2024 Préludes Prize

As part of ParisDOC’s European Conference on Heritage Documentaries, Cinéma du Réel and Préludes have created the Préludes Prize, designed to support the restoration of documentary films.

The restored versions of the award-winning films from the 45th edition of Cinéma du Réel in 2023 are scheduled for a special screening at the Centre Pompidou (Cinéma 2), in the presence of the directors:

Wednesday 27 March – 8pm
PROVE DI STATO by Leonardo di Costanzo
Préludes Prize for numerisation 2023

Friday 29 March – 9pm
JULIETTE DU CÔTÉ DES HOMMES by Claudine Bories
Preludes Prize for Restoration 2023

CINÉMA DU RÉEL & PRÉLUDES CALL FOR RESTORATION PROJECTS
SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

ELIGIBILITY

  • The project is a feature-length documentary debut produced by French, European, or international sources (student films are not eligible).
  • The rights holders to the film are looking to restore it ahead of a new theatrical, television, or online release.
  • All rights must be secured: a clean chain of title will be required for authors’ rights, including writer and director agreements, as well as licenses for original and additional music and archival footage.
  • The film must have been shot in celluloid and the original material must be available. A letter or email authorizing the release of the material from the laboratory where it is stored must be supplied. It will need to state the available material and provide a cost estimate for its release.
  • Distribution and exhibition rights to the film must be available (for theatrical, television, and online release) at the time of submission. Past distribution and exhibition contracts must be supplied.
  • The same film cannot be entered twice.

JURY AND PRIZE

A special jury made up of industry professionals will be in charge of reviewing submitted projects and selecting a winner. Members will convene in March. The winner will be notified in the days following the jury’s decision.

The jury will present the Préludes Prize to the winning applicant during the Awards Ceremony, Sunday 31 March, 2024.

PRIZE DETAILS

The Préludes Prize includes the following:

  • Restoration of the selected project (4K scan and restoration by Préludes in collaboration with Micro Climat and Cosmo Digital, depending on the material provided).
  •  An industry pass (worth €50) will be awarded to the film’s rights holders, giving them full access to the festival and to ParisDOC events.
  •  The winning film will be screened in its restored version during the 2025 edition of Cinéma du Réel, as part of the European Conference on Heritage Documentaries.

You hold the rights to a film that you wish to see restored?

  • Submit your restoration project : SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
  • Download the 2024 Rules and regulations: here
  • Visit the Préludes homepage: here

CALL ENDS 1 MARCH, 2024 at 11:59 PM

For specific requests, please contact us at both following addresses: acquisitions@preludes.fr – cinereel-parisdoc@bpi.fr.

The restored version of Claudine Bories’ Juliette du côté des hommes, which won the Préludes Prize in 2023, will be shown during a special screening at the Centre Pompidou on Friday 29 March, as the closing evePréludes is an international sales and distribution company as well as a FVOD platform dedicated to debut films (feature and short). In addition to distributing films, Préludes works alongside emerging filmmakers and supports the restoration of first films.