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Rules & Eligibility

3RD JAZAIR  AWARDS®

RULE ONE
AWARDS DEFINITIONS

  1. Jazair Awards shall be given annually to honor outstanding artistic and scientific achievements in theatrically released feature-length motion pictures, and to honor other achievements as provided for in these rules and approved by the Board of Governors.
  2. Jazair Awards shall be conferred at annual Awards ceremonies.
  3. Jazair Awards in the form of the golden statuette trophy of the Jazair Awards Academy shall be conferred annually for the following achievements:

ACTING: 

Performance by an actor in a leading role.
Performance by an actor in a supporting role.
Performance by an actress in a leading role.
Performance by an actress in a supporting role.

CINEMATOGRAPHY: 

Achievement in cinematography.

COSTUME DESIGN: 

Achievement in costume design.

DIRECTING: 

Achievement in directing.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM: 

Best documentary feature film.

FILM EDITING: 

Achievement in film editing.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM: 

Best international feature film of the year.

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: 

Best live action short film.

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: 

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling.

MUSIC: 

For achievements in music written for motion pictures:

  1. Original score.
    b. Original song.

BEST PICTURE: 

Best motion picture of the year.

PRODUCTION DESIGN: 

Achievement in production design.

SOUND: 

Achievement in sound.

WRITING:

Achievement in screenplay.

  1. The following Governors Awards shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there are deserving recipients, but are not necessarily given each year:
  2. JAZAIR FELLOWSHIP AWARDS (Statuette). This award is presented to a government official for an outstanding contribution to the state of film arts and sciences, or for exceptional service to the Jazair Awards Academy. (See Rule Twenty-five.)
  3. JAZAIR PEOPLE AWARDS (Statuette). This award is presented to an individual whose efforts have brought honor to the local and international film industry. (See Rule Twenty-five.)
  4. JAZAIR HONORARY AWARD (Statuette). This award shall be given to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Jazair Awards Academy. (See Rule Twenty-five.)
  5. The following Special Awards may be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there are deserving recipients, but are not necessarily given each year:
  6. SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Statuette). (See Rule Twenty-six.)
  7. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AWARDS (Statuette). (See Rule Twenty-one.)
  8. OTHER SPECIAL AWARDS shall be given at such times as in the judgment of the Board of Governors there is a deserving recipient, but not necessarily each year. They shall be in such form as the Board of Governors may decide.

RULE TWO
ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility for Jazair Awards consideration is subject to Rules Two and Three, and to those special rules approved by the Board of Governors that follow.

All eligible motion pictures, unless otherwise noted (see Paragraph 9, below), must be:

  1. feature length (defined as over 40 minutes), 
  2. publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to ST 428-1:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000); and image and sound3. files packaged as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) in the “SMPTE DCP” format. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2:2020 D-Cinema Packaging – DCP Operational Constraints and related specifications. (Blu-ray format does not meet Digital Cinema requirements.)

The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio.

The minimum for a non-mono configuration of the audio shall be three channels as Left, Center, Right (a Left/Right configuration is not acceptable in a theatrical environment). In addition to channel-based audio, object-based audio may also be present as an immersive audio bitstream.

The discrete audio data shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 429-3:2007 D- Cinema Packaging – Sound and Picture Track File, SMPTE ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Characteristics and SMPTE ST 428-12:2013 D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups. Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 2098-2:2019 Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification and SMPTE 429-18:2019 D-Cinema Packaging – Immersive Audio Track File and packaged in conformance with SMPTE 429-19:2019 D-Cinema Packaging – DCP Operational Constraints for Immersive Audio,

  1. for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater,
  2. for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days in the same commercial motion picture theater, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily,
  3. advertised and exploited during their theatrical qualifying run in a manner normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices, and
  4. released within the Jazair Awards year deadlines specified in Rule Three.
  5. Drive-in theaters are included as a qualifying commercial venue in the above metro areas. Films must run for seven consecutive days with at least one screening daily.
  6. Films that, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release will not be eligible for Jazair Awards in any category. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:
  • Broadcast and cable television
    • PPV/VOD
    • DVD distribution
    • Inflight airline distribution
    • Internet transmission

Motion pictures released in such nontheatrical media on or after the first day of their theatrical qualifying run remain eligible. Also, up to fifteen percent of the running time of a film may be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s qualifying run. (See also Paragraph 10 below.)

