FIRST Is Calling For Entries and YES We’re EARLY

“Are you guys still doing this next year?” The joke that Hailu Qin came up with at the awards ceremony of the 12th FIRST International Film Festival is actually something we have been seriously considering every year. Looking back on this past year of 2018, there aren’t too many positive things to say about the situations of filmmaking and the market in general. That being said, FIRST will never be absent, and may even be ahead of time this year.

The 13th FIRST International Film Festival is open for submissions from December 1, 2018 to April 20, 2019, with a more specified competition unit and a lot more wonderful opportunities for the filmmakers as well as the audience to participate. To learn more about this system update of FIRST, filmmakers can find the rules and regulations on our official website.

Focus On Film Itself and Break Away From Coercion

Every year around this time, a continuous stream of new films will appear at FIRST, waiting to be treated in a just manner. They are here to be seen, to be criticized and revised, because FIRST offers an open and free space for discussion.

Currently, the best documentary from the 12th FIRST IFF, Four Springs is being introduced to a wider audience in movie theaters. During the last few days of the FIRST Lab project call, there are still numerous young filmmakers submitting their scripts wishing for success. The FIRST Public Programming is bringing great movies to people all over the country with endless passions. The young directors at the FIRST Short Film Project are refining every single shoot and cut in order to present the best works. Each part of FIRST are working towards greatness at their own pace.

A New Criteria, A Better System

FIRST IFF has been dedicated to conserving the diversity of Chinese films and has gradually improved the criteria based on feedbacks and reflections. This year, FIRST will go through a new selection process that consists of pre-election, shortlisting and the final awards determined by the Jury. Please look forward to the announcement of the 13th Jury in March.

The pre-election panel consists of specialists for feature films, documentaries and short films, who will take considerations respectively. The judges will be coming from diverse backgrounds to bring in different angles for the film festival. Nomination will no longer be a thing, and the Jury will distribute the awards among the shortlisted ones.

Official Website Only, Three Phases for Submission

To start the entry call early not only gives the jury plentiful time to view the submissions, but also provides more room for the post-production of the selected films.

It needs to be emphasized that the official website of FIRST International Film Festival is the only entry to submit a work. You can start a submission once you log on. In accordance with the early entry call, the 13th FIRST IFF has for the first time set three phases based on the time and type of submission: the early bird, the standard and the late submissions, which will allow more time for the filmmakers to work in the post-production stage.

New Awards, More Talents, Same Standards

The rule that has not changed over the years is that all the entries for FIRST IFF must have been completed after January 1, 2018, and if it is a narrative feature, it has to be among the director’s first three directorial narrative features.

However, this year’s awards will be more specified and better defined. In addition to the eight traditional awards which include [Best Narrative Feature] [Best Performer] [Spirit of Freedom] [Best Short Film] [Best Director] [Best Artistic Originality] [Best Documentary] [Grand Jury Prize], [Best Cinematic Script] that awards the most innovative writers and [Best Experimental Film] which aims to encourage the most pioneering spirits will come into view. The international entries will also have the chance to be chosen for regular screenings.

Besides the ten awards from the competition section, FIRST has added [Audience Award] so that the audience and fans can fully participate, and [Behind The Scene] which honors the people who have greatly contributed to this industry from behind the scene.

Competition As the Core and Starting Point for Young Filmmakers

At this very moment, the FIRST competition as well as all the other sections are telling an ongoing story. The best film from last year, Suburban Birds went on to Locarno, BFI and Festival du film indépendant de Bordeaux. Ms. Meili had just finished her tour at Hong Kong Asian Film Festival before going to Thessaloniki Film Festival. An Elephant Sitting Still, Four Springs, The Looming Storm were shortlisted for the Golden Horse and had all found their harvests there. The Son of Mountain, Ms. Meili, Wangdrak’s Rainboots and Four Springs will soon be coming in either traditional or online theaters.

As these films are brought into a broader view, FIRST has drawn more attention on a larger scale. Despite those popular factors, however, the core that holds a film festival together is still a strong evaluation system. This year’s new spokesperson and Jury will soon be announced, and they will witness the birth of a new trend in the Chinese cinema, during the 10-day period in July, 2019.

Eligibility:

Submission to FIRST is open to narrative features, feature-length documentaries and short films that have been completed after January 1, 2018. For narrative features, the film should be among the director’s first three directorial narrative features.

Way of Submission:

Films must be submitted through the website of FIRST International Film Festival (www.firstfilm.org.cn).

Time:

December 1, 2018 — April 20, 2019

Early Bird: December 1, 2018 — February 20, 2019, no submission fee;

Standard: February 21 — March 30, 2019, with a 200 RMB submission fee;

Late: April 1 — April 20, 2019, with a 1000 RMB submission fee.