Fourth Edition from April 24 to 30, 2024

Who Are We?

The Annaba International Mediterranean Film Festival was established under Ministerial Decree No. 317 dated November 4th. It serves as a space for meeting, exchanging ideas, and engaging in cinematographic discussions among professionals in the cinema industry and various fields.
The Mediterranean Film Festival takes place every April, and its objectives include:

• Encouraging Mediterranean cinema.
• Promoting creativity and expression in Mediterranean films.
• Providing a professional platform for filmmakers to promote new productions.
• Enhancing Mediterranean culture and cultural heritage through joint productions.
• Providing an opportunity for the Algerian audience to view the best films and cinematic productions.
• Facilitating discussions with cinema professionals including directors, artists, and creators.
• Stimulating the cinematic life in the city of Annaba and surrounding areas.
• Supporting and accompanying youth cinematic productions.
• Creating a competitive atmosphere among participating countries.
• Facilitating the exchange of experiences among professionals and filmmakers.

Festival Administration:

The festival administration consists of six departments:

1. Festival Administration
2. Artistic Department
3. Logistics Department
4. Media and Communication Department
5. Finance and Administration Department
6. Public Relations Department

Article 1:

This internal law defines the conditions of participation, organization, and conduct of the festival.

Article 2:

Organization Period
The Annaba Mediterranean Film Festival is held every April of each year.

Article 3:

Participation
Participation in the Annaba International Mediterranean Film Festival is open to all filmmakers from the countries of the Mediterranean basin.

The festival administration may also invite any country from around the world as an honorary guest.

The festival administration is the sole authority responsible for selecting films to participate in the festival, whether in the official competition or outside the competition, and even in sidebar screenings. The festival administration reserves the right to withdraw any film from the festival if it violates the internal regulations. Films eligible for participation in the festival must have been produced in the year of the festival or the preceding year. Films produced before this period are not eligible for the official competition but may be considered for non-competitive sections or sidebar screenings. The selection of participating films is made by a special committee established by the festival administration through an internal decree signed by the festival director. No film can be screened in competition or out of competition without obtaining an exploitation visa from the screening committee affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and the Arts, in accordance with the laws in force in Algeria.

Article 4:

Official Competition
Once a film has been confirmed for participation in the official competition and has obtained the necessary visa from the competent committee, it cannot be withdrawn for any reason.

Article 5:

Participation Conditions
– The film must respect public decency, and no film that denigrates religions or public order will be accepted.
– The film must be purposeful and consistent with the goals of the festival.
– The film must be presented in its original format.
– The film must be produced by one of the Mediterranean countries or produced jointly between countries.
– The film must not serve any agenda.

Article 6:

Official Competition Format
– Feature Films Category
– Documentary Films Category
– Short Films Category

Article 7:

Awards
The Annaba International Mediterranean Film Festival grants several valuable monetary and honorary awards, including:
In the Feature Films Category:
– The Golden Gazelle Award for Best Feature Film, valued at $15,000 USD.
– The Golden Gazelle Award for Best Screenplay, without monetary value.
– Best Male Performance Award, without monetary value.
– Best Female Performance Award, without monetary value.
– Jury Award, without monetary value.

In the Documentary Films Category:
– The Golden Gazelle Award for Best Documentary Film, valued at $15,000 USD.
– Jury Award, without monetary value.

In the Short Films Category:
– The Golden Gazelle Award for Best Short Film, valued at $5,000 USD.
– Jury Award, without monetary value.

Article 8:

Side Activities
The Annaba International Mediterranean Film Festival offers several side activities, including:
– Training workshops for young people in directing, production, screenplay writing, and casting.
– Study days on distribution, digitization, and mechanisms for Algerian films to enter foreign markets.
– Organization of a study day in collaboration with Algerian and foreign institutions specialized in the field of cinema.
– Musical events to promote Algerian heritage.
– Photo exhibitions for Algerian films.
– Honoring prominent cinematic figures from Algeria and abroad.
– Organizing tourist tours in the city of Annaba.
– Organizing roundtable discussions between Algerian and foreign producers and directors.

Article 9:

Registration and Participation in the Festival

Any Algerian or foreign producer or director can participate in the Annaba International Mediterranean Film Festival by adhering to a set of conditions, which are:

1. Fill out the form available on the official website of the festival at www.annabafilmfestival.com
2. Send a copy of the film by mail to the Annaba International Mediterranean Film Festival at the following address: National Center for Cinema and Audiovisual, 03 Frans Fanon Street, Algiers, Algeria.
3. Send a copy of the film in a possible format through social media or websites.
4. The participating film in the official competition must be captioned in at least one language (Arabic, French, English).
5. Send a summary of the film and its technical card.
6. Send the director’s resume with a personal photo.
7. Send the official poster of the film.

Article 10:

Obligations of Participants and Invited Guests

Algerian and foreign invitees and participants must respect the conditions stipulated in Article 9. In addition, they must comply with the following:

– Not wear revealing attire.
– Respect the laws of the Algerian People’s Democratic Republic.
– Respect the general rules and public decency of Algerian society.
– Respect the competition rules set by the festival.
– Not change or travel from one province to another without informing the festival management.
– Respect security rules and the authorities.

Article 11:

Festival Commitments

The festival commits to:

– Ensure that the competition is fair and transparent.
– Provide accommodation and air and ground transportation for participants in the official competition for a maximum of two persons per film.
– Screen all films participating in the festival, whether in competition or in side screenings.
– Award the monetary prizes to the winning films after the deliberations of the jury committees, in accordance with the applicable laws and the festival’s internal regulations.
– Pay for the costs of sending the films and their customs clearance in Algeria.
– Not exhibit films outside the framework of the festival.
– Not provide any copies of the films to any unauthorized entities for viewing.

Article 12:

Film Copies

The festival management undertakes to preserve the film copies sent to it and the associated rights, and not to pirate or sell their rights.

Article 13:

Jury Committees

The jury committee for the official competition consists of directors, producers, and distributors appointed by the festival management. There are:

1. A jury committee specific to the feature film competition.
2. A jury committee specific to the documentary film competition.
3. A jury committee specific to the short film competition.

Members of the jury committees receive a financial compensation according to the laws applicable in Algerian festivals.

Note: Jury committee members must be neutral and unbiased, especially in relation to the competing films. The role of the jury committee must be transparent and professional, and jury committee members should not be associated in any way with the production or distribution of the competing films.

Article 14:

Media

The festival management requires journalists covering the festival events to register on the festival’s official website. In turn, the festival management grants accreditation and approval according to the applicable laws.

Mr. Allal Mohamed, Festival Governor