Film festivals may provide films online through either a transactional pay wall or password-protected entry, which will not affect the films’ eligibility for future Jazair Awards qualification. The Jazair Awards Academy will allow an exemption for those films that are released online through a festival’s online platform, provided the filmmaker(s) submit proof of inclusion in the festival. With these provisions, films will be expected to comply with all other eligibility requirements.

  1. Eligibility is contingent on the receipt by the Jazair Awards Academy of a completed Jazair Awards Submission Form (General Entry), to be signed by the film’s producer or distributor (unless waived by the Jazair Awards Academy). DVDs or DCPs are not accepted in lieu of, or in addition to, the Jazair Awards Submission Form. The Jazair Awards Submission Form must be completed online at the Jazair Awards website. The submission shall include:
  1. full, complete and authentic screen credits from opening titles through end credits,
  2. the name of the commercial motion picture theater where the film has screened, and
  3. the dates and times of the theatrical qualifying run.
  4. Eligibility for all awards shall first be determined by credits as they appear on the screen and/or as certified to the Jazair Academy by the producing companies, but final determination in any event shall be made by the Jazair Awards Academy. The Jazair Awards Academy shall not be bound by any contract or agreement relating to the sharing or giving of credit, and reserves the right to make its own determination of credit for purposes of Jazair Awards consideration.
  5. In the event of any dispute concerning credits, the Jazair Awards Academy reserves the right to declare any achievement ineligible or, alternatively, to reject all claims to credit, list credits as being in controversy, and withhold any award until the dispute is resolved.
  6. The alteration of an achievement by changing a picture from the version shown in the theatrical qualifying run, upon which eligibility is based, shall subject such achievement to the risk of being declared ineligible by the Board of Governors.
  7. Submissions which are essentially recordings of performances that were originally produced for another medium are not eligible for Jazair Awards consideration.
  8. Motion pictures from all countries shall be eligible for the annual awards listed in Rule One Paragraph 3, as long as they satisfy the requirements of the other applicable rules and contain accurate and legible English-language subtitles if released in a language other than English.
  9. Exceptions to the eligibility requirements and methods of qualifying listed in Rules Two and Three appear in the Special Rules for the Animated Feature Film award (see Rule Seven), the Animated Short Film award (see Rule Eight), the Documentary Feature Film award (see Rule Twelve), the Documentary Short Film award (see Rule Thirteen), the International Feature Film award (see Rule Fifteen), the Live Action Short Film award (see Rule Sixteen), and the Music awards (see Rule Eighteen).
  10. The Jazair Awards Academy shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.

RULE THREE
THE AWARDS YEAR AND DEADLINES

  1. The required theatrical qualifying run (described in Rule Two Paragraph 2) must begin between June 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025.
  2. A motion picture first theatrically exhibited prior to the theatrical qualifying run shall be eligible for submission, provided the prior exhibition is a theatrical preview or festival screening, or takes place in a commercial motion picture theater after June 1, 2023. No nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution may occur prior to the first day of the theatrical qualifying run.
  3. A motion picture first theatrically exhibited outside Algeria prior to the theatrical qualifying run shall be eligible for submission, provided the prior exhibition takes place in a commercial motion picture theater after June 1, 2023. After the start of its initial theatrical engagement, a picture may be exhibited on television and other nontheatrical media, no nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution may occur prior to the first day of the theatrical qualifying run.
  4. Each picture may have only one theatrical qualifying run. The earliest theatrical exhibition that meets such definition shall be designated the picture’s qualifying run.

