The Birmingham Black International Film Festival (BIF FESTIVAL) is calling for film submissions for this year’s festival due to take place in Birmingham, UK, 29 Oct – 2 Nov 2008.

 
BIF FESTIVAL are seeking films from all European countries (including all former Eastern European countries) and worldwide to screen throughout the festival and the festival associated visual platforms. All films selected for the festival will also be entered into the BIF competition and winners will be announced at the MVS Awards at the ICC, Birmingham 1st November 2008.

The BIFF – Black International Film Festival. 
Its a film festival with a difference incorporating music, live arts and education providing platforms for practitioners and artists to express themselves. The festival facilitates the culturally diverse emerging identities in the community through new and challenging ways. The BIF festival comprises five core events, apart from networking, seminars & socialising events, which connect all the five main events: Film Screening, Music Events, Performance Event, Educational Workshop and MVS Awards.

Submissions are not exclusive to people of colour but must either feature people of colour, address Black issues, be produced by people of colour or have significant involvement in the film production by people of colour.

Criteria
 
Short Films
All shorts should be no longer than 20mins long and made in the last 12 months. Preference will be given to those shorts that have not previously had a public screening in Birmingham, though all shorts will be considered. Entries are invited worldwide. All categories and formats will be considered but must be in English. We are looking for high quality short films with a difference. If you tell a story in a unique way then we want to see it. Accepted filmmakers must be able to attend the screening.
 
Features
We are also looking for features to screen throughout the festival, so if you have recently made the transition from short film to feature and have not had your feature screened in the west Midlands, please send it to us.
 
Documentaries
Any documentaries submitted should have been made in the last 12 months. Preference will be given to those documentaries that have not previously had a public screening in UK, though all entries will be considered. Entries are invited worldwide as long as they are in English. All categories and formats will be considered. We are looking for high quality short films with a difference. If you tell a story in a unique way then we want to see it. Accepted filmmakers must be able to attend the screening.
 
Music Videos
All music videos made in the last 12 months and feature UK based artist. Filmmakers or artists featured in accepted entries must be able to attend the screening.

Further Info
The deadline for all submissions is 26th September 2008.
 
Application forms can be obtained by email. Please contact, Ashley Simmons:
Ashley@vtelevision.co.uk / Samantha Douglas info@cliqueyresearchers.com submission
forms can also be downloaded from the website www.biffestival.co.uk
 
 
For further information about opportunities for filmmakers at BIF or if you would like to
volunteer to assist at the festival then please contact Dean:  Dean@vtelevision.co.uk