BASES VOCES DEL SUR
Programa de Mentorías "Voces del Sur" para Desarrollo de Cortometrajes de Animación
Iniciativa conjunta de Ojo Raro y BITBANG
OBJECTIVE
The South Voices mentorship program is a joint initiative between Ojo Raro and BITBANG International Animation, Video Games, and Digital Art Festival, created with the aim of expanding the representation of voices and stories in the field of South American auteur animation. The program seeks to encourage and strengthen the creation of animation short films in the early stages of development with non-hegemonic and non-dominant narratives. South Voices offers selected projects personalized mentoring, pitching sessions, talks with global experts, case studies, and workshops. Through mentoring in narrative, direction, production, art direction, and distribution, we aim to empower and train emerging auteur voices in animation. Our proposal focuses on elevating animated narratives, primarily aimed at adult audiences, though not excluding other audiences. We encourage new participants in animation to develop their distinctive voice and style as directors and authors, situating their own work within a broader field of contemporary and historical critical debate.
We foster proposals that integrate thought, creativity, technique, and modes of production. We want to promote diversity from an intersectional perspective and give voice to those who have been historically marginalized and silenced. Therefore, while not exclusive, priority will be given to LGBTIQ+ communities (with a special emphasis on trans, non-binary, queer identities, and femininities), as well as native cultures, Afro-descendants, and migrants and racialized individuals.
The South Voices mentorship program will be held online as part of the ninth edition of BITBANG.
ELIGIBILITY
The program is open to filmmakers, animators, students, and South American creators interested in telling their stories through animation, even if they have no prior experience. By South America, we mean the entire Economic and Cultural South of the continent, from Mexico to Argentina. We also invite individuals from other artistic disciplines who wish to explore animation as a medium for expressing their ideas. Priority will be given to those from underrepresented communities, including but not limited to: LGBTIQ+ individuals (with priority to trans, non-binary, queer identities), femininities, migrants and racialized individuals, indigenous cultures, and Afro-descendants.
SELECTION PROCESS
6 projects will be pre-selected to participate in the “South Voices” program. The projects will be evaluated by a curatorial committee of experts in the animation industry and minority representation, appointed by the organizers. Originality and relevance of the stories, as well as the participants’ potential to develop their projects, will be prioritized.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
The call for the “South Voices” program will be open from August 23rd to September 29th, 2023, at 11:59 PM (Argentina time GMT-3).
NOTIFICATION OF PRE-SELECTION RESULTS
The organizers and the Curatorial Committee will announce the pre-selected projects on October 11th, 2023. An email will be sent to the selected projects with the mentoring schedule. Project representatives must commit to actively participating in the training, regularly attending meetings, and participating in remote and synchronous sessions.
Pre-selected participants must accept the program’s conditions by sending their confirmation via email within a maximum of 72 hours of the announcement to continue in the program.
MENTORING DATES
Mentoring will be conducted remotely and synchronously from October 23rd to 28th, 2023, as part of the BITBANG International Animation, Video Games, and Digital Art Festival.
Participants must ensure they have the appropriate connection tools for each meeting on the schedule and maintain regularity and presence.
AWARDS
In addition to the mentoring program, additional prizes will be awarded, including:
- Selection of one project to receive the “Ojo Raro Incubator” award, consisting of personalized advice and support for the development, writing, and production of the winning project for up to 3 months.
- Distribution of one of the projects in international festivals provided by the distributor Films to Festivals.
- Training with international experts suitable for the project.
- Other additional prizes to be announced soon.
The specific conditions for pre-selected participants for mentoring and awards will be detailed in an agreement that the organizers and participants will sign upon pre-selection and confirm if they become winners.
CONDITIONS
1. Participants must be individuals over 18 years of age, of Argentine nationality or from a South American country (including the entire Economic and Cultural South of the continent, from Mexico to Argentina).
2. Participation in the call is free of charge.
APPLICATION AND SELECTION OF WORKS
1. Applicants must fill out the form
- and submit a project folder for an animation short film in development with a maximum duration of 10 minutes in .PDF format, with a maximum size of 10mb, written in Spanish, including the following information:
- Technical Sheet of the project: Title, Duration, Genre, Target, Technique, Artistic and Technical Team
- Synopsis of the project of up to one page
- Character designs or visual development/concept art (optional)
- Author’s motivation letter
- Aesthetic references or mood board
- Visual, sound, and general style proposal of up to one page
- Mini biography, with links to other projects if available.
2. Each project may have up to 2 representatives.
3. The registration of a work in this call implies full acceptance of these rules and conditions. By submitting a project for consideration, the applicant declares they hold all copyright on the Work and/or have the power to authorize the communication of the project during the festival period, primarily in Argentine territory.
The signer of the application also declares that if their project involves the total or partial use of works protected by national or international Intellectual Property laws and whose copyright holders are different from the project applicant, they have obtained explicit authorization from the copyright holder at the time of registration, complying with the formalities indicated in these rules and conditions.
Authorization means permission granted by the copyright holder in any contractual form to use the work in some of the ways and by some of the means established by intellectual property legislation. The applicant is responsible for any infringement of such rights and is obliged to defend and hold Ojo Raro and BITBANG harmless from claims made by third parties.
Failure to comply with these rules and conditions by any participant will result in immediate disqualification and loss of all benefits of the call.
4. The registration of a work in this call implies full acceptance of these rules. By submitting a project for consideration, the applicant declares they hold all copyright on the Work and/or have the power to authorize the communication of the project during the festival period in Argentine territory.
JURY
1. The jury will be composed of the mentors of South Voices and representatives of Ojo Raro, professionals from the animation field, such as filmmakers, producers, distributors, and cultural managers.
2. The jury’s decision and the curatorial committee’s decision are final.
SELECTION
1. The selection will be published on the Instagram accounts www.instagram.com/bitbangclub and www.instagram.com/ojoraro.tv and will be notified via email between October 11th and 17th, 2023.
2. By applying, selected projects authorize the use of their project’s image (provided by the representative of the selected works) for the promotion of the activity. Participants expressly authorize the organizers to disseminate their names, mini-bios, images, and relevant project information for the promotion of activities, without charge. Materials may be adjusted at the sole discretion of the organizers for editorial and communication reasons. The organizers may use the names, bios, photographs, and any other material included in the presentation for press and promotional purposes.
3. Selected works will be notified via email, with instructions regarding participation.
4. Participation in this call implies full acceptance of these regulations. Ojo Raro and BITBANG will resolve any eventuality not specified in these rules and conditions at their discretion and in an unappealable manner.
COLLABORATION
This initiative is a joint collaboration between Ojo Raro and the BITBANG Festival, two key players in promoting art and animation in South America. It will also include international mentors to be announced soon.
EXPECTED IMPACT
We hope the “South Voices” program will contribute to the development of filmmakers and authors from underrepresented minorities, empowering them to tell their own stories and challenging stereotypes and prejudices still present in the animation sector. We aim to inspire new generations of creators and promote a more inclusive and authentic representation in South American animation.
With SOUTH VOICES, we seek to foster more diverse and enriching animation, celebrating different voices and recognizing the value of telling other stories.