RULE FOUR
SUBMISSION

  1. “Every award shall be conditioned upon the delivery to the Jazair Awards Academy of one print or one copy of every film nominated for final balloting for all Jazair Awards. Such print or copy shall be in a format and of a quality equivalent to the film’s theatrical release; if a film exists in more than one format, then the version deposited shall be the film print. Such print or copy shall become the property of the Jazair Awards Academy, with the proviso, however, that the Jazair Awards Academy shall not use such print or copy for commercial gain. Such print or copy shall be deposited with the Jazair Awards Academy and, subject to matters not within its control, shall be screened by the Jazair Awards Academy for the membership in advance of distribution of final ballots.” (Jazair Awards Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 6.)
  2. “Every award shall be conditioned upon the execution and delivery to the Jazair Awards Academy by the recipient thereof of a receipt and agreement reading as follows:

I hereby acknowledge receipt of Jazair Awards Academy Regulations for use of the Jazair Award statuette and the phrase “Jazair Award(s)” in advertising. In consideration of the signing of a similar agreement by other Jazair Award nominees, I agree to comply with said regulations. I understand that on (date) I may receive from you a replica of your copyrighted statuette, commonly known as the “Jazair Award,” as an award for (category) – (film title). I acknowledge that my receipt of said replica does not entitle me to any right whatever in your copyright, trade-mark and service-mark of said statuette and that only the physical replica itself shall belong to me. In consideration of your delivering said replica to me, I agree to comply with your rules and regulations respecting its use and not to sell or otherwise dispose of it or any other “Jazair Award” replica I have been awarded or have received, nor permit it or any other “Jazair Award” replica I have been awarded or have received to be sold or disposed of by operation of law, without first offering to sell it to you for the sum of $1.00. You shall have thirty days after any such offer is made to

you within which to accept it. This agreement shall be binding not only on me, but also on my heirs, legatees, executors, administrators, estate, successors and assigns. My legatees and heirs shall have the right to acquire any “Jazair Award” statuette replica I have received, if it becomes part of my estate, subject to this agreement.

I agree that if I have heretofore received any Jazair Award trophy I shall be bound by this receipt and agreement with the same force and effect as though I had executed and delivered the same in consideration of receiving such trophy.” (Jazair Awards Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 7.)

  1. In submitting a film for Jazair Awards consideration in any category, the film’s owners are deemed to have conveyed to the Jazair Awards Academy the right to choose excerpts from the film and from all approved and available promotional materials relating to the film, including publicity stills, posters and electronic press kits, which are submitted to the Jazair Awards Academy in connection with the film’s Awards consideration, for incorporation by the Jazair Awards Academy at its sole discretion, into the Jazair Awards telecast for the year in which the film is in competition, and into all other media content produced by the Jazair Awards Academy relating to films submitted for Jazair Awards consideration, which is not disparaging of those films, for exhibition by the Jazair Awards Academy and its licensees in all forms of media until 30 days following the Jazair Awards telecast. The owners also convey the right to use excerpts from such films and promotional materials subsequently for any nonprofit purposes of the Jazair Awards Museum, the Jazair Awards Foundation or Jazair Awards websites, in each case subject to the Jazair Awards Academy’s compliance with all applicable guild requirements relating to such uses. The owners shall have obtained all the aforementioned rights from the talent appearing in the film, as well as all other represented personnel. Owners of nominated films are obligated, if requested, to submit to the Jazair Awards Academy a high-definition digital videotape of the film in either D-5 or HDCAM format and of all approved promotional materials relating to the film, in the highest quality formats available, no later than five days following the Jazair Awards Academy’s request for such materials. The Jazair Awards Academy will maintain all materials under appropriate security. Owners of films submitted for Jazair Awards consideration which receive a nomination must submit a 35mm or 70mm film print or unencrypted DCP to the Jazair Awards Academy Film Archive for preservation purposes no later than one year following the nomination announcement. Film prints and DCI compliant DCPs must also be supplied immediately following the announcement to be screened at Jazair Awards venues for voting purposes.

