Terms and Conditions

Before submitting your application to join the Bahrain Cinema Festival competition, please review the following guidelines in detail:

• The competition welcomes short films across categories including Narrative, Documentary, and Animation.
• Only directors who are Arab Nationals may participate in the competition.
• Directors are permitted to submit multiple films for consideration.
• The maximum duration of any submitted film is 30 minutes.
• Films in non-Arabic languages must include Arabic subtitles, while films in Arabic must include English subtitles.
• Only films produced after January 1, 2023, are eligible for submission.
• Films must not have been previously shown on television, digital platforms, or mobile applications.
• Films that have been submitted to previous editions of the Bahrain Film Festival are not eligible for submission to the current edition.
• The festival management retains the authority to exclude films with technical issues that prevent proper screening or content that violates ethical, legal, or cultural standards as outlined by Bahrain’s Ministry of Information.
• A selection committee will evaluate all submissions to ensure they meet the festival’s requirements.
• By submitting a film, the filmmaker grants the festival the right to screen it for the jury, publicly present it during the event, and use excerpts for promotional purposes on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter before, during, and after the festival. Ownership rights remain with the filmmaker.
• The deadline for submissions is July 20, 2025. Submissions received after this date will not be considered.
• Directors of selected films will be notified, and the festival will announce participating films. Applicants should not publicize their involvement before the festival does.
• Once a film is selected, it cannot be withdrawn or presented in any manner that might affect its status in the festival.
• Failure to comply with any of these rules may result in the film being removed from the competition.

Competition Categories:

1. Short Fiction Films – Up to 30 minutes.
2. Short Documentary Films – Up to 30 minutes.
3. Short Bahraini Films – Up to 30 minutes.
4. Short Animation Films – Up to 30 minutes.
5. Student Films:
   • Maximum duration of 30 minutes.
   • Applicants must be university students (proof of enrollment required).