Last week, the new Goya Awards rules were published, a little later than last year.
This time, they have opted for rules with no major changes, which is positive, as a certain stability is important in order to develop medium- and long-term distribution strategies.
Despite this, some of the issues I have mentioned in previous posts still remain, such as the obligation to have the rating licence before festivals, the secrecy around the members of the committee (which only happens in our country), or the fact that directors and producers who win the Goya do not become Academy members.
It is clear that the Academy has no intention of changing any of this, so I will not insist on these same issues in this post.
That said, a deep reflection is needed to understand how it is possible that short film directors, such as the Spaniard Pedro Collantes, have been invited to join the Hollywood Academy as members, and others such as Esteban Crespo or Juanjo Giménez have been invited simply on the basis of the nominations of their respective shorts, That Wasn’t Me and Timecode, while here in Spain the Film Academy does not include Goya short film winners as Academy members.
In any case, and from a distributor’s point of view, the most important thing is that the rules remain without major changes and that it is possible to plan from one year to the next. So I am going to review the main requirements and the list of qualifying festivals:
Main requirements
First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between Fiction and Documentary, which require selections or awards at festivals, and Animation, which has not needed this since last year.
All short films must meet the following common requirements:
- Maximum running time of 30 minutes.
- Certificate of Spanish nationality, issued between January 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018.
- This certificate must be obtained before the qualifying festival takes place (except for animation).
- The final submission deadline is September 27 at 14:00. You must submit two DVD copies or a Blu-ray and a USB drive with the following material: Technical sheet, digital poster, final reel, synopsis and credits, photographs, trailer and clips.
These requirements remain without major changes, although there are some issues that could have been easily solved.
For example, closing the submission period at the end of September may mean that many short films have to wait until the last minute to find out whether they qualify or not.
It turns out that no fewer than 14 festivals take place in the last quarter of the year, and therefore announce selections between late September and mid-October. The first two weeks of October are crucial to know whether we can submit a short film.
Last year, like many other directors and producers, we had to contact many festivals to obtain some information about selections. Some were able to bring them forward, but for others it was impossible. There were shorts we were able to submit at the last minute, and others that were left out by a few days. The curious thing is that the Academy’s administrative staff complain that short filmmakers submit on the last day. They leave no other option.
It would be a very easy measure to take and would help a lot: set the submission deadline back to October 15, as it was until a few years ago. Festival directors, as well as all distributors, producers and directors, would be very grateful.
It also strikes me that the Academy continues to require DVD or Blu-ray for submission. It should be borne in mind that DVD has disappeared; it is no longer used either for viewing or for sending films to festivals, with one or two exceptions worldwide each year, but certainly no film academy asks for it, not even the ICAA for post-release grants. Even less so a Blu-ray: at festivals it is only used as a back-up for screenings, but nobody uses it for film submissions.
The use of USB drives is also outdated. In a world where the use of file delivery and download platforms has already become widespread, the Academy insists on using the USB drive. In addition, several technology publications advise against using them to avoid the transmission of viruses from one computer to another.
We should also ask why the Academy continues to request materials that are clearly outdated.
Festival lists
Festival participation has become one of the most important requirements to take part in the Goyas, a requirement that only Fiction and Documentary still maintain, but not Animation.
- Fiction: At national festivals 6 selections or an award are required at festivals on the list. Internationally, a selection is sufficient.
- Documentary: At national festivals 3 selections or an award are required at festivals on the list. Internationally, a selection is sufficient.
The list of Spanish festivals remains unchanged from last year, with 34 festivals for fiction and 30 for documentary. Internationally, there are 92 festivals.
Although the Oscars list was initially taken as a reference, this year it has not been taken into account as much.
Some errors have been corrected. Now, at last, the Directors’ Fortnight and the Cannes Critics’ Week are included, which were not there last year, as well as IDFA in Amsterdam, which now does appear.
Some festivals that did not accept Spanish short films and yet qualified last year have also been reviewed and removed. The problem is that in this review there are still some errors that have not been corrected; these three festivals remain:
- Galway Film Fleadh, only for Irish short films.
- Jerusalem Film Festival, only for Israeli shorts.
- The Norwegian Short Film Festival, for Norwegian short films.
In short, these lists have improved a lot, although it would still be necessary to make further corrections and consider a small expansion.
Submit as soon as possible
If you see that you can already submit, you must call the Film Academy so that they give you access to the online form and generate the Official Credits Form, which you must sign and submit with all the documentation. I remind you that the deadline is September 27 at 14:00.
It would be great if you were, at least, on the list of short films selected prior to the nominations.
Best of luck!