Rules and Terms

Rio Webfest takes place in November in the wonderful city of Rio de Janeiro. We have festival partners from all around the globe, including Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Marseille, Bilbao, Sicily, Rome, Melbourne, Berlin, and Seoul!

Join the webfest celebration in Rio de Janeiro and get together for some caipirinhas and coconut water at our beautiful beaches!

Some of our main attractions:
- CASH AWARDS!
- SUPER PROJECT: pitching sessions and business meetings with international producers.
- SILVER TICKETS: Direct official selection to other web fest partners of the Web Fest International Circuit.
- BUSINESS ROUNDS with representatives of Brazil's TV Channel such as Canal Curta!.
- KEYNOTES from university professors about the web video in Brazil and abroad.
- PANELS with creators from Brazil and abroad.
- SCREENING SESSIONS of web series.
- CLOSED PARTIES and special events for festival participants only.
- RED CARPET and AWARDS SHOW broadcasted online.

Let us help you share your work with the world!

Cash Awards
Best Brazilian Series - R$ 1.500,00
Best International Series - R$ 1.500,00
Popular Vote (Webseries) - R$ 1.000,00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much is the submission fee?
USD 30.00 for creators outside Brazil (until April 30th).
USD 50.00 for creators outside Brazil (until July 31st).
USD 65.00 for creators outside Brazil (until September 26th - extended deadline).

How do I submit my work?
Just click on the links at the end of this section to submit your web series, vlog, trailers, web ads, dance or music videos, or project for business meetings.

If you are Brazilian and did your work in Brazil, please head out for the Brazilian version of this site to pay in Brazilian Reais.

Why is there a submission fee?
Main cinema, television, and web series festivals around the world are paid (including Sundance and Emmy). It is the way we have to produce the event.

If my work is not selected, will you return my submission fee?
Unfortunately, there are no refunds.

My web series already participated in last year's festival. Can I join again?
Yes, because every year we will have a different jury.

My web series has only one chapter or has not been filmed yet. Can I participate?
The minimum number for a product to be considered a web series is two episodes. They have to be ready at the time of registration. If you have a project, you can't participate in the competitive show, but you can submit for the SUPER PROJECT.

Is there a duration limit on the episodes submitted?
No, there are no duration limits for your submitted show. However, if it gets in the official selection and you want it to be screened at the festival, you need to send us a video with a maximum duration of 10 minutes.

How do the official selection process and awards of the festival work?
The festival staff reviews the submissions, watches the uploaded videos, and selects the nominees for each category. The official selection list will be posted on our website and social media. During the event, our national and international jury will select the winners for each award. You can submit your web series, trailer, podcast, webcomic, web ad, music, or dance video on this website or via Film Freeway.

I read in the regulations that English subtitles are mandatory, even for English-speaking shows. How does it work?
As the festival staff is bilingual, there is no need to subtitle the submitted episodes in English to participate in the official selection. However, if your web series is nominated for an award, you must send copies with English subtitles so the international jury can evaluate your work, even if it is spoken in the English language.

I do not have a web series. Can I come to the festival to watch the screenings and make contacts?
Of course, you can! Our festival will be held in Cidade das Artes (City of Arts), a gigantic complex near the beautiful beaches of Barra da Tijuca, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The festival attractions, except the opening and awards ceremonies, are free so everyone can participate. The venue is safe, it has a paid parking lot, and is right next to the Alvorada bus terminal, with easy access via bus or BRT.

What are trailer and web ad categories?
In the festival. we have the trailer and web advertising categories. If you do not wish to submit your whole series or if it is not ready yet, you can compete only with the trailer. Web ads are for advertising videos made especially for the internet. We believe that the web requires a different language from conventional TV and the commercials made to be watched mainly through digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube need recognition!

What is the minimum age to participate?
The event has a minimum rating of 14 years of age to participate. Minors can go with their parents.

SUPER PROJECT - SUBMISSIONS UNTIL OCTOBER 30

What is the SUPER PROJECT?
In addition to the cash awards, the festival offers submitters the opportunity to meet with international and national producers. Remember that filling out the project application form and paying the fee does not guarantee a seat in business rounds or pitching sessions. Only projects selected by the festival will have this opportunity.

