Mind-Rights Film Festival (MRFF)

This a short film festival and international competition that focuses on showcasing cinematographic works that deal with mental health issues in order to promote the rights of people with mental disorders.
Using the power and the creativity of cinema, this festival - organised by the Gulbenkian Global Mental Health Platform and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation - aims to spread knowledge on mental illness, raise public awareness on this topic, and encourage social inclusion of people with mental disabilities and fight against their stigmatisation. Therefore, the Award Ceremony will be not just a celebration of the creativity of filmmakers, but also a recognition of their commitment to human rights issues.
The film festival will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from November 6-7 2014 at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The screenings will unfold in the context of the Forum of the Gulbenkian Global Mental Health Platform, a 2-day programme where global mental health leaders will present lectures on the rights of people with mental disabilities, and where a report will be presented on strategies to stop human rights violations of children with mental disabilities in hospital and community settings, including alternatives to institutionalising children with mental disabilities.
The jury will bestow the "MIND RIGHTS - Jury Award for Best Film" to the value of € 3000 and also the "MIND RIGHTS - Jury Award for Second Best Film" to the value of € 2000. The audience at each screening will be given ballots and will vote for the "MIND RIGHTS - Audience Award" to the value of € 1000.
The materials provided by the entrants during the application phase will be used by the festival for promotional and advertising purposes (press releases and festival's website showcase and catalogue).
Short films to be considered for the festival will be accepted from January 1 2014 to June 30 2014. The competition is open to films in any type or genre of fiction, documentary, or animation film, from any country, with a duration of up to 30 minutes (including credits). The shooting format of the works can be analog or digital. (For preview and exhibition formats, see details at the MRFF website.) The application and submission process (including entry fee payment) is managed entirely online through the Withoutabox service (Submit button on the top right of the screen here). The standard entry fee is € 25 until June 1 (discounted early-bird entry fee of € 20 before February 10), while the late entry fee that ends June 20 is € 30. For films submitted after this date and prior to June 30, the admission fee is € 35.
MRFF website, January 27 2014, and email from Delia De Fazio to The Communication Initiative on February 6 2014.
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