Regulations of a Screenwriting Contest "YOUR OWN CINEMA" under a comprehensive project "Watch Ukrainian – create your own Future!"

The Organizing Committee of the comprehensive project "Watch Ukrainian – create your own Future!" (hereinafter referred to as – "Watch Ukrainian" project) announces the Contest of Film Scripts, Screenplay Outlines and Ideas for short story films entitled “YOUR OWN CINEMA-2” (hereinafter referred to as – Contest).

I. Definition of terms:

The Contest is a contest of Film Scripts, Screenplay Outlines and Ideas "YOUR OWN CINEMA-2", which is held for the second time within the framework of the project "Watch Ukrainian - create your own Future!".

The Project is a comprehensive communication social project "Watch Ukrainian - create your own Future!".

The Organizing Committee of the Contest is a permanent working body of the contest to perform the organizational, executive, coordination, communication and reporting functions.

The Script is the screenwritings, screenplay outlines and ideas for short story films.

II. General information:

The Contest Organizer is the Association of Cinema Promotion and Assistance in Ukraine – watch Ukrainian!

The Contest Purpose is to select the Film Scripts for short story films and their further film adaptation.

Project Tasks are to:

• increase the number of Ukrainian cinema audience;
• disseminate the civic and moral values through creative means to promote the development of Ukrainian society;
• cinema promotion and assistance in Ukraine.

III. Conditions for participation:

• Participation in the Contest is free.
• Contest is open to anyone irrespective of profession, age, gender, nationality and residence.
• Participant Application Form must be submitted in Ukrainian to participate in the Contest.
• Contest Participant can be an author of the Script (written work) or other individuals to whom the Script (written work) rights are assigned (transferred) within the law.
• Participant's agreement with the Contest Regulations.
• Participant's agreement to publish his submitted Application Form.
• Film Scripts must be submitted in Ukrainian to participate in the Contest.

IV. List of documents required for participation in the Contest:

(must be downloaded in Ukrainian as doc, docs, pdf file at www.kinoua.or (hereinafter referred to as – Project website):

•  filled Application Form of the Contest Participant;
•  original Script (the recommended length of Script is under 5 pages; 12pt font size);
•  additional documents: the author’s photo, references, director's vision, footage (atmospheric video, photos, teaser etc.) – as desired, if available.

V. Contest Stages:

20 January 2018 – 25 January 2018 – submission of Application Forms of the Contest Participants;

25 January 2018 – a final entry deadline;

26 March 2018 – 12 April 2018 – determining a list of Scripts-finalists, the Contest short jury voting process;                         

12 April 2018 – 30 April 2018 – the Contest wide jury voting process, selection of Contest Scripts-winners among Scripts-finalists;

5 - 15 May 2018 – announcement of Contest results.

VI. Conceptual idea of the Contest:

A large part of the society focuses on security and survival issues, believing that nothing depends on an individual.

The society needs motivated guidelines, certain pushes that will encourage people to think about development, self-improvement and the Future. 

Fulfilment of human potential, transition from the state of survival to the state of development will promote the national sustainable development and modernization.

Development requires the public engagement and certain state of public morality.

Initiative and personal responsibility are the primary source of changes for the better.

The Future is continuation and result of the Present. At the Present, there are events that shape the Future. Everyone can influence events and changes!

A Conceptual idea of the Contest lies in the statement that people create the Future!

This Contest is looking for Film Scripts where the main hero is an initiative and responsible person who makes changes through actions, moves closer to the better Future, inspires others.

VII. Contest Topics/nominations:

There are tree topics/nominations of the Contest:

Topic/nomination #1 "People create the Future"

A basis of any changes is initiatives born from a dream, an idea about the better.

Dreams based on moral values become realistic, meaningful and powerful. Dreams and ideas motivate to action. An individual feels the possibility for changes.

Wondering: “What is dignified life?”, “What has to be done?”, “Who makes changes?” – the individual understands that he can influence changes!

People proceed to actions by widening the spheres of their personal and social freedom.

Actions implement changes and create the Future.

Topic/nomination #1 aimed at searching the Scripts for movies, which demonstrate that, any unique problem in all spheres and at all levels can be solved by actions of an initiative and responsible person. Changes are made by people, who dream of better Future, take actions and inspire others.

Topic/nomination #2 "Partnership for the Future"

One person is not able to do everything. 

People are different. Combination of their various skills, abilities, features and properties increases the opportunities to achieve a goal. Synergy occurs.

Competence, professionalism and humanity increasingly become the priority criteria in the process of choosing the partners.

While elaborating an idea, it is important to make wonder: “What can improve the result?”, “Who can be a partner?” and “What partnership is possible?”.

Partnership (complementarity; interaction) increases the result of each participant and makes the expected changes to be more important.

Topic/nomination #2 aimed at searching the Scripts for movies, which demonstrate that, the best result is going to be achieved in a true partnership (cooperation). 