RULE FIVE
BALLOTING AND NOMINATIONS

  1. Voting on all achievements shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.
  2. All eligible films will be listed by the Jazair Awards Academy on Reminder Lists of Eligible Releases for specific categories. Before the Jazair Awards Academy makes the Reminder Lists available to voters, releasing companies may be required to check their productions as they will appear in the Reminder Lists and assume full responsibility for errors and omissions.
  3. Individual reminder lists from which the nominations are voted shall refer only to the film in which the achievement was made, and not to any individual responsible, except in the case of nominations for Acting achievements, which name both the individual and the one picture wherein the achievement occurred.
  4. Voting for nominations and awards shall be by secret ballot. Ballots shall be made available by the Jazair Awards Academy.
  5. In the nominations voting, the marking and tabulation of all ballots shall be according to the preferential or reweighted range voting system. Votes for achievements in motion pictures not on the Reminder List will not be counted in the nominations balloting. Tabulation of final ballots shall be according to the plurality or preferential system. No “write-in” votes shall be counted on the final ballot.
  6. Not more than five nominations shall be made for each award, except for the Best International Feature film award & Best International live action short, which shall have ten nominations.
  7. In the event a nominated achievement is declared ineligible by the Jazair Awards Academy, it shall not be replaced, and the category will remain with one less nomination.
  8. In the event that an achievement voted an award was done in collaboration, each of the eligible collaborators shall receive an award unless the number of awards is specifically limited by a category’s special rules. In the event of a tie for first place in the final balloting, awards shall be given for both achievements.
  9. The Board of Governors shall provide for such screenings or special meetings as may be desirable to ensure a full and fair consideration of the merits of all eligible achievements.
  10. Each branch or other designated committee shall be permitted to formulate its own special rules, provided the final ballot presents not more than five achievements in each category, and that nominations and final voting in each category are restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members. All rules shall be presented for approval to the Board of Governors before implementation.

RULE SIX
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
ACTING AWARDS

  1. A Reminder List including up to ten eligible actresses and up to ten eligible actors for each eligible motion picture shall be made available along with nominations ballots to all active members of the Actors Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five acting achievements in each category: Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.
  2. The five acting achievements in each category receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Acting awards.
  3. A performance by an actor or actress in any role shall be eligible for nomination either for the leading role or supporting role categories. If, however, all the dialogue has been dubbed by another actor, the performance shall not be eligible for award consideration. Singing that is dubbed will not affect the performer’s eligibility unless it constitutes the entire performance. The determination as to whether a role is a leading or supporting role shall be made individually by members of the branch at the time of balloting.
  4. The leading role and supporting role categories will be tabulated simultaneously. If any performance should receive votes in both categories, the achievement shall be placed only on the ballot in that category in which, during the tabulation process, it first receives the required number of votes to be nominated. In the event that the performance receives the number of votes required to be nominated in both categories simultaneously, the achievement shall be placed only on the ballot in that category in which it receives the greater percentage of the total votes.
  5. In the event that two achievements by an actor or actress receive sufficient votes to be nominated in the same category, only one shall be nominated using the preferential tabulation process and such other allied procedures as may be necessary to achieve that result.
  6. In the event that an actor or actress receives a sufficient number of votes to be nominated for one achievement in one category and for another achievement in the other category, both achievements shall be eligible.
  7. The Actors Branch Executive Committee shall have the right and responsibility to resolve all questions of eligibility, rules and the designation of award recipients.
  8. Final voting for the Acting awards shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.

RULE SEVEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

  1. A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all members of the Cinematographers Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five motion pictures.
  2. The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Cinematography award.
  3. In accordance with Rule Two Paragraph 5, only principal position credit(s) shall be considered eligible for the Cinematography award.
  4. Final voting for the Cinematography award shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.

RULE EIGHT
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
COSTUME DESIGN AWARD

  1. A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all members of the Costume Designers Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five motion pictures.
  2. To be eligible for the Costume Design award, the costumes for the picture must have been conceived by a costume designer. It is the intention of this rule to recognize the designing of costumes for their special use in narrative motion pictures. Eligibility shall be determined by the Costume Designers
    Branch members present at a meeting called specifically for that purpose prior to the start of nominations balloting.
  3. In accordance with Rule Two Paragraph 5, only principal position credit(s) shall be considered eligible for the Costume Design award.
  4. The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Costume Design award.
  5. Final voting for the Costume Design award shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.

RULE NINE
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
DIRECTING AWARD

  1. A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all members of the Directors Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five productions.
  2. The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Directing award.
  3. Final voting for the Directing award shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.

