INTERNATIONAL
SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
ON WATER
CELEBRATING WORLD WATER DAY - MARCH 2025
Water is a scarce natural resource. Even though 71% of land is covered by water, only about 2.5% of the total water available on earth is fresh water and can be used for human consumption. Water scarcity is increasingly being felt in most nations, including highly developed countries. As the demand for water increases rapidly, the supply of fresh potable water is decreasing. Rapidly growing human population, changing climates, erratic rainfall and frequent droughts are contributing to the above. This is now becoming a serious global threat.
In order to create an awareness of the importance of Water and highlight the common man’s role in protecting and avoiding wastage of this natural resource, the Centre for Education & Research in Geosciences has organized a film festival - the Jal Katha . The objective of the film festival is to encourage people to build awareness of this vital resource. Entries to the Jal Katha 2025 will be screened on Saturday 22nd March 2025 at Pune. Details of program and venue will be communicated later.
We now invite you to be a part of the fourth edition of our annual film festival on water - 'Jal Katha 2025 – Stories of Water' by contributing short films that can be a documentary, fiction, animation or feature film on water and related issues.
The objective of the film festival is to raise awareness of the water problem around the world. We believe that short films that address this issue will go a long way in promoting awareness on the importance of proper water usage and reducing it's wastage. We aim to bring together stories of water from different parts of the world and involve people of all walks of life to engage in a process of thought, deliberate, debate & introspect on the various issues around water.
Any film with the overall theme of Water is eligible to be a part of the festival. Some of the sub-themes or ideas could be Water wastage, scarcity & droughts, Water conservation, Water harvesting & augmentation, Agriculture, Global warming & its impact on water, Water & Sanitation, Water Pollution, Human habitats around water bodies, Environment & Water, Rains, etc.…in short on any topic related to Water.
IMPORTANT DATES
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| December 10th, 2024 | Open for entries |
| January 15th, 2025 | Early Bird registration closes |
| March 5th, 2025 | Last date for Regular registration for submissions (entries) |
| March 5th, 2025 | Final deadline for submissions of films |
| March 11th, 2025 | Notification Date |
| March 22nd, 2025 | Event date |
* Please note that registration is necessary before submission.
DETAILED GUIDELINES
Please read all instructions carefully. Incomplete submission forms and submissions without the required materials attached will be rejected.
- The objective of the film festival is to raise awareness of the water problem around the world by means of short films that address this issue and to promote awareness on the importance of proper water usage and reducing wastage.
- The public screening programs are designed to highlight the creator as much as the work itself.
- The Short film festival is a juried competition, open to any person across the world. The film can be made by an individual or by a team.
- The total running time of the films should be 20 minutes or less. Depending on the number of entries, the films may be categorized into two sections – Micro (less than 5 mins length) and Short (more than 5 mins and less than 21 mins)
- All qualified entries must be original, independently produced and could have been submitted or exhibited at non-competitive film festivals but not yet been exhibited on Internet or any other medium, or to any other Contest.
- Films must be shot in HD (1280 x 720) or higher resolution
- Films can be in any language. Non - English films should have English sub-titles.
- Registrations from International participants have to be done online at Filmfreeway.com. Use the button at the bottom of the page or in the sidebar to register.
- The festival will open for registrations on December 10th, 2024
- Indian participants can submit on Filmfreeway or register here.
- Early bird registrations close at 8:00 PM IST on January 15th, 2025.
- The last date (regular) for the registration of entries (both international as well as Indian) to the festival is 8:00 PM IST on March 5th, 2025.
- Submission deadline for uploading of films is also 8:00 PM IST on March 5th, 2025.
- The notification date for acceptance is March 11th, 2025.
- See table below, for details of registration/entry fee for submitting films. This fee is non-refundable.
- Paying a Registration/Entry fee does not guarantee that the film will be selected for screening. Only short listed films will be screened.
