Festival start: 28 May 2025
Festival end: 04 July 2025
Since 2004, Festimaj has offered international screenings for short films made by children and young people aged 4 to 30, as well as by professionals with no age limit. The selected films are then screened across five continents thanks to co-organizers around the world.
The proposed theme is optional, but a dedicated program is created around it.
A festival of diversity that brings these original films to audiences in more than 35 countries.
An international network of professional filmmakers, co-organizers, and distributors that enables children, youth, and adults to access these unique programs.
An ethical cinema of socially engaged films addressing crucial societal issues: education, tolerance, migration, peace education, children’s rights, ecology… as well as the fight against discrimination, bullying in schools, abuse, corruption… so many important topics to help build a sense of citizenship, change perspectives, and open up to others.
Access to culture for thousands of children and young people, reaching over 300,000 viewers through more than 150 physical and digital screening venues (anyone can register to watch the films from home).
The films will be divided into different programs:
Films for 4-6 year olds
Films for 7-11 year olds
Films for 11-15 year olds
Films for 15-18 year olds
Student directors
Animations
All audiences
ARTICLE 1: ORGANIZATION OF THE FESTIVAL
The festival will take place from May 28 to July 4, 2025 in the countries and locations participating in The World's Biggest Cinema.
The festival is open to cinema workshops, elementary school, secondary schools, higher education, young filmmakers and professionals. Students or young people can be attached to a school or submit an unsolicited application. However, if the director is a minor, parental authorization must be provided at the time of registration.
ARTICLE 2: CATEGORY, duration, subtitle
All categories: Fiction, documentary, animation, music video.
To be accepted, films competing in the primary, secondary and high school categories must not exceed 8 minutes, including credits (which must not exceed 45 seconds).
For films in the Higher Education - Young Directors and Professionals categories, 13 minutes maximum, including credits.
We also offer a selection of films for english-, Spanish- and Arabic-speaking audiences (subject to availability). If you would like your film(s) to appear in this category in addition to the French-language selection, please provide your own english-language subtitles on the entry form.
For films in languages other than French, we ask that you also provide French subtitles.
Please note: subtitles must be integrated into the ARTICLE 3: MEDIA, FORMATS.
ARTICLE 3: MEDIA, FORMATS
Accepted media: wetransfer, vimeo (with downloadable link) or other upload servers NO YOUTUBE LINKS (compression is too bad)
ARTICLE 4: SUBJECT
No subject imposed.
ARTICLE 5: REGISTRATION AND SUBMISSION
Registration is free of charge
Registration form: before May 4, 2025
Submission of films and technical data sheets: unless otherwise agreed, films must be submitted before May 4, 2025
ARTICLE 6: SELECTION CRITERIA
Originality of the script, which may be adapted from an existing work provided that the establishments, workshop leaders or directors have the agreement of the author, the copyright holders or the SACD, or of the competent jurisdiction according to the law in force in the country.
Technical quality: as most screenings will take place on large screens and in cinemas, we advise you to take the utmost care over the technical quality and digitization of your film. We remind you that we make digital copies of your films, which we then send to all distribution outlets.
Insofar as we produce quality media, the festival cannot be held responsible for the quality of your film(s).
Acting, good direction and casting are also key to the quality of your film. Don't neglect this aspect or the sound recording!
Music must be original (unless otherwise agreed with SACEM or copyright holders). In any event, all music, composers and performers must be indicated on the registration form. Otherwise, your registration will not be validated.
Unless special dispensation is granted by the relevant authorities or rights holders, films must not include archive images or recordings.
ARTICLE 7: FILM SELECTION
After May 15, you will receive an e-mail listing the selected films, which will also be available for consultation on our website.
These films will be screened during the festival by category:
Films 4-6 years / 6-10 years (+/-)
Films 11-14 years ( +/-)
Films 15-18 years (+/-)
Young directors films (18-30 years +/-)
Animation films
Documentary films
Comedies
General public
Thematic films
english, Arabic or Spanish-language programs (depending on the number of films received)
Some selections mix the different categories.
ARTICLE 8: THE SELECTED FILMS
The selected films will be screened in all the venues participating in “The World's Biggest Cinema”. Screenings are open to the general public and free of charge.
At the end of the screenings, each spectator is invited to vote for the films by assigning a score from 1 to 10 for each film.
The 5 films in each category with the most votes will be screened on July 3 at co-organizing venues and on the closing day with the jury, who will award two or three prizes per category (depending on the decision of the President and his jury).
The awards will be announced on July 4 and by e-mail on July 4.
ARTICLE 9: FILMS online
To simplify distribution to all venues, films will be uploaded to our dedicated Vimeo platform. They will be protected by a link and a password, which will be communicated to the Festimaj co-organizers and to Internet users on request (provided they agree to vote for the films).
ARTICLE 10: JURY
The jury will be made up of education, film and audiovisual professionals, and representatives of the festival's partner organizations.
The jury's decisions are final.
ARTICLE 11: prizes
In recent years, we have no longer had the means to award cash or material prizes. However, we do publicize the winning films, and if you wish, we can send you a certificate by e-mail, mentioning your prize.
Prize-winners should mention on their film “Prix Festimaj 2025”
The most important thing is for your film to be seen by the widest possible audience, which is what we guarantee with Festimaj (over 500,000 spectators on 5 continents). What's more, other festivals and broadcasters often ask us to show Festimaj films, and if we do, we'll ask for your permission, mentioning the location, context and date.
ARTICLE 12: AUTHORS' AND IMAGE RIGHTS
Receipt of a film at Festimaj implies acceptance by its author(s) of the transfer of rights for Festimaj broadcasts.
Filmmakers must ensure that they have image rights for the actors in their films.
Films entered, selected or awarded may be shown on the Internet, at events dedicated to cinema in all its forms, or on partner television channels and spaces during the festival.
Your films will not be used for commercial purposes, and except in exceptional cases no financial compensation will be paid.
ARTICLE 13 : AUTHORIZATIONS
Schools are responsible for obtaining the necessary parental authorizations for image rights during the shooting of their films.
ARTICLE 14: BROADCASTING OUTSIDE THE FESTIMAJ PERIOD
If, outside the festival period, we wish to broadcast your film as part of a magazine, a program, a partner festival or for a special event, you will be asked for authorization before your film is shown.
You will receive a personal request specifying the framework in which your film will be broadcast. At the time of this request, you will have the choice of accepting or refusing.
There will be no commercial use of your film, and except in exceptional cases no financial compensation will be paid.
ARTICLE 15: NON-PREVIOUS CASES AND DISPUTES
The organizers reserve the right to postpone or suspend the festival in the event of exceptional circumstances, such as lack of budget or partners, to modify the present regulations, and to grant any dispensations from the above provisions on reasoned request.
All cases not covered by the present regulations will be settled by the organizing committee, which will act as arbitrator in the event of a dispute.
Registration for the festival implies acceptance of these rules.
In the case of a minor director who chooses to enter his or her film, please enclose parental authorization.