RULE TEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM AWARD

  1. DEFINITION
  1. An eligible documentary film is defined as a theatrically released nonfiction motion picture dealing creatively with cultural, artistic, historical, social, scientific, economic or other subjects. It may be photographed in actual occurrence, or may employ partial reenactment, stock footage, stills, animation, stop-motion or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not on fiction.
  2. A feature-length film is defined as an original motion picture that has a running time of more than 40 minutes.ELIGIBILITY
  1. To be eligible for awards consideration for the 3rd Jazair Awards, a documentary feature film must fulfill one of the following qualifying criteria. The eligibility period begins on June 1, 2023, and ends on May 31, 2024. This qualification must take place within two years of the film’s completion date.
  1. The picture must have been publicly exhibited for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theater, for a run of at least seven consecutive days. Screenings during the theatrical release must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily. The motion picture must be advertised during its qualifying theatrical release in a manner normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices and may receive movie critic reviews. 

All eligible motion pictures must be publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to ST 428-1:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000); and image and sound files packaged as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) in the “SMPTE DCP” format. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2:2020 D-Cinema Packaging – DCP Operational Constraints and related specifications. (Blu-ray format does not meet Digital Cinema requirements.)

The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio. The minimum for a non-mono configuration of the audio shall be three channels as Left, Center, Right (a Left/Right configuration is not acceptable in a theatrical environment). In addition to channel-based audio, object-based audio may also be present as an immersive audio bitstream.

The discrete audio data shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 429-3:2007 D- Cinema Packaging – Sound and Picture Track File, SMPTE ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Characteristics and SMPTE ST 428-12:2013 D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups. Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 2098-2:2019 Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification and SMPTE 429-18:2019 D-Cinema Packaging – Immersive Audio Track File and packaged in conformance with SMPTE 429-19:2019 D-Cinema Packaging – DCP Operational Constraints for Immersive Audio.

OR

  1. The film must have won a qualifying award at a competitive film festival, regardless of any prior public exhibition or distribution by nontheatrical means. Proof of the award must be submitted with the entry. 
  1. Works that are essentially promotional or instructional are not eligible, nor are works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.
  2. Only individual documentary works are eligible. This excludes from consideration such works as:
  • multi-part or limited series,
    • episodes extracted from a larger series,
    • segments taken from a single “composite” program, and
    • alternate versions of ineligible works.
  1. Films that, in any version, receive a nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution before their qualifying theatrical release as defined in Paragraph II.A.1 above will not be eligible for Jazair Awards consideration. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:
  • Broadcast and cable television
    • PPV/VOD
    • DVD distribution
    • Inflight airline distribution
    • Internet transmission

Up to fifteen percent of the running time of a film is allowed to be shown in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film’s theatrical release.

Films qualifying under Paragraph II.A.2 or II.A.3 above are exempted from this rule.

RULE ELEVEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
FILM EDITING AWARD

  1. A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all members of the Film Editors Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five motion pictures.
  2. The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Film Editing award.
  3. In accordance with Rule Two Paragraph 5, only film editors who hold principal position credit(s) shall be considered eligible for the Film Editing award.
  4. Final voting for the Film Editing award shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.

RULE TWELVE
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM AWARD

  1. DEFINITION

An international film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) that is not produced or co-produced by a company under Algerian law, not directed or co-directed by an Algerian filmmaker, and does not feature at least one-third of its principal cast holding Algerian nationality. Animated and documentary feature films are permitted.

  1. ELIGIBILITY
  1. The country-selected film must be first released in the country of origin no earlier than June 1, 2023, and no later than May 31, 2025, and be first publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theater for the profit of the producer and exhibitor.
  2. The film must be advertised and exploited during its qualifying theatrical release in a manner considered normal and customary to theatrical feature distribution practices. The film need not have been released in Algeria.
  3. Films that, in any version, receive a nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution before their qualifying theatrical release will not be eligible for Jazair Awards consideration. Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:
  • Broadcast and cable television
    • PPV/VOD
    • DVD distribution
    • Inflight airline distribution
    • Internet transmission
  1. The submitting country must confirm that creative control of the film was largely in the hands of citizens or residents of the submitting country.
  2. The International Feature Film Executive Committee shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.

