CASTELLO ERRANTE
EIGHTH EDITION
Castello Errante. Residenza Internazionale del Cinema is a training, production and promotion project in the audiovisual industry, carried out in close contact with the territory hosting it, as well as a great opportunity for international exchange between young Italian and Latin American professionals (hereinafter “the Project”).
Every year, a group of students and professionals, from Latin America and Italy, gathers in a small Italian village to attend intensive training sessions and to develop and produce different audiovisual products.
The Project is organised by Occhi di Giove S.r.l. (hereinafter the “Organiser”), with the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Lazio Region and the cooperation of IILA – Italian-Latin American International Organisation, Roma Lazio Film Commission, and the Embassies of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela, AANT – Accademia delle Nuove Tecnologie di Roma, Doc/it – Associazione Documentaristi Italiani.
With the aim of supporting the creativity of young authors and promoting a cultural and international exchange, in cooperation with the other partners involved in the Project, Castello Errante publishes the call for the selection of a screenplay for a short fiction film that will be developed and produced during the eighth edition of the International Residency Project.
Such call is accompanied by special Call for the selection of the film crew.
1. OBJECT OF THE CALL
The aim of the call for the selection of a screenplay (hereinafter referred to as “the Call“) is to select a screenplay for a fictional short film with an open topic.
From the winning screenplay a short film will be developed and produced during the Residency, shot by the film crew, selected through a specific Call, always within the scope of the Project.
The Call is aimed at promoting the knowledge of young authors through the production of a short film based on their screenplays, which will then be broadcast, in line with the timing and methods deemed most appropriate by the Organiser, at festivals, cinema circuits and wherever it may be appropriate and possible.
The Call also constitutes a training opportunity for young authors, as they will have the right to participate in all the master classes and remote workshops organised by the Residency as well as in on-line discussion sessions with the troupe, as needed and as needed and based on the availability expressed by the author themselves.
Participation in the call by sending the required documents signifies acceptance of all the terms and conditions of this Call.
2. PARTICIPANTS ADMITTED
The current Call is addressed to Italian authors, both male and female, as well as authors of Italian nationality and authors from Latin American nationality.
Participants must be aged between 21 and 35 (this requirement must be met at the time of submitting the application).
Persons employed by OCCHI DI GIOVE S.r.l. or by entities supporting the Project and cooperating with it are not eligible to participate in the Call. Likewise, those who have a relationship up to the third degree of consanguinity or affinity, as well as a close friendship or partnership, with the staff of the administration and management services of the Call or with the members of the evaluation board are not eligible to participate.
3. PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
It is possible to participate in the Call by submitting only one screenplay.
To participate in the Call, it is necessary to submit, by the deadline indicated below, a fictional short film screenplay with the following characteristics:
1) it must be an original unedited work, not yet published or broadcast or adapted for the cinema by the participant, or a work taken from a previous literary, audiovisual or theatrical work by the same participant. Therefore, screenplays already filmed and in the post-production phase, screenplays that have already competed in other competitions in this sector, screenplays that have previously competed or won prizes, mentions or similar recognitions, or screenplays based on short stories, novels, plays, etc., written by an author who is not the participant, will not be accepted;
2) the screenplay must be accompanied by the submission of the plot outline (as specified in paragraph 4);
3) it must be between 8 and 15 pages long, be written in digital form, in the standard format of film writing, in Courier New 12 font and in PDF format. In case of selection, an editable format will be requested for the subsequent translation of the selected work;
4) ideally, the narrative arc of the story should predominantly unfold within a single indoor location, at most within two indoor spaces, with meticulous attention to the characters’ dialogue and characteristics;
5) foresee the inclusion, within the narrative development of the story, of an external location that can be representative of the hosting territory of the province of Rieti, in the Lazio Region (a village, a castle, a monument, a landscape, etc).
6 ) screenplays created by multiple authors (2 or more) are allowed, provided that at least one of them meets the requirements set out in paragraph 2 and on the condition that each author assigns their exploitation rights of the Work for the purpose of producing the short film, its distribution, and its exploitation, including for commercial purposes.
Screenplays must not include technical notes or director or editing instructions, and must be strictly limited to authorship work, in order to make room for the creation of an artistic proposal coming also from the other participants in the Residency.
In the Call, selected authors who have participated in previous editions of the project are eligible to participate.
4. REGISTRATION PROCEDURE
Participants must send an email with subject: SCREENPLAY CALL to info@occhidigiove.it by attaching – in a compressed folder – the following documents:
- Storyline of max. 5 lines.
- Synopsis (summary of the topic) of max. 15 lines.
- Subject (minimum of 2 pages, maximum of 4)
- General description of the main characters.
- A copy of a valid identity card or passport.
- Privacy policy form, – downloadable at the beginning of this page – duly signed and completed in all indicated fields.
- Receipt of payment for the registration fee.
Failure to provide even just one of the above mentioned documents will automatically result in the ineligibility to participate in the call and the exclusion of the candidate.
The following information must be written in the email body:
- Full name and age of the author.
- Name and age of any co-authors.
- Phone number and email address.
Italian authors can submit materials in Italian.
Latin American authors must submit:
- the screenplay in both the original version and in English.
- the materials required from point 2 to point 5 only in English version.