Topic/nomination #3 "My City"

No matter what a person is dreaming of, she lives in a real life under certain specific conditions in a particular place. Usually, people do not think about lofty matters and live for the day.

However, someone ordinary, wherever he lives, whatever he does, is able to make his life better as well as life of the surrounding people.

Who are those people about whom you can tell: “If all people do the same as this man do, the Future would, probably, be better!”?

Topic/nomination #3 aimed at searching the Scripts for movies, which demonstrate the stories of ordinary people from different Ukrainian cities and small towns, whose personal responsibility, their philosophy and behavior are the other people’s source of hope for the better Future.

VIII. Requirements for Scripts:

• Contest Scripts are accepted in any form convenient for the author: Film Script (preferably), Screenplay Outline (preferably), synopsis, description of Screenplay Idea for the movie.
• Only original Scripts that comply with the Contest topics/nominations are eligible.
• Contest Scripts for short-story films that last about 3 minutes are eligible;
• Script Story must be comprehensive and interesting for general audience, dramatically completed, life affirming, motivate to action.
• Participant Application Form, Script, additional materials must be submitted electronically in Ukrainian.
• There are no genre restrictions for Scripts.
• There are no writing form restrictions for Scripts.
• There are no restrictions in number of Scripts for one Contest participant. 

IX. Evaluation process of the Contest Participant Application Forms:

Evaluation of the Contest Participant Application Forms begins after the final application deadline in a timely manner and has two rounds.

First Round – selecting Scripts that form a short-list of Contest Scripts-finalists by a short jury vote.

Second Round – selecting 10 (ten) Scripts-winners among the Scripts-finalists by a wide jury vote.

The Organizing Committee has the right to increase the number of Scripts-winners and introduce additional awards for the Contest participants.

​X. Judging criteria:

Freshness of an idea. Cinematic spectacularity. Creative and dramatic quality of the Script.

Possibility of the film adaptation by a timeline of about 3 minutes.

Compliance with the Contest Regulations.

XI. Contest Short Jury/Organizing Committee:

• Examines Applications in compliance with the Contest Regulations.
• Forms a list of Scripts-finalists by rating vote.

The list of short jury members is available on the Project website www.kinoua.org.

XII. Contest Wide Jury:

Wide jury selects 10 (ten) Contest Scripts-winners among Scripts-finalists by rating vote.

The list of the Contest wide jury members will be available on the Project website by March 20, 2018.

XIII. Prize Fund/participant award:

First round Finalists (the authors of Scripts-finalists) receive the diplomas of the Contest finalists.

Second round winners – Contest Winners, authors of 10 (ten) Scripts-winners – get a royalty fee for the Scripts in amount of 10 000 hryvnas from the Contest organizers (according to the relevant Contract with the Contest Organizer, the Association of Cinema Promotion and Assistance in Ukraine – watch Ukrainian!).

Конкурс проводиться на всій території України та за її межами.

Оголошення переможців здійснюватиметься на сайті Проекту www.kinoua.org.

XIV. Additional Information:

• By submitting the Scripts (written works), the Participant agrees with Contest Regulations and requirements as well as provides the right to the Organizing Committee for publishing the Participant’ Script (Agreement is specified in the Participant Application Form).
• The Contest Jury considers only the Participant Application Forms that comply with the Contest Regulations, nominations and requirements.
• Scripts submitted by the authors to the Contest are not discussed between the Organizing Committee and participants, the Jury does not comment on their assessments.
• If the author of the Script is a Contest winner, he guarantees an assignment of Script copyrights for royalty fee and does not object to possible revisions of the Script by the Organizer according to the Agreement on the assignment of Script copyrights (Follow the link to see the Agreement).
• The Contest Participant is entitled to royalty fee from the date of signing the bilateral Agreement.
• By submitting the Script (written work) for the Contest, the Participant guarantees that the Script (written work) is the result of his creative work.
• Besides the authors of the Scripts (written works), under the same conditions, the Contest Participants may be other persons whom the rights for the Script (written work) are delegated (transferred) to within the law in order to participate in the Contest.
• The Participant agrees to bear full financial liability in case of justified claims and/or claims of any other persons related to the use of Script (written work) within this Contest.
• The number of Scripts for filming from the list of Contest Scripts-winners will be approved by the Organizing Committee and experts of the "Your Own Cinema-2" Contest, taking into account the availability of creative and financial resourses.
• The Organizing Committee has the right to request additional documents and information from the Participant that are necessary for signing the Agreement.
• The Participant Application Forms that contain propaganda of war, violence, cruelty, fascism and neo-fascism, slogans aimed at inciting ethnic, racial and religious enmity, oppression of human rights by gender, sexual, political, philosophical characteristics and preferences, as well as promotion of drug abuse, alcoholism and other bad habits – are not considered.

The Contest is held throughout Ukraine and abroad.

Winners will be announced on the Project website www.kinoua.org.