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Bethlehem Student Film Festival (BSFF)
April 1st – 5th, 2019

Bethlehem Student Film Festival (BSFF) is the first international film festival in Palestine that specializes in student film production around the world, and as such it joins the international festivals that focus on student cinema as well as the modern Arab festivals that are starting to pay attention to student cinema.
The aim of the Festival is multifold. It provides a venue and a platform for the Palestinian audiences to experience a selection of the best films in different genres, which are produced every year by cinema school programs from around the world. It also gives the opportunity for local and international film students to exhibit and share their work and discuss it with experts and the general public at large. In addition, the Festival allows the audience to discover a different form of vibrant youth cinema, one that is produced within more open-minded conditions that are conducive to creativity than those of the labor market. Moreover, it is a forum for the Palestinian students to interact and engage with students from other cultural and professional backgrounds from around the world. Finally, it sharpens the understanding of film students and the tools they use through workshops organized during the festival with international guests and experts. 
The Festival will showcase a diverse selection of films from April 1st – 5th, 2019. The films will be carefully chosen from film submissions to this important initiative. Approximately 50 hours of various films, lengths and categories will be screened, which will include fiction, documentary, experimental and video art films.
The participating films will compete for a number of awards:
• The Short Fiction Film
o First Prize
o Second Prize
o Third Prize
• Short Documentary Film
o First Prize
o Second Prize
o Third Prize
• Best Film Award (for Experimental Film and Video Art)
• Best Photography Award (for all categories)
• Best Editing Award (for all categories)
• Best Sound Design Award (for all categories)
• Audience Award
• Palestinian Film Award
A judging committee/jury will be formed for each category, composed of international and local filmmakers as well as representatives of film students in Palestine, which will be responsible for selecting the award-winning film for each category. In addition, public vote will be available for the Audience Award. The awards are comprised of a prize statue and a financial reward.
During the Festival, a group of international professionals will be hosted to conduct workshops and panel discussions on topics of interest to the film students. This activity constitutes an integrated film event that will promote further the culture of cinema in Palestine and elevate the Palestinian cinema students to the international standards of the film profession. 
A tour in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip will also be organized for the winning films of all categories, which will allow the Festival to expand its reach to a greater number of audiences, including students, in the different areas and provide the opportunity for them to watch and engage with the best student films.
The Festival is a great opportunity to discover and encourage emerging talent and give the young people the opportunity to participate for the first time in a professional festival that is parallel to the professional festivals that they might partake in the future. The Festival also provides them with the necessary experience to discuss their films and projects with the public and, as Palestinian film students, the prospect of being invited to international festivals through the presence of festival guests and representatives of these international festivals.
Film Submission Guidelines:
1 - The film must be completed after January 2017.
2 - Films must have been completed while filmmaker was a student at a recognized educational institution. No paid commercial, theatrical, or TV releases will be accepted for competition.
3- The application form must be fully completed.
4- The applicant should provide a link for the submitted film.
5. The film resolution must be at least 1080.
6- The film should have legible English or Arabic subtitles.
7. The film must not exceed 30 minutes in length, including credits.
8. Filmmaker must have clearance and permission to use all copyright protected music and any images used in the film.
9.If submitting multiple films for competition, a separate entry form must be submitted for each film.
Implementation Plan:
• Registration is open through an electronic website that is especially designed for the Festival. Efforts are also made to connect with local, regional and international universities to draw student films that were produced in the last two years.
• Deadline for receiving entries (September 30, 2018).
• Selection and awards committees/juries formation (October 1, 2018).
• Final selection of participating films in the Festival (October 31, 2018).
• Participant notification and submission of participation invitations (November 9, 2018).
• Arabic subtitles for the participating films (end of October 2018 - February 2019).
• Festival program, catalogue, posters and advertising completed (December 2018 - February 2019).
• Preparations for the Festival workshops and inviting speakers (September 2018 – October 2018). 
• Festival and program public announcement (February 2019).
• Reservation of halls and facilities and booking food and drinks (December 2018). 
• Official opening ceremony with multiple film screenings and reception (April 1st, 2019). 
• Closing award ceremony and reception (April 5th, 2019). 
• A screening tour of the best films in different cities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (April 8, 2019 – April 12, 2019).