RULE THIRTEEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM AWARD

  1. DEFINITION
  1. A short film is defined as an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits.
  2. This excludes from consideration such works as:
    1. previews and advertising films
    2. sequences from feature-length films, such as credit sequences
    3. unaired episodes of established TV series
    4. unsold TV series pilots.
  3. A live action film uses imagery created primarily through practical photographic techniques used to capture physical actors, props, sets, and locations. Documentary short films will not be accepted in the live action category. If the picture is created in the cinematic style of a documentary, the filmmaker(s) must also submit information supporting how and why the picture is substantially a work of fiction rather than a documentary.
  1. ELIGIBILITY
  1. To be eligible for award consideration for the 3rd Jazair Awards, a short film must fulfill one of the following qualifying criteria. The eligibility period begins on June 1, 2023, and ends on May 31, 2025. This qualification must take place within two years of the film’s completion date.
  1. The picture must have been publicly exhibited for admission in a commercial motion picture theater.

    All eligible motion pictures must be publicly exhibited by means of 35mm or 70mm film, or in a 24- or 48-frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048 by 1080 pixels, source image format conforming to ST 428-1:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Image Characteristics; image compression (if used) conforming to ISO/IEC 15444-1 (JPEG 2000); and image and sound files packaged as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) in the “SMPTE DCP” format. SMPTE DCP refers to SMPTE ST 429-2:2020 D-Cinema Packaging – DCP Operational Constraints and related specifications. (Blu-ray format does not meet Digital Cinema requirements.)

    The audio in a Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is typically 5.1 or 7.1 channels of discrete audio. The minimum for a non-mono configuration of the audio shall be three channels as Left, Center, Right (a Left/Right configuration is not acceptable in a theatrical environment). In addition to channel-based audio, object-based audio may also be present as an immersive audio bitstream.

    The discrete audio data shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 429-3:2007 D- Cinema Packaging – Sound and Picture Track File, SMPTE ST 428-2:2006 D-Cinema Distribution Master – Audio Characteristics and SMPTE ST 428-12:2013 D-Cinema Distribution Master Common Audio Channels and Soundfield Groups. Immersive audio, if present, shall be formatted in conformance with SMPTE ST 2098-2:2019 Immersive Audio Bitstream Specification and SMPTE 429-18:2019 D-Cinema Packaging – Immersive Audio Track File and packaged in conformance with SMPTE 429-19:2019 D-Cinema Packaging – DCP Operational Constraints for Immersive Audio.

Student films cannot qualify with a theatrical release.

OR

  1. The film must have won a qualifying award at a competitive film festival, regardless of any prior public exhibition or distribution by
    nontheatrical means. Proof of the award must be submitted with the entry.

RULE FOURTEEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING AWARD

  1. DEFINITION
  1. Makeup refers to any change in the appearance of a performer’s face, head, or body created by the application of cosmetics, three-dimensional materials, prosthetic appliances, or facial hair applied directly to the performer’s face, head, or body. Hairstyling refers to any change in the appearance of a performer through hairstyling, wigs or hairpieces applied directly to the performer.

    Makeup and hairstyling, as achievements or crafts, shall be determined by the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Executive Committee.
  1. ELIGIBILITY AND VOTING
  1. Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch members of the Jazair Awards Academy shall attend meetings to review a Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures. Artists from the eligible films may provide portfolios demonstrating their makeup and hairstyling achievements. While portfolios are not required for achievements to be considered, they are encouraged to help inform branch members. Portfolios should highlight the work that appears in the film and include before-and-after photos whenever possible. 

Selected credited makeup artists and hairstylists of the motion pictures under consideration for the Makeup and Hairstyling award shall be required to provide the committee with written descriptions explaining the procedures used to create the makeup and hairstyling achievements, and the names and titles of the primary individuals – not to exceed three in number – directly involved with, and principally responsible for, the makeup and hairstyles achieved.

Up to three statuettes may be awarded in the Makeup and Hairstyling category, when there are three primary and essential contributors to the achievement.