To submit your work, it is necessary to pay a registration fee of 10 euros to the following PayPal address: info@occhidigiove.it , with the subject: “participation in Castello Errante 2024 + title of the script”
The receipt of payment must be attached to the materials required by the Call.
5. DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION
The screenplay must be received by the deadline of July 1st, 2024 at 11:59 PM (CEST), except for any extensions published on the Project website.
The date of the email will be counted as date of entry.
Applications received after the above mentioned date will not be taken into consideration.
The Organizer will send a confirmation email upon receipt. In the absence of this confirmation, it is advisable to contact the organisation to ensure successful submission by also writing to: organizzazione@castelloerranteresidenza.it by the deadline set for the application.
6. RIGHTS ON WORKS
The Participant declares and warrants that he/she is the exclusive holder of all copyrights related to the Screenplay. He/she undertakes, by stipulating a specific contract, to assign to the Organiser and its assignees, on an exclusive basis and for the maximum duration envisaged by Italian law, all rights of economic exploitation of the Screenplay necessary to make the short film during the Residency and distribute it in any form and manner, throughout the world and for the maximum duration envisaged by the applicable laws, with the express provision that the Organiser may assign the rights acquired, in whole or in part, to third parties. The screenplay must be unpublished and must not have been used in any form before.
The Participant warrants that his/her screenplay does not violate third-party rights in any way and holds the Organiser and the partners of this initiative harmless from and against any and all claims, costs or requests that could be brought by third parties.
7. SELECTION CRITERIA AND EVALUATION BOARD
The selected participant will receive a notification by telephone and/or email no later than September 10th, 2024.
The evaluation board will be composed of professionals operating in the cultural and audiovisual industry and of the project organising staff.
The evaluation given by the board is final. The board will evaluate the following elements:
- narrative and expressive completeness of the screenplay;
- descriptive completeness of the characters and depth of the proposed dialogues;
- adherence to the required criteria and the author’s capacity for in-depth exploration and analysis;
- feasibility of production for the proposed work.
The evaluation committee will pay particular attention to works that are appealing to an international audience, capable of ensuring wide promotion and distribution for the work.
The Organizer has the option to not select any screenplay among those submitted, if none of them meet the requirements specified in the Call.
8. PARTICIPANT’S WARRANTIES AND UNDERTAKINGS
The participant agrees that the screenplay will be sent together with all the relevant documentation to the members of the evaluation board and to the administrative and technical staff of the Organiser, in order to enable the evaluation of applications.
The participant expresses his/her interest and his/her willingness to participate as an author of the Project in rewriting, analysis and pre-production works, in cooperation with the production crew and the director.
The participant guarantees that their work does not violate intellectual property rights or other rights of third parties and indemnifies the Organizer and the project partners from any adverse consequences, claims, demands, costs arising from third-party claims.
The participant acknowledges and accepts that the screenplay may undergo modifications, which will be shared with the author. However, it is understood that the Organizer will have the ultimate right to decide on the changes to be made and the final draft to be produced.
9. LIABILITY DISCLAIMER
The Organiser and its partners shall not be liable for a) any late, misdirected, confused, distorted or damaged entries or submissions; b) any malfunction or failure related to telephone, electronic, hardware, software, Internet network or any other type of failure related to computers or communications; c) any damage to or loss of content caused by events beyond the control of the Organiser or due to force majeure or unforeseeable circumstances; d) any printing or typographical inaccuracies in the materials associated with this initiative.
Therefore, participants hereby waive any and all claims in respect of the above listed circumstances against the Organiser and its assignees.
10. PUBLICATION OF THIS INITIATIVE
This initiative will be promoted on www.castelloerranteresidenza.it website, on social networks related to the Project as well as through the communication channels of the project partners.
11. EXCLUSION OF APPLICANTS
The Organiser reserves the right to exclude participants and/or winners who:
- have declared false or untrue information concerning their identity;
- have failed to accept and meet all the conditions set by the rules;
- have sent content, images or materials that are harmful to the rights of others or that are defamatory;
- have not sent all the necessary documents as required in par. 4 or have registered after the deadline indicated in par. 5;
- do not enter into the contract mentioned in par. 6
Participants hereby waive any and all claims to that effect.
12. CHANGE IN THE EXECUTION METHODS
Participants are aware that any health emergencies or those caused by wars could lead to restrictions and the Organizer’s inability to hold the International Residency in person. In such cases, the participant waives any objections and/or claims if the short film cannot be produced or if its production is postponed.
13. UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE OF THESE CLAUSES
Participation in the Call signifies the participant’s unconditional and total acceptance of the provisions and terms contained in these rules, without any limitation.
14. ITALIAN LAW, JURISDICTION AND VENUE
These rules are drawn up in accordance with and are solely subject to Italian law and Italian jurisdiction.
Any dispute relating to the interpretation, execution and validity of these rules shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Turin.
15. PRIVACY POLICY AND DATA PROCESSING
In accordance with current legislation, the Organisation informs the Call participants that the personal data sent will become part of a data archive held by the Organiser and will be processed by it in accordance with the applicable legislation regarding personal data protection.
The information on personal data processing is provided in a separate attachment, which participants are required to read and sign to participate in the Call.