Black Swan International Film Festival

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

Black Swan International Film Festival – Kolkata focuses on the unconventional, the innovative and the true artists of our time. The Festival is created by independent filmmaker, for independent filmmakers, with the sole purpose to showcase and screen new and upcoming talents from all around the world.

Our main objective is to provide the opportunity for filmmakers from all over the world to excel by accepting all genres, and to have the best work selected and showcased in a celebration of cinema, as well as to give filmmakers a platform to network amongst fellow professionals and cinematic artists. BSIFF is looking forward to fostering these relationships and to helping extraordinary filmmakers get their projects seen by global audiences. BSIFF unites cinematic, cultural, and educational objectives by presenting its film discoveries.

We are also including and actively supporting not only the finest examples of classic moviemaking but experimental works, breaking ground in new non-narrative forms and crossing over into the video arts. All films will be reviewed as they are submitted, and the best in each category will be chosen to screen at the festival. A jury of industry professionals will then view the finalists and choose the winning selections.

AWARDS & CATEGORIES

The officially selected project in each month will receive laurel and certificate and the winners will receive customised certificate and laurel and are rated at their respective IMDb pages (if applicable). Also all the monthly winners will automatically be qualified for annual screening and nominated for our, honorary Andrei Tarkovsky Memorial Award.

The awards are given in the following categories:


Short Films (Less than 30 minutes)
Narrative Features (Above 40 minutes)
Documentary Films (Any length)
Experimental Films (Any length)
Student Films (Any length)
Extra consideration: Best Director (Any Length)
Extra consideration: Best Cinematography (Fiction & Documentary) (Any Length)
Extra consideration: Best Editing (Fiction & Documentary) (Any Length)
Extra consideration: Best Sound Designing (Fiction & Documentary) (Any Length)
Extra consideration: Best Actor (Fiction) (Any Length)
Extra consideration: Best Actress (Fiction) (Any Length)
Extra consideration: Best Supporting Actor (Fiction) (Any length)
Extra consideration: Best Supporting Actress (Fiction) (Any length)
Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) and 360° Video (Any length)
Drone Films (Any length)
Web and New Media (Any length)
Mobile Film (Any length)
Young Filmmaker (Under 18) (Any length)
Debut Filmmaker (1st or 2nd Film) (Any length)
Horror / Science Fiction / Genre Feature Film (Above 40 minutes)
Women’s Films (Any length)
Film on Women (Any Length)
LGBT Film (Any length)
Animated Films (Any length)
Family/Children Films (Any length)
Educational Film (Any length)


Films on Disability Issue (Any length)
Film on Religion (Any length)
Film on Nature / Environment / Wildlife (Any length)
Travel Film (Any length)
Silent Film (Any length)
One Minute Film
Postmodern Films (Any length)
Free Speech (Any length)
Television / Pilot Program or Series (Any length)
Commercial / Advertisement (Any length)
Music Video (Any length)
Best Film Score – Soundtrack
Trailer/Teaser (5 minutes or less)
Film/Video Poster
Photography (Photos from film set included)
Treatment / Synopsis
Short Script
Feature Script
Amateur Film
Best VFX Artist
Best Producer
Crime short
Romantic short
Comedy short
Selfie video

Besides the BEST of the category AWARDS, there are also OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS, which are given in different categories.

RULES & REGULATIONS

Please read these Rules & Terms carefully before you submit your film. By submitting your film into competition in the Black Swan International Film Festival, you expressly acknowledge and agree that you shall be bound by the terms of these Rules & Terms.
BSIFF is open to any film, regardless of content, subject, or origin. Submitting your film to the BSIFF is not a guarantee of selection. All the official selection, nominees and the winners will be listed on our website permanently. We treat every filmmaker equally.

1. The film submitted to the BSIFF for a particular month can be re-submitted at any time for a second chance, considering that we have different judges’ panels for each season.

2. Films made in languages other than English must have English subtitles otherwise they will be summarily rejected.

3. The BSIFF reserves the right to refuse entries.

4. A director / producer may submit more than one film in a category and more than one category at a time.

5. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the BSIFF, from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits and publicity.

6. After a film has been an official selection, the filmmaker will be notified, and eventually the film will be listed on the festival website under Official Selections. The Official Selection status doesn’t mean that your film will be screened at the festival. It means that your film has been appreciated by our judges of panel and you can use the festival logo on your poster.