- Applicants will be notified of their selection status after the Screening Committee viewing.
- Selected films will be exhibited at the Jal Katha 2025- International film festival on Water to be held in March 2025 at Pune, India.
- The core objective of the festival is raising awareness of the water problem. In order to achieve this objective, the films will be made available for screening after the festival at various venues like housing societies, social & educational institutions, clubs, etc. in India and abroad.
Note : Entry fee will not be refunded even if the entry is not selected for final screening.
ENTRY FEE DETAILS
International Entries
| Entry Type | Last Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird - Normal | January 15th, 2025 | US $ 18.00 |
| Early Bird - Filmfreeway Gold members | January 15th, 2025 | US $ 15.00 |
| Early Bird - Students | January 15th, 2025 | US $ 12.00 |
| Final deadline - Normal | March 5th, 2025 | US $ 22.00 |
| Final deadline - Filmfreeway Gold members | March 5th, 2025 | US $ 18.00 |
| Final deadline - Students | March 5th, 2025 | US $ 16.00 |
Entries from the India.
| Entry Type | Last Date | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Early Bird - Normal | January 15th, 2025 | INR 800.00 |
| Early Bird - Students | January 15th, 2025 | INR 500.00 |
| Final deadline - Normal | March 5th, 2025 | INR 1200.00 |
| Final deadline - Students | March 5th, 2025 | INR 750.00 |
SUBMISSIONS
- Films will have to be submitted by digital transfer. Two (2) digital copies of the film will have to be submitted. Detailed Guidelines for transfer of the films will be provided on registration.
- The Films/entries submitted by participants must constitute original work and not be an infringement of any other copyrighted work/s and further do not infringe the Intellectual Property Rights including the moral rights, privacy and publicity rights of any third party.
- None of the Intellectual Property Rights associated with the Films should have been assigned/licensed to any other person, firm or corporation.
THE COMPETITION AND JUDGING
- Entries will be pre-screened by the Film contest Committee for their relevance to the theme of Water. Short listed films will be screened and judged by a jury. The jury panel will consist of Geoscientists, Artists, Film critics, Writers, Filmmakers, and Educators.
- Filmmakers will be notified of official Selection status via email.
AWARDS
- The top two films will be selected for awards of the best film and the second-best film. More prizes may be awarded if the number of entries is large. Participants of the all selected films will get a certificate of participation.
- The award-winning and other selected entries will be screened during the World Water Day celebrations being held around 22nd March 2025.
- All exhibited films will be introduced by a commentator, and filmmakers in attendance are given the opportunity to speak to the festival audiences at the close of their film’s exhibition.
- Entrants assume and accept all legal and financial responsibility for any infringement on the privacy rights or copyright of others, caused by creating or presenting their work in public.
- All copyrights and ownership of the works are retained by the photographer. However, by entering the contest, you grant CERG (and those authorized by CERG) a royalty-free, world-wide, two year non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any CERG purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the magazine and its website, exhibition, and commercial products, including but not limited to CERG publications. All reproduced material will be acknowledged with the name of the maker. No royalties or compensation will be paid for these purposes.
- CERG retains the right to exclude films (entries) from the competition that violate the conditions of the competition and ones that violate any human or privacy rights.
CURATED SECTION / NON-COMPETITIVE
We also have a non-competitive section where curated films are exhibited. Entries to this section must be original and independently produced but could have been submitted or exhibited at other festivals , competitive or non-competitive film festivals. Films submitted to this section will also be screened for screening. There is no entry fee for such entries. Please fill in the same registration form, the link for which is given below. All other conditions remain the same as in the competitive section.
ADMISSION
Admission to VIEW the screening of the films at the festival is free and on a first come first serve basis.
CONTACT US
For more information please email us at events@cerg.org.in or call 90229 77914
Jal Katha 2025 proudly accepts entries on FilmFreeway, the world's #1 way to enter film festivals and creative contests.