Do I need a script for the SUPER PROJECT?
At the time of submission, it is required only a short synopsis of the project, the main plot, a brief description of the main characters, a quick biography from the creator, and a portfolio.

The Super Project is divided into two fronts: Meeting and Pitching. Meetings are business rounds where creators will have the chance to talk directly to national and international players about their projects. In the pitching, 10 selected projects will make a presentation to a panel of players and compete for a Zé trophy.

IMPORTANT: The pitching presentation takes place on-site, at Cidade das Artes, during the festival. Please keep in mind that, should you be selected for the pitching presentation, you must attend in person. The business rounds can be attended either online or in person.

For business sessions, it may be nice to have a pilot's script already outlined and take a short video of no more than 2 minutes to demonstrate your production capabilities. It is important to highlight that all conditions for a potential deal will be discussed directly with the players, the festival only provides the meeting.

WEB PILOT - SUBMISSIONS UNTIL OCTOBER 30

What is the Web Pilot?
Web Pilot is a chance for creators who have neither web series nor anything recorded, but have a great idea for ​​a series pilot that they would like to shoot during the festival days at Cidade das Artes. To apply, you must complete the submission form, pay the fee and our team will select 10 ideas to film during the days of Rio Webfest. The winner will receive a cash prize and a Zé Trophy.

How will it work?
During the first three days of the festival, the selected teams will have to film, edit, and deliver their pilot episodes with a maximum duration of 2 minutes, until the deadline of November 26th, Sunday, the second day of the festival. It is important to keep in mind that you should use your own equipment, such as cameras, editing computers, clothing, lighting, etc., and your own team of actors, directors, art designers, etc. The festival is not responsible nor does it provide any equipment or team members to help creators to shoot their pilots.

WEBPILOT GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. Each selected idea will have three days to produce its pilot episode (which includes scripting, filming, and editing), starting on November 25th.
2. The pilot may contain images filmed in other locations, but it must have scenes filmed in Cidade das Artes, during Rio Webfest.
3. The web pilots must be sent online via e-mail to [email protected], through We-Transfer, Google Drive, Dropbox, or a similar cloud service until 4 p.m. on Monday, November 27th.
4. The maximum length of the video is 2 minutes, including credits. There is no minimum length.
5. Web pilots handed in correctly and on time will be screened on the Web Pilot Screenings on Tuesday, November 28th. The winner will be revealed in the Grande Sala during the Rio Webfest Awards.
6. The crews are responsible for their own equipment, personal belongings, or any other costs relating to the production of their web pilots.
7. All the material used in the videos, like the soundtrack, art, etc. will need to have an authorizing license by the rights owner.
8. Cidade das Artes is aware that there will be filming taking place at the external area of their establishment. The Festival has no permission to allow filming in the internal areas of the Cidade das Artes (rooms, theaters, etc.).
9. It is very windy in the venue, so please protect your audio recording equipment so it doesn't mess up the sound capturing.
10. The videos handed in after the due date and time, will not compete in the festival for the cash prize or trophy.
11. To promote equality among the contestants, the projects classified for the Super Project and Web Pilot will not be able to participate in the Creator’s Panel. There will be however plenty of opportunities for the creators to promote their projects and share ideas during the festival days.

 

Rules & Terms

We are looking for all kinds of web series.

To be able to compete, a web series must have at least two episodes released or ready to be viewed by festival selectors by the time of the submission deadline. There is no duration limit for each episode in the submission and web series that participated in our past editions can also participate this year since we have a different jury every year.

Creators are welcome to submit as many web series as they want, but each one requires one submission fee.

Any non-English or non-Brazilian Portuguese language web series must have subtitles in English and/or in Brazilian Portuguese available by the time of the submission. If your series is officially selected, YOU MUST PROVIDE English subtitles for the screening copies.

Although there is no duration limit for submitting, the screening time limit for each selected web series is 12 minutes (including credits). You are allowed to either send a shorter episode with a total running time of no more than 12 minutes or an edited reel of two episodes if your chapters are really short.

