After a record breaking year of ability, the 2017 Focus on Ability Film Festival has now launched. 2016 saw major International prize winners from Uganda, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the United States. A record 18 countries entered last year, we would love to break that record this year.
Simply make a 5min max. short film or documentary with an ability/disability theme and submit by June 30, 2017.
Terms and Conditions (International)
1. Entry to 2017 Focus on Ability Short Film Festival (the Festival) run by NOVA Employment and Training Inc. (NOVA) is FREE..
2. Video entries (Films) are to be maximum 5.00 minute duration, excluding credits. Any Films longer than 5.00 minutes will not be considered. Films not in English must have English subtitles. Films in English captions are encouraged to assist hearing impaired audiences, but not compulsory.
3. NOVA reserves the right to exclude any entry they consider inappropriate. This may include any video that in NOVA Employment and Training’s opinion contains racist, sexist, violent, discriminatory material or is otherwise likely to offend community standards.
4. The entry form must be correctly completed, accompany your Films and be received/sent by closing date 30th June, 2017. (Films may be placed in the post on June 30, 2017. They will be time stamped)
5. All films must have an ability/disability theme or be clearly identified as being made by a person with a disability.
6. Each entrant is responsible for their own transit insurance, postage and production costs. Please do not post USBs in regular envelopes as they are at risk of being ripped during the mailing process.
7. Confirmation of receipt of entry will be sent via email within a week of receipt.
8. Films meeting the entry requirements will be uploaded to NOVA’s website on the 25th July, 2017 and identified as entrants to the 2017 Focus on Ability short film festival
9. Online voting will commence 25th July, 2017 and cease midday 7th August, 2017 (AEST). All other prizes will be awarded by the judges. All winners will be contacted by email and results published on the NOVA website on September 11th, 2017.
10. Entries to be submitted on USB. It is preferable that they be submitted in high resolution, ideally an MP4. NOVA will still accept files not in this format. We will also accept electronic submissions under 500mb. Please email your submission along with the completed entry form and additional material to We recommend using www.wetransfer.com
11. It is the responsibility of the entrants to inform NOVA of any changes to contact details. Please include a valid email address as most correspondence is via email. Please do not use school email addresses.
12. Entries will become the property of NOVA
13. All entrants retain copyright in their Films.
14. The entrants grant NOVA a non-exclusive, non-transferable, world-wide, royalty free licence for 10 years commencing from the date of announcement of the winners, to use, publish and communicate their Films including online and as part of NOVA’s training resources for the sole purpose of promoting the Competition and/or NOVA and its programs, including NOVA’s advocacy for people with disability (Permitted Purpose). Any use beyond the Permitted Purpose requires the prior written consent of the winner
15. NOVA will attribute all Films wherever it uses the Films, in the following format:
Name of Film:
Year of Production:
Name of Entrant:
16. Entrants are solely responsible for ensuring that all necessary copyright and other relevant rights and authorisations for their Films have been obtained prior to submitting their entry. NOVA takes no responsibility for any failure by an Entrant to obtain the necessary authorisations.
17. A Film must not have been submitted to this festival in previous years.
18. NOVA’s decision as to the winners in each category, runners-up in each category is final and conclusive and no correspondence regarding this will be entered into following the competition.
More info: www.focusonability.com
