Human Rights Watch (HRW) International Film Festival and Adobe Youth Voices (GLOBAL) is calling for short (15 minutes and under) film, video, and animated works made by youth (ages 19 and younger) that focus on human rights and social issues like: equality, civil rights, children's rights, women's rights, international justice, HIV/AIDS, the environment, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender rights, health, the environment, war and conflict, freedom of expression, counterterrorism, gender, refugees, immigration, economic, social, and cultural rights and more.


Films longer then 15 minutes (up to 30 minutes) in length may be considered. (Please contact HRW before applying.) DVD (preferred) or VHS formats are preferred. Entries using NTSC or PAL are accepted, but not Mini DVD format. All music and other rights must be cleared for non-exclusive educational, online, broadcast, and theatrical distribution. Please check out The Center for Social Media’s Copyright & Fair Use guidelines for more information on copyright.


Selected films will travel to:

• Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, New York : June 9-16 2008;
• Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, Boston: Fall 2008;
• Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, London : March 2009;
• Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, San Francisco : Spring 2009;
• Selected films will be included in the 2009 Traveling Film Festival;
• Films will be added to the Adobe Youth Voices and Human Rights Watch websites; and
• In the teacher's lending library for the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival High School Program .

The deadline for application is February 8 2008.

Click here for more information.

These are the steps for submission:

1. Please email the information listed below to Jennifer Nedbalsky at nedbalj@hrw.org by February 8 2008. Include all of the following information in the text/body of your email:
   
   
   
   • Director (or production group/community organization) name;
   • Film title;
   • Film synopsis (a short paragraph summary of the film);
   • Filmmaker bio (or a brief description of the producing organization);
   • Genre: Tell us if the film is a documentary, PSA, animation, experimental film, fiction or narrative;
   • Country where the film was produced;
   • Year of production;
   • Film's running time and format (how long is the film & did you shoot the piece on video, or film?);
   • Complete contact information (website, email address, mailing address and phone number.); and
   • Please do not send attachments as many of them can not be opened.





2. The screening committee will contact you if they are interested in screening a VHS or DVD copy of your film/video/animation. After reading the information you submit, they will be in touch to let you know about sending a copy.





3. They will then contact those selected to invite their film to be screened in the festival.