To ensure a fair process and maintain the quality of submissions, the following conditions and rules have been established:
A – Qualifications and Experience
- Professional background – Short film production: Applicants are required to have a record of producing at least one short film longer than 5 minutes. If this work has been screened at a domestic or international festival, or broadcast through an official media outlet, the participant will receive additional points.
- Experience in a professional role: If the applicant has no experience directing a short film, but has worked in key roles on film projects (even as an intern or assistant)—such as screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor, or sound designer—they may participate in the event by providing relevant documentation.
Production Team:
- Key team introduction: Each project must have a production team that includes at least a director, producer, writer (or screenwriter/reviser), and editor. The professional and artistic backgrounds of all key team members must be provided.
- Written agreement on project ownership: Before submitting a project, all team members must provide written consent regarding the project’s concept, main idea, and their participation in it. An initial agreement on intellectual property and profit-sharing must be prepared and attached at the time of submission.
- Participant age: All participants (key members of the production team) must be at least 18 years old at the time of registration.
Intellectual Property
- Official registration with the Secretariat: Submitting a project to the event’s Secretariat constitutes official registration of the idea, ensuring the author’s rights are protected. The Secretariat is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of all submitted projects.
- Credit for registration with the House of Cinema: Applicants who have previously registered their project with the “House of Cinema” may attach the registration certificate. This will be considered a special merit during the evaluation process.
Financial Matters:
- Support limited to production: The financial support provided is strictly for the production costs of the selected short film and will be allocated according to the approved project budget. This budget covers part of the pre-production, production, and post-production expenses.
Attendance at Workshops and Live Pitching
- Mandatory presence of director or producer: The director or producer (or both) must attend all educational workshops and the live pitching session. Projects will be disqualified if these key members are absent.
Technical Production Compliance
- Broadcast standards: Produced works must meet television broadcast technical standards for both sound and picture quality. This includes minimum HD resolution, proper file format, stereo sound without noise, and correct color and lighting standards.
5. Stages and Timeline
- Call for entries and submission start: September 23, 2025
- Submission deadline: November 21, 2025
- Initial judging and announcement of results: December 6, 2025
- Online training workshops and submission of final projects by participants: December 7, 2025 – March 6, 2026
- Evaluation and selection of final projects: April 5 – April 20, 2026
- Live pitching sessions: April-May 2026 (concurrent with the Sobhe Media Festival)
- Start of production for selected pitching projects: May 22 – August 23, 2026
- Evaluation of produced works: August 23 – August 29, 2026
- Awards ceremony: August 2026, during the celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ birthday
Note: The above dates are approximate and may be subject to minor changes. Any updates to the schedule will be announced on the event’s official website.
6. Submission Guidelines
The submission process will be fully electronic and conducted through the event’s official website.
- Registration on the official website: Applicants must first visit the [official event website] and complete the registration form. After registration, they can upload their project in PDF format. The file should include the following:
- Title of the work: Exact title of the short film.
- Logline & Synopsis: One key sentence (logline) and a synopsis of the main story, up to 300 words.
- Character and location introduction: Brief description of the main characters and story setting.
- Estimated final runtime: Accurate estimate of the film’s duration based on the script.
- Proposed budget and funding sources: Preliminary estimate of production costs and potential funding sources.
- Director and production team résumé: Professional and artistic background of the director, producer, writer, and other key team members.
- Experience in short film production: Information or links to previous short films, if available.
- Project highlights: Notes on innovation, message, visual appeal, and other unique features of the project.
- Written agreement of the production team: If available.