REGULATIONS

THE FESTIVAL

  1. The 45th Cinéma du réel International Film Festival will be held in Paris at the Centre Pompidou and other associated venues, from March 24th to April 2nd 2023. Cinéma du réel is organized by the Bibliothèque publique d’information (Public Information Library), The Association Les Amis du Cinéma du réel, the Centre Pompidou, with the support of the French Ministry of Culture (General Directorate of Media and Cultural Industries and General Directorate of Heritage and Architecture), the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (National Film Centre-CNC), the Ile-de-France Regional Council, the City of Paris, the Procirep Television Commission, the Société civile des auteurs multimédia (La Scam Authors’ Society), the Fondation Clarens pour l’humanisme (Clarens Foundation for Humanism) and France Télévisions.
  1. Cinéma du réel reflects the diversity of documentary film genres and approaches. Through its various programmes, the festival aims to create a dialogue between contemporary creation and the history of documentary films. We nevertheless insist on the fact that the festival does not aim to present news broadcasts, documentaries of a journalistic nature, promotional or corporate films. We invite you to familiarize yourself with its editorial project by checking the selections and programmes of previous years on the festival’s website.
  1. The artistic direction of the festival determines the selection of films and the sections in which they will be programmed: 
    – in competition: an International Selection and a French Selection, both including short films, feature-length films and first films,
    – out of competition: special screenings, the First Window section and thematic programmes.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE COMPETITION

  1. The films submitted must have been completed after January 15th 2022.anvier 2022.
  2. Only films available as French premieres are eligible for the International Selection, i.e. films never screened publicly in France, broadcast on French television or broadcast on the internet on websites accessible from France. Films that do not fit this description will not be taken into consideration. Priority will be given to films never screened anywhere (World premieres) and to films never screened outside of their production country/countries (International premieres). French minority coproductions will compete in the International Selection.
  3. Only French films available as World premieres are eligible for the French Selection, i.e. films never screened publicly, broadcast on television or broadcast on the internet anywhere in the world. Films that do not fit this description will not be taken into consideration. French majority coproductions will compete in the French Selection.
  4. All films sent to the festival must be submitted by completing the online submission form available on its website. The festival entry fee is 10€. No waivers will be granted. Registrations are considered complete only once the fee has been received by the festival.
  5. The information given in this form will be used to publish the technical details of the films on our website, press kit and printed programme. If the film is selected, this information will not be accessible or updatable later than mid-February. If the film is selected, we strongly invite you to reread this information and modify it if necessary, before mid-February.
  6. Deadlines
    • Films completed between January 15th and August 1st, 2022: online submission duly completed and viewing material to be sent by September 30th, 2022.
    • Films completed after August 1st, 2022: online submission duly completed and viewing material to be sent by November 1st, 2022.
    • Films still under completion on November 1st, 2022: online submission duly completed by November 1st, 2022 and viewing material to be sent by November 15th, 2022.
    • There is no guarantee that films registered or sent after the above-mentioned deadlines will be taken into consideration.
  7. Viewing formats
    • The preferred medium for viewing films at the time of selection is a downloadable private link (preferably Vimeo). If it is impossible to make the film available on the Internet, we also accept DVD shipments (on DVD-R if possible) to the address indicated on the submission confirmation email. DVDs will not be shipped back.
    • Films sent for consideration must be in their original version and subtitled in English or French (if spoken in another language).
    • The sender assumes mailing costs for the DVDs, as well as any related duties, charges and fees, notably shipping and customs charges. For DVDs sent from abroad, we advise you to include the following on the envelope: “No commercial value. For cultural purposes only”.
    • The festival keeps the viewing material for the sole purposes of documentation, promotion and viewing by professionals on its premises for a maximum period of 6 months, except for films included in the festival’s video library.

SELECTION

  1. Filmmakers whose films have been selected for the festival will be contacted personally. Informing the producer(s) will be their responsibility. 
  2. By mid-February 2023, the official selection will be published on the festival website.
  3. The filmmakers and rights holders of the selected films agree not to withdraw the films from the festival programme after it has been announced mid-February 2022. The filmmakers and rights holders also agree not to screen or broadcast the film in France or abroad without the agreement of the festival until after the end of the festival.
  4. The blurbs on the films in competition are written by the festival programming team, at its discretion.
  5. The selected films are invited to use the laurel-wreath logo provided by the festival mentioning their participation in the 2023 edition of Cinéma du réel on the promotional material in the credits of the film and on any DVD edition.
  6. Each film in competition is presented twice during the festival, at least one of these screenings is followed by a debate. The presence of the directors is imperative. The festival contributes to their travel and accommodation costs. 

