Dear artist filmmakers, we are accepting applications only through FilmFreeway

FULL INFO
DESCRIPTION
Pebbles Underground film and video art is focused on showcasing experimental, avant-garde, underground, and no-to-low budget moving image projects by artist-humans from all over the world. Absurd, uncanny, witty, humorous, queer, slow film, performance, dance – all are welcomed, and loved. Pebbles Underground itself is an independent project not funded by any government or corporation, and we intend to keep it that way. Main source of funding is personal donations from humans organizing the project, who are artists themselves, and the main drive of the project is formed by the energy and involvement of the organizers, and the public.
Stepping away from the traditional one time showcase this year, we will host seven curated bimonthly programs online. The works winning the Audience and Jury Awards during the online programs will be included in our additional screening in late December 2023. The screening will either take an online or physical format (TBC).
The funds will partially cover the work of the juries, the promotion online, the poster and web design etc. At this time, we are not able to pay the artists the screening fee.
If you are a filmmaker living in Georgia, Iran, Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, Belarus, North Korea, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine please write us for a submission discount or a fee waiver code. In your email, please include the link to the work you are planning to submit (mandatory), your profile on FilmFreeway (mandatory), and website (optional). We will evaluate the demands a few days before each one of the deadlines.
If you don't live in the above mentioned countries, but need financial assistance to submit your work, please write us to get a discount code. Include the link to the work you are planning to submit, your profile on FilmFreeway, and website (optional). We will evaluate the demands a few days before each one of the deadlines.
If you have any questions or demands, please write us at pebblesunderground@gmail.com
Throughout the season, the festival team will take charge of promotion of the selected works.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR
- Experimental, underground films and video art
- Experimental documentaries (including mockumentaries)
- Experimental animation
- Screendance, experimental dance/performance
- Web-based experimental and/or interactive projects - works in this category will only be presented and promoted online on our website and social media
We don't demand a premiere status.
No restrictions on the date of completion of the work.
We have no restrictions on topics. We want to show what is relevant for the artists in the context of their environment. The works received will dictate and form the underlying theme of each screening.
Multiple entries per artist are permitted, however, each entry requires a separate submission fee.
We are viewing the films as soon as possible once the submission is received. Each work is viewed by 6 different experimental artists and art enthusiasts at least three times.
DEADLINES AND RESPECTIVE SCREENING DATES
DEADLINES AND RESPECIVE ONLINE SCREENING DATES
-September 20, 2022 deadline - October 20, 2022 online screening of the selected works
-November 20, 2022 deadline - December 20, 2022 online screening of the selected works
-January 20, 2023 deadline - February 20, 2023 online screening of the selected works
-March 20, 2023 deadline - April 20, 2023 online screening of the selected works
-May 24, 2023 deadline - June 10, 2023 online screening of the selected works
Important note: due to summer holidays, submissions will be temporarily paused on May 24 and restarted on August 24
-September 30, 2023 deadline - October 30, 2023 online screening of the selected works
-November 15, 2023 deadline - December 4, 2023 online screening of the selected works
NOTIFICATIONS ON ACCEPTANCE OR REFUSAL WILL BE SENT OUT WITHIN A FEW DAYS AFTER EACH DEADLINE. IF YOU RECEIVE A SELECTION EMAIL, THE SCREENING COPY MUST BE SENT MINIMUM 5 DAYS BEFORE EACH SCREENING.
The works winning the Audience and Jury Awards during the online programs will be included in our additional screening in late December 2023. The screening will either take an online or physical format (TBC).
All online programs will be free to watch, so get ready for a delicious explosion of art!
AWARDS
We will host seven online curated showcases during this season (see all the dates in "Deadlines and Screening Dates" section). Each online showcase will have:
Jury Award
Audience Award
The works winning the Audience and Jury Awards during the online programs will be included in our additional screening in late December 2023. The screening will either take an online or physical format (TBC).
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
-all works in languages other than English must have English subtitles; please avoid barely readable fonts (we understand the aesthetic struggle artists are going through while making subs, but believe it or not, subs need to be functional)
-in the case of selection, subtitles can be burnt on the video
-if we select the work, we would ask you to send a screening copy, preferably 1080p. We don't need ProRes or archival copies, but at least a h264 copy with best possible quality settings, and 48kHz audio would be much appreciated; depending on the shooting equipment of the selected work, we can also accept 720p and 44kHz.
BY SUBMITTING A WORK YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING
-submission does not guarantee a selection;
-the festival is unable to pay the screening fee at this time (we are truly sorry for this);
-if the work is selected, the festival has a right to use a still or an extract of under 10 seconds from it for promotional purposes (all credits will be included in the video excerpt or still);
-after the season is finalized in November 2023, the festival has no right to screen the selected films online or in a physical venue without notifying the artist;
-the selected films will remain in the archive of the festival;
-the artist keeps all the rights to the work;
-the artist/submitter has the copyright of their work, Pebbles Underground is not liable of any copyright infringement;
-if the work is submitted by a distributor, or any other third party, the latter must be given the permission to do so by the artist;
-no physical copies are accepted, submissions are welcome only through the online submission platform
-the submission fee is not refundable.