Music Videos, Dance Videos, Art Videos, Podcasts, and Web Comics are also welcome in our festival.

Selected entries are required to provide a high-resolution copy of the screening episode(s) encoded in .mp4 or .mov files in 1080p, h264, max 20mbps bitrate, NTSC or PAL. Please double-check your screening files before sending them.

Regulations and Procedures
1. Rio Web Fest will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in late November.
2. Submission Deadlines: Submissions are open from February until September. Official selections will be announced in October 15th.
3. Submission Format: For Web Series, a minimum of 2 episodes must be submitted online. For Trailers, Web ads, Music and Dance Videos, just the link for the video will be enough. You can submit your series, podcast, trailer, web ad, music or dance video, etc. on our website or via FilmFreeway.
4. Submission Eligibility: All projects produced anytime and anywhere in the world with a two-episodes minimum for series or one video for the rest are eligible for submission. Web series that participated in our earlier editions are still eligible since we have a different jury every year.
5. Submission Fee: All FilmFreeway submissions for Rio Web Fest must be paid by credit card. The submission fee is non-refundable.
6. Selection of Web Series: Submissions are reviewed and selected under the following criteria: quality of narrative and production, acting, originality, cinematography, sound, and other technical categories. Official selections will be announced on October 15th and the results will be informed by email. Nominees should send digital files for screening encoded in .mp4 or .mov files in 1080p, h264, max 10mbps bitrate, NTSC or PAL.
7. Official selections MUST PROVIDE English subtitles for the screening copies, regardless of the original language of your show.
8. Screenings are scheduled during the festival under the criterion of Rio Webfest. Whilst every effort will be made to fulfill the published schedule, we reserve the right to make changes at any time for any reason and we'll not be liable for any costs claimed as a result of a change in scheduling.
9. Filmmakers can submit as many web series as they want.
10. The festival is sovereign in its decisions regarding the distribution of prizes, trophies, and laurels and is free to modify them if necessary, for reasons of "force majeure", keeping that resolution always as a last resort, to be used only if all the alternatives are exhausted.
11. Silver Tickets (direct selection for partner festivals) are a courtesy exchanged between festivals and, therefore, are the responsibility of the partner festival and not of the Rio Webfest organization. Our team will give the winners' contact details to the partner festival, which will ask for the necessary travel documents. The winners, in turn, have the responsibility to issue these documents and to meet the demands of partner festivals. We cannot be held responsible if a partner festival ceases to exist or cancels the prize on your behalf for any reason. These prizes are also non-transferable and cannot be adjourned to the following year.
12. All submitters declare themselves as responsible for the rights of all contents of their episodes in the act of submission. For example, the soundtrack, logo, and images. In case of the true rights holder inquires about the unauthorized use of his creation, the festival will not be responsible for it.
13. The creator is also responsible for well functioning of the episode links sent to curators during the entire submission period, from the submission date until the official selection.
14. During the awards show, the winner trophies will be given to anyone representing the series, all exceptions must be specifically asked in writing before the festival starts. If you are not present at the awards show, we can still send your trophy by mail afterward, as long as you can cover the shipping costs.
15. Payment of the submission fee and filling out the submission form does not mean that your web series will be automatically nominated for an award or that you'll be eligible for the pitching sessions. The festival will preselect the series for the awards nominations and preselect projects to participate in the pitching sessions.
16. All CASH PRIZES will be paid only via Paypal account transfer up till one month after the awards show is over. Paypal taxes and fees are also responsibility of the prize winner.
17. If you plan on attending the festival in person, please note that Brazil requires a TOURIST VISA for citizens of specific countries. Please check out if your country is on the list and how to require your visa at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Brazil#Tourist_visa.
18. Please arrive early to ensure your ticket purchase because all spaces are subject to stocking.
19. By submitting to Rio Webfest, you hereby agree to the use your image and small excerpts of your work to promote the festival in trailers, teasers, and live coverage of the festival on live streaming and social media such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and regular television.

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