Entries open for PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival

Themes

• PLURAL+ recognizes young people as powerful agents of social change and video entries should therefore serve as an instrument for them to express their thoughts and opinions on one or several of the main themes of PLURAL+: migration, diversity, social inclusion, and the prevention of xenophobia.
• PLURAL+ video entries can be of any genre (animation, documentary, music video, comedy, etc.) as long as they have the potential to make the audience think in constructive ways about the cross-cutting social issues pertaining to the themes of PLURAL+, ranging from, but not limited to, peace and human rights, to racism and discrimination.
• PLURAL+ video entries should not contain profanities or material that some audiences may find inappropriate or offensive, nor should they be created for commercial purposes.

Benefits

• PLURAL+ recipients gain international exposure and the opportunity to connect and network with a multitude of professionals, peers, and organizations and to explore opportunities for further distribution and dissemination of their work. Partner recognitions vary according to the Partner organization.
• Filmmakers who receive recognition through any of the PLURAL+ distinctions, as well as those recognized by PLURAL+ Partners, will receive digital certificates.
• Additionally, digital certificates of participation will be issued to creators whose videos have been shortlisted, which means they have advanced through the initial selection process and have received an email acknowledging their inclusion in the shortlist from the PLURAL+ team. Certificates will only be given after, not before, the PLURAL+ Ceremony.

Costs Covered

• Recipients of the International Jury Distinctions and Special Recognitions are invited to the location of the PLURAL+ Ceremony, all expenses paid. (While the venue may occasionally change, most of the past Ceremonies have been hosted in New York.)
• The invitation covers the travel and accommodation expenses of 1 person per video only. If you submit a video as a group, only 1 person will be invited to receive the recognition on behalf of the entire group and therefore only 1 person will be covered to travel. Other members of the group are welcome to attend the Ceremony at their own expense. In the case of participants under the age of 18, the invitation will also cover the travel and accommodation costs of an adult chaperone (parent or legal guardian).
• PLURAL+ recipients of Partner Recognitions are invited to attend the ceremony at their own expense.

Eligibility Criteria

• The PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival (hereinafter “PLURAL+”) is open to young people of all nationalities with a keen interest in the cross-cutting issues of migration, diversity, social inclusion, and the prevention of xenophobia.
• Entrants to PLURAL+ must be no older than 25 years old at the time of the production of their videos.
• PLURAL+ is organized into three age categories:
  • 12 years old and under
  • 13 to 17 years old
  • 18 to 25 years old
• Anyone can appear in your video, but it must reflect your perspective as a young filmmaker on migration, diversity, and social inclusion, as well as the special themes/categories of the current edition. While the people appearing in the video do not have to be young, the video must reflect the thoughts and opinions of the young filmmaker(s) about migration, diversity, social inclusion, and xenophobia. The person submitting the video (“the entrant”) must be actively involved in its making; e.g. either as a director, writer, camera person, editor, actor, coordinator, etc.
• Immediate family members of staff members of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and members of the PLURAL+ International Jury are not eligible to enter the competition.

Application Requirements

• PLURAL+ video entries must be:
  • Between one and five minutes in length, including title(s) and opening/closing credits. If an entry is slightly below or above the aforementioned time limit, it will be reviewed and evaluated on a case-to-case basis at the discretion of the PLURAL+ team.
  • In English or have English subtitles.
  • Created or produced after 1 January 2022.
• In addition, PLURAL+ video entries can be of any genre (animation, documentary, music video, comedy, etc.) as long as they have the potential to make the audience think in constructive ways about the PLURAL+ themes – migration, diversity, social inclusion, and the prevention of xenophobia.
• If selected, entrants must be prepared to submit a digital copy of their video in either of the following formats: MOV (preferred), MP4, AVI, QT, MKV, or FLV. Full HD (1920×1080) or higher is preferred but not required.

For more information, visit PLURAL+.