Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Short Film Competition Terms and Conditions
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The following terms and conditions shall apply to Virgin Media Discovers 2020.
1. a) these Short Film Competition Terms and Conditions;
b) the Virgin Media Television Commissioning Terms & Conditions; and
c) the Virgin Media Television Competition Terms save for paragraphs: 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 23;
and in the event of and to the extent of any conflict between the above sets of terms and conditions, they shall apply in the order of precedence set out above.
SUBMISSIONS
2. Entrants must submit their submissions via the Virgin Media Submission site by midnight on 30th November 2020. No other entry method will be accepted and no late submissions will be accepted.
3. Films must be suitable for general viewing and in the English or Irish language. If in the Irish language, provision of English subtitles is mandatory.
4. Films should be no shorter than 8 minutes in length and no longer than 10 minutes.
5. Submissions must include a minimum of two separate individuals for the project: a film maker (director) and a producer.
6. Entrants must include a budget with their submission. Virgin Media reserves the right to require clarification on the budget prior to a winner being selected.
7. Should an entrants make more than one submission; they are required to use separate discrete application forms for each one.
8. Entrants and talent taking leading creative roles must be resident in the Republic of Ireland.
9. Submissions involving creative talent resident abroad who are Irish citizens or have a demonstrable connection to Ireland may also be considered if prepared to return for interview (if required) in the event of being shortlisted and for the entirety of their production if selected. For the avoidance of doubt, no travel budget will be made available during the shortlist stage.
10. Entrants must have secured appropriate licences, music, clearances and insurance for the film, to the satisfaction of Virgin Media.
11. Entrants’ screenplays must be owned in their entirety by the entrants and be free from any third party interests or encumbrances.
JUDGING AND AWARD
12. Virgin Media’s judging panel shall adjudicate the submissions and at its absolute discretion select a successful submission.
13. The successful entrant shall be eligible to receive the competition prizes as follows, subject to the applicable terms and conditions. Should a successful entrant become ineligible to receive the prizes (including without limitation by reason of non-compliance with paragraphs 10,11,14, and 15) the judging panel may, at its absolute discretion, select an alternative winning submission.
Prizes
a) EUR 9,000 will be awarded to each of the 10 shortlisted submissions for further script development.
b) Two entrants will be awarded EUR 30,000 each to produce their film as set out in the submission, in accordance with the terms of a commissioning agreement with Virgin Media (see paragraph 17 below);
c) High quality exposure for each of the 10 submissions at the 2021 Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival (VMDIFF) (subject to COVID restrictions) & subsequently for the two winning film projects chosen for production to be announced at the event. The two winning submissions will premiere at a special event screening later in the year (subject to COVID restrictions) and also broadcast on Virgin Media Television’s platforms.
POST-AWARD
14. The successful entrant shall within a reasonable timeframe following selection (and where applicable provide Virgin Media with evidence of the same):
a) Enter into a commissioning agreement with Virgin Media as per paragraph 17 below;
b) Contract with a production company registered in the Republic of Ireland, and Republic of Ireland-resident crew to produce the film;
c) Contract with every individual who will work on the film, such contracts to include deliverables, costs and timelines; and
d) Confirm the identity of the film’s producer to Virgin Media. Virgin Media reserve a right of pre-approval of the producer.
15. The successful entrant shall at the appropriate junctures following selection (and where applicable provide Virgin Media with evidence of the same):
a) Attend up to 4 events relating to the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival in the 12 months following the award, as notified by Virgin Media;
b) Adhere to all timeframes set out in the submission or otherwise agreed with Virgin Media;
c) Submit any proposed significant changes to the submission to Virgin Media for approval in writing, including as regards treatment, schedule or key personnel. The entrant shall not proceed with such changes without having first secured Virgin Media’s agreement.
16. Virgin Media reserves the right to offer creative input to the film with a view to ensuring it is appropriate for exhibition at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival and on Virgin Media Television.
THE COMMISSION
17. The commissioning agreement into which the successful entrant shall enter with Virgin Media, as per paragraph 14.a) above, shall be as stipulated by Virgin Media and shall include (without limitation) the following provisions:
a) A right for Virgin Media to pre-approve any casting (whether voice or actor);
b) A right for Virgin Media to appoint a script editor;
c) Credits as stipulated by Virgin Media and a requirement to include such credits in all iterations of the film across any distribution platform;
d) Final editorial control over the film in Virgin Media’s favour (albeit the entrant shall have at all times have creative, technical and editorial responsibility for the development and production of the film);
e) A provision that all rights in the film shall vest in Virgin Media;
f) A provision that Virgin Media shall be under no obligation to transmit the film or procure its transmission or exploitation and that Virgin Media shall incur no liability to the entrant whether for loss of reputation or otherwise in the event that the film is not transmitted/exploited.
g) Warranties from the entrant:
i. that the film will be wholly original to the entrant and will not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party, including rights to privacy;
ii. that the exercise by Virgin Media of its rights in the film will not infringe any personal proprietary or other right of any third party or be in breach of applicable copyright law;
iii. that it will not infringe any intellectual property right or other right of any third party or give rise to any liability to make any payment to any third party;
iv. that nothing contained in the film including the title shall amount to an infringement of any copyright moral right trademark service mark patent registered design right or other intellectual property right, be defamatory of any person company or other organisation or be obscene or constitute a malicious falsehood;
v. that the film does not and will not contain material which will or might expose Virgin Media to any proceedings whatsoever of a civil nature from third parties (including but not limited to proceedings in respect of invasion of or breach of rights of privacy) or to criminal proceedings; and
vi. that the producer and the film will comply with: (i) any compliance guidelines made known by Virgin Media; (ii) any requirements imposed upon Virgin Media by any regulatory body, including the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, and notified to the producer; and (iii) all other applicable laws including data protection legislation. The producer will procure that all members of personnel engaged in production have read and/or are contractually required to read any applicable Virgin Media guidelines and the relevant sections of the applicable regulatory codes.