  1. The Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch members shall meet and vote by secret ballot in the order of their preference for not more than ten motion pictures to be considered for the Makeup and Hairstyling award. The ten motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall advance to next round of voting. Recommendations will be made to the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Executive Committee for specific individual achievements from each picture to be considered for the award.

     

  2. The Executive Committee will request that producers provide opportunities to view their motion pictures through advance screenings or screeners. This is especially encouraged in instances where a film will be released after the selection meeting to determine the ten pictures that will be considered for nomination. If, and only if, the film is not available by two weeks prior to the selection meeting, excerpts may be submitted.

     

  3. The producers, or directors, and responsible makeup artists and hairstylists of the motion pictures selected for Jazair Awards consideration shall be required to provide the committee with film or digital excerpts of selected scenes showing the achievements. If a motion picture is shortlisted, the Jazair Awards Academy will provide a list of format requirements. For archival purposes, an archival key (aka DKDM) for the composition playlist must also be provided. Excerpts must be from the final release version of the motion picture and shall not exceed seven minutes in total running time. All elements of the excerpt should be presented exactly as they appeared in the final release version of the motion picture and should focus on the makeup and hairstyling achievements under consideration. Each excerpt must start and finish without an editorial or sound blend between excerpts. If the clip does not meet these requirements, it may not be shown.

     

  4. Final voting for the Makeup and Hairstyling award shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.

     

  5. Such other rules or modifications as may be necessary for the proper conduct of this award shall be adopted by the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the Board of Governors.

RULE FIFTEEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
MUSIC AWARDS

  1. CATEGORIES
  2. Original Score:

An original score is a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring and is written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer(s).

  1. Original Song:

An original song consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.

  1. ELIGIBILITY
  1. The work must be the result of a creative interaction between the filmmaker(s) and the composer(s) and/or songwriter(s) who have been engaged to work directly on the motion picture.
  2. A score must be created specifically for the eligible feature-length motion picture and comprise a minimum of 35% of the total music in the film.
  3. In cases such as sequels and franchises from any media, the score must consist of more than 80% newly composed music which does not contain any pre-existing themes borrowed from previous scores in the franchise.
  4. The work must be recorded for use in the motion picture prior to any other usage, including public performance or exploitation through any media whatsoever.
  5. Only the principal composer(s) or songwriter(s) responsible for the conception and execution of the work as a whole shall be eligible for an award. 
  6. No more than one statuette will normally be given in the Original Score category. A second statuette may be awarded when two credited composers function as equal collaborators, each contributing fully to the original dramatic underscore for the film.

RULE SIXTEEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR AWARD

  1. A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all active and life members of the Jazair Awards Academy.
  2. All active and life members of the Jazair Awards Academy shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five motion pictures. The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Best Picture award.
  3. The individual(s) who shall be credited for Jazair Awards purposes must have screen credit of “producer” or “produced by.” Persons with screen credits of executive producer, co-producer, associate producer, line producer, produced in association with or any other credit shall not receive nominations or Jazair Awards statuettes. 
  4. The Producers Branch Executive Committee shall resolve all questions of eligibility and rules.
  5. Final voting for the Best Picture award shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.

RULE SEVENTEEN
SPECIAL RULES FOR THE
PRODUCTION DESIGN AWARD

  1. A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be made available along with a nominations ballot to all members of the Production Design Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five motion pictures.
  2. The five motion pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Production Design award.
  3. Prior to the start of nominations voting, a meeting of the Production Design Branch shall be held to rule on the eligibility of all productions for Jazair Awards consideration. Eligibility for this award shall be limited to the production designer and set decorator primarily responsible for the design of the production and the execution of that concept. An art director may be considered eligible for the Production Design award only when a production designer is absent from the credits. When the environment of a film is substantially composed of animation and digital artistry, the designer most responsible for that achievement also may be considered. In the case of fully animated feature films, the production designer alone shall be considered; a set decorator shall not be considered unless physical sets were constructed for that film.
  4. Final voting for the Production Design award shall be restricted to active and life Jazair Awards Academy members.