7. The BSIFF will not refund any fees if the filmmaker fails to submit the film in the correct category. Films submitted without the correct fees or proper submission media may be deemed ineligible at the discretion of the BSIFF programming director or executive director. The festival does not cover any of the expenses incurred by the filmmaker.

8. We require an official trailer or poster, synopsis and a link to your film. Please select the correct category while submitting to avoid disqualification. We reserve right to re-assign films to the appropriate category.

9. A nominee will be privately screened for the BSIFF judging panel, and will not be screened initially to the public.

10. A filmmaker’s submission fee will not be reimbursed if they decide to withdraw their submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.

11. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the BSIFF, from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits and publicity.

12. BSIFF may without advance notice amend these Rules & Terms from time to time. Each and every such amendment shall be become effective immediately. It is your responsibility to periodically check for updates of these Rules & Terms.

DISCLAIMER

All filmmakers understand and accept that if their film is accepted for presentation and screening at the film festival, they grant full and unrestricted permission for BSIFF to screen the film/video at times of the festival’s choice and to charge an admission fee for the presentation of the digital video program.

The Filmmaker understands and accepts that they do not participate in receiving any funds from the Box-office proceeds which are fully retained by the festival to help cover the overall cost of the festival presentation. It should be noted for the record that box-office proceeds never cover the cost of presentation of the Features and Short Film Programs. The Festival (BSIFF) is a non-profit, Cultural Organization with Federal, State, Country & City Tax-Exemptions.

Required Legal Stuff: The filmmaker releases the festival (BSIFF) from any and all liability for dam-ages or destruction of the entered DCP. The Filmmaker understands that the entered DCP will be retained in a secure facility by the festival, and every effort will be taken to protect and control the viewing of this production. The festival assumes no liability whatsoever for theft, copyright violations or piracy of the entry.

We use Professional Pioneer International playback systems, all formats, all regions, including Region 0. All entries are carefully pre-screened prior to the public showing to assure that the DCP does perform to industry Standards. The Festival (BSIFF) assumes no responsibility for any technical difficulties in the presentation of this video at the actual event.
The Film Festival (BSIFF) reserves the complete right to make changes in the program dates and times and to possibly not screen the video, despite its being selected for screening.

The filmmaker will endeavor to present to The Festival (BSIFF) a new and pre-checked Hard disk / DCP for the actual presentation of the video at the festival.

SUBMITTERS REVIEWS

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“Marvellous Festival! I have win with my Videoclip YOUR HANDS CALLED MOTHER EARTH on Nature, Environment, Worldwide, AL DI LA’ DEL FIUME (across the river) (Music Video) and also my Short Thriller Film CRIME NEVER DIES. I feel at the top with 3 victories!! Thanks a lot to all the Festival team from Italy by Frances Sapphire, Italy!!! Superrr!!!!”

Frances Sapphire

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“What a great festival. Although relatively new, they are really thorough and professional, who care about the quality of their festival and are give great hospitality to their filmmakers.”

Shawna Baca

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“muy satiscecho,increible festival,ameno y muy entrañable,muy familiar muy campechano,me ha encantado,muchas gracias a la organizacion del festival,mi maxima puntuacion,espero volver a coincidir en proximos trabajos ,gracias a todos los que lo haceis posible,gracias”

Manuel Jose Olaya Muñoz

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“This was one of the best film festivals that we competed in. Communication is simply spot-on, and the quality of productions submitted is very high.
A highly commended festival from our side.”

Chris & Maurice Micallef
CMM PRODUCTIONS MALTA

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“The festival is very efficient with communication. They do an incredible job of putting on a festival despite the severity of the Covid pandemic. Great work guys. Thank you for making my historical drama-thriller screenplay, “The Chessmaster, The Artist, The Priest and The Gypsy” an award winner. You are awesome!!!”

Robert Cole

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“Really a wonderful festival! Thanks for the award for the Best Romantic Short. It’s a great honor for me. See you soon!”

Piero C

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“Thanks very much, Black Swan for my Finalist Award in the Feature Script category. I am truly grateful to your crew, for helping promote filmmakers and the storytelling we all love. I recommend this festival for anyone seeing t

William Prosser

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Thank you for selecting my frantic witty absurd surreal comedy script/screenplay Loonatoona for Finalist.

Shockadelic

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It was an honor to take home the “Best Music Video” award at the April 2021 Black Swan International Film Festival! Thanks for the platform for us artists to share our work with the world. It was truly a privilege to be able to have my music video selected for the festival in the first place. Thanks once again! ~ Mowgli

Mowgli Son