Festival rules 2009

Article 1 - Organisation

The Researchers’ Film Festival is organised by the CNRS Centre-East Regional Office and Nancy-Université. The festival is organized thanks to the contributions of staff of the CNRS Centre-East Regional Office and INIST (CNRS) in Nancy, CNRS Images in Paris, the Scientific and Technical Culture department of Nancy-Université and Vidéoscop-Nancy 2 (Nancy-Université). The organisers will provide all means necessary to select and show the films at their own expense. Events linked to the sciences and moving or still scientific images will be organised around the screenings of the films such as conferences, workshops, thematic meetings, retrospective screenings, photo exhibitions, round table discussions…

Article 2 - Admission to the Festival

The festival is open to all film productions (motion pictures) written and/or directed by those working in the public or private sector research fields. The definition of “those working in research” covers researchers, engineers, teacher-researchers, students, doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. These may include films about a research discovery, an area of knowhow or how knowledge is transmitted, images used to present research topics to industry or the public in general or “rough” images which show an experiment or observation work. There is no maximum or minimum length for films that are submitted. The films must be in French or subtitled in French and must have been made in a period not exceeding two (2) years between the date of production and the date of the festival. All films submitted for the festival in previous years will not be allowed to compete again whether they were selected previously or not.

Article 3 - Submission of films

An entry form can be found on-line on the festival website. Two DVD copies of the film should be sent with the completed and signed entry form in one package by December 15 2008 at the latest to :

Festival du Film de Chercheur Secrétariat CS 90102 54519 Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex FRANCE

The projection version will only be requested for the films that are selected for the festival.

Article 4 - Costs

The festival will pay the costs of storage and insurance exclusively for the period between reception of films and, in exceptional cases, return shipping of materials. In the event of a copy being lost or damaged, the festival shall only be liable to pay the cost of the media on which the film is submitted.

Article 5 - Pre-Selection Jury

When the call for entries is closed, a pre-selection jury made up of members of the scientific community, audiovisual, media and communication professionals and institutional and socio-economical representatives will meet to select the films which will take part in the competition. The authors and/or directors of the selected films will be informed two months before the start of the festival. Article 6 - Juries - Prizes

The juries will be made up of members of the scientific community, audiovisual, media and communication professionals and representatives of institutional and socio-economical representatives. Prizes will be awarded to the best films : the juries may also give special commendations to other films selected for the competition at their own discretion. The total of the prizes is 10,000 euros.

Article 7 - Prior agreement of rights holders

A film’s rights holders are presumed to have given both their prior agreement to the films being shown at the festival and their approval of these regulations before submitting their entry documents and films to the festival organisers.

Article 8 - Citation - Promotion of the festival

To promote the festival, the organisers hereby reserve the right to show extracts (3 minutes maximum) from the films in the media within the limit of normal “quotation” practices.

Article 9 – Archives - Exploitation

The festival organisers will keep a copy of the films that are shown for their archives. Unless the author expressly requests the contrary, the films may also be shown in cultural and scientific events of a non-commercial nature with no payments involved whose intent is to promote scientific research to different publics. The organisers hereby undertake to keep the rights holders informed in the event of their films being shown in this context.

Article 10 - Filmographic Database and Catalogue

The information provided on the entry form concerning the film, the composition of the production team and director’s staff is likely to be included, and therefore be searchable, on the filmographic database on the festival’s website with all due respect to laws on data processing and individual liberties. The information may also be consulted in the catalogue published for the festival. The filmographic database and catalogue shall also be used as tools to promote scientific research findings and also as a tool for TV and radio broadcasters. The database and catalogue are therefore intended to be as exhaustive as possible and all films selected for the festival will be included on both the database and the catalogue.

Article 11 - Disputes – Laws

Those participating in the Researchers’ Film Festival implicitly accept without reserve the terms of these regulations. In the event of a dispute, both parties will attempt to come to an amicable settlement prior to engaging in any litigation. If such an agreement cannot be reached, French law shall apply to any dispute which will be brought before the competent courts in Nancy.