COMPETITION

  1. The films in the International selection and in the French selection compete for:
  • the Cinéma du réel Grand Prix (Grand Prix Cinéma du réel), funded by the Bpi with the support of Procirep
  • the Scam International Award (Prix International de la Scam), funded by La Scam
  • the Institut français – Louis Marcorelles Award (Prix de l’Institut français – Louis Marcorelles), funded by the Institut français
  • the Loridan Ivens – CNAP  Award (Prix Loridan Ivens – CNAP), funded CAPI Films and the CNAP
  • the Short Film Award (Prix du Court Métrage), funded by the Bpi
  • the Tënk Award, funded by Tënk
  • the Youth Jury Award – Ciné+ (Prix des Jeunes – Ciné+), funded by Ciné+
  • the Library Award (Prix des Bibliothèques), funded by the Direction générale des médias et des industries culturelles, Ministry of Culture and Communication
  • the Intangible Heritage Award (Prix du Patrimoine culturel immatériel), awarded and funded by the Heritage Directorate of the Ministry of Culture and Communication
  • the Bois d’Arcy Prisoners’ Award (Prix des détenus du centre pénitentiaire de Bois d’Arcy), funded by the fondation Monique Desfosse.
  1. Films in the First Window section compete for the “First Window” Audience Award, funded by the CNC and based on an online vote by Mediapart users. 
  2. All the films in the program (in competition and out of competition) may be preselected to compete for the Clarens Foundation Award for Humanism, endowed by the Clarens Foundation. The rights holders of the winning film must allow the Clarens Foundation or its partners to organize one or two screenings free of charge, within two years after the prize was awarded, in France or abroad.
  3. The attribution of mentions is entirely left to the discretion of the individual juries.
  4. The award amounts are paid to the filmmakers, with the exception of the Tënk Award, the Youth Jury Award – Ciné+ and the First Window Audience Award: these awards are distributed in the form of the purchase of rights and are therefore paid, depending on the price, to the producer or distributor of the film. The festival can not be held responsible for, or be involved in any further financial agreement resulting from the filmmakers’ contractual obligations.
  5. When films receive an award at Cinéma du réel, the laurel-wreath logo corresponding to the award received must be included in a visible way on all promotional documents (posters, flyers, postcards, etc.) and press kits published after the festival, in the context of a theatrical release or a presentation at a festival in France and abroad. This laurel-wreath logo will also have to appear on DVDs and in the film’s credits.

PRINTS AND SCREENING FORMATS

  1. The festival is equipped to screen 16 and 35mm prints, DCP, digital files (for further information, please contact the festival staff). Blu-rays will only be accepted as back-ups. The festival prefers the original exhibition format of the completed work. Only good-quality prints or files will be accepted.
  2. The screening material of the films must reach the festival mid-February 2022 at the latest. No modified versions of the films will be accepted after this date.
  3. The submitter is responsible for shipping costs and import fees to the festival. We will only assume the return expenses of the selected films, as well as storage and insurance expenses of the films from the time they are received until they are sent back. In case of loss or damage during this period, the festival will assume responsibility only for the replacement value of the print at the current rate.
  4. The films in the competitive sections (International Selection and French Selection) and the films presented as Special Screenings and in the “First Window” section are provided to the festival free of charge.

SUBTITLES AND VERSIONS

  1. All films in the different competitive sections must be accessible to French- and English-speaking audiences:

    Films in the International Selection: 
  • If the language of the film is French, the production company will be asked to provide the festival with an English-subtitled print.
  • If the language of the film is English, the production company will be asked to provide the festival with a French-subtitled print or with an .srt or .stl French subtitle file.
  • If the language of the film is neither French nor English, the production company will be asked to provide the festival with a print subtitled in one of these languages and an .srt or .stl subtitle file in the other language.

    Films in the French Selection:
  • If the language of the film is French, the production company will be asked to provide the festival with an English-subtitled print.
  • If the language of the film is English, the production company will be asked to provide the festival with a French-subtitled print.
  • If the language of the film is neither French nor English, the production company will be asked to provide the festival with a print subtitled in one of these languages and an .srt or .stl subtitle file in the other language.

    All subtitle material must be sent in its final version, matching the print due to be screened. The elements needed for the electronic subtitling of the films must reach the festival on February 15th, 2023 at the latest.

ONLINE SCREENINGS

  1. Films selected as part of the International Selection and French Selection will be included in the festival’s secured online video library, accessible to professional accreditation holders, and only during the event.
  2. The festival also has VoD partners. Film rights holders will be offered the possibility for their films to be part of these VoD programmes.
  3. If it is impossible to organize the festival in situ, the festival reserves the right, with the agreement of the rights holders, to program the films online on its dedicated CANALRÉEL channel or on a partner platform.

OTHER SCREENINGS

  1. The films in selection may also be part of Cinéma du réel programmes in France or abroad, during or after the festival, with the agreement of their rights holders. 
  2. The rights holders of the awarded films must agree for their films to be shown as part of a rerun of the awarded films, when it is organized by the festival, either online or as part of screenings in France or abroad. 
  3. The artistic direction will offer the rights holders of some of the films in competition (around six) the opportunity to participate in the Circulation organized in collaboration with Images en Bibliothèque and the Cinémathèque du Documentaire GIP, which will retribute the rights holders. In order for the programmers who are interested to confirm their participation, Cinéma du réel will make the films in question available to them, after watermarking them. This Circulation will take the form of screenings organized throughout the Cinémathèque du Documentaire and Images en Bibliothèque networks between March and June 2023. 
  4. Films in competition may be examined by the National Commission for Documentary Films, organized by Images en Bibliothèque, which offers recently completed films the opportunity to be acquired by one of the three partner catalogues (Images de la culture-CNC,  Les yeux doc-Catalogue national de la Bpi and ADAV) and thus to be widely distributed in the network of libraries in France. Images en bibliothèque will contact the rights holders of the films in competition to offer them to register their film with the National Commission for Documentary Films.
  5. Every film submitted to the festival will be registered on the documentary film referencing website www.film-documentaire.fr. This database for professionals and the general public is a not-for-profit tool that gathers over 59,000 films. Data access only.

FINAL DISPOSITION

  1. Registrations involve the full acceptance of the terms and provisions in the present Rules and Regulations. Should any litigation arise, only the French version of the Rules and Regulations shall prevail.

Paris, August 2022