide.
• Without exception, all submissions must be received by the deadline of midnight (GMT+4) on 10 May 2021.
• Film submissions will be rejected if they do not follow the technical specifications mentioned below.
• DCP film submissions are accepted if they have dual subtitles (English/Arabic) embedded.

Film Rights and Copyright

With the submission of their film, applicants grant Sharjah Film Platform the right to do the following:
• Screen the film publicly in the SFP festival programme.
• Use segments of the film for marketing purposes such as publicising and promoting the film in any media, without time or territorial restrictions.
• Use names, photographs, screenshots and/or biographies for marketing purposes such as publicising and promoting the film in any media, without time or territorial restrictions.

Technical Specifications for Sharjah Film Platform Submissions

• The file name must be in the following format:
SFP2020_Firstname_Lastname_Filmtitle

• Video specifications:
o Encoding: H.264 or MP4
o Aspect ratio: 16:9 Full Frame
o Resolution: 1080p (1920×1080 pixels)
o Bitrate: 15.0 Mbps CBR
o Colour sampling: 4:2:0

• Audio specifications:
o Stereo audio: LC-AAC 2.0 @ 192 kbps
o Surround: Dolby Digital AC-3 @ 384 kbps
o Audio Channel: Assignment 2.0 + 5.1
o Sampling rate: 48 kHz
o Audi levels: Reference -18 dBFS; Peak <-10 dBFS (EBU R68)

• Subtitles must be provided separately.
o If your film is in English, please provide the Arabic subtitles, and vice versa.
o If your film is in another language, please provide both English and Arabic subtitle files.

The accepted formats are SRT, SBV, Script File, and UserTC.