PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival 2023 for young filmmakers worldwide (all expenses paid to PLURAL+ Awards Ceremony)

Application Deadline:  June 30, 2023

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced an open call for videos from young filmmakers worldwide for their joint United Nations initiative, the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival.

PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival is a joint initiative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that invites the world’s youth to submit original and creative videos focusing on the themes of migration, diversity and social inclusion. By supporting the distribution of youth-produced media, PLURAL+ recognizes youth as powerful agents of positive social change in a world often characterized by intolerance, and cultural and religious divisions.

Requirements

The PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival (hereinafter referred to as “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 25 years old or less at the time of the production of their videos.

PLURAL+ is organized into three age categories:

1. up to 12 years old
2. 13 to 17 years old and
3. 18 to 25 years old.

Benefits

• Recipients are invited to the place where the PLURAL+ Ceremony is held, all expenses paid, attended every year by a diverse, global audience (United Nations employees, media professionals, representatives of civil society organizations, academics, etc.).
• 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.

PLURAL+ video entries must be:

• Between one (1) and five (5) 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 include English subtitles
• Produced after 1 January 2020.

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. HD is preferred (1920×1080), but not required.

Through an International Jury comprised of renowned experts and media personalities, UNAOC and IOM will jointly select one short video as PLURAL+ International Jury Distinction Recipients in each of three age categories (up to 12, 13 to 17, and 18 to 25 years old). This year, they will also confer three Special Recognitions:

• The Special Recognition for Combating Xenophobia and Discrimination will be conferred to a film that advocates for mutual respect and depicts the pressing global issues of xenophobia and discrimination, particularly when based on ethnicity, religion or belief, such as antisemitism, Christianophobia, Islamophobia or other forms of religious intolerance.
• The Special Recognition for Sport for One Humanity will recognize a video showcasing sport as a positive and essential tool for bringing individuals and communities together, as well as for its unique capacity to bridge cultural divides and foster inclusive and diverse societies.
• The Special Recognition for Migrants’ Contributions to Societies will recognize the best film showcasing the social and economic benefits of migrants and diverse populations in host countries, as well as countries of origin. When well integrated, migrants are an added value to their societies. They can bring skills, strengthen the labor force, investment and cultural diversity, as well as contribute to improving the lives of communities in their countries of origin through the transfer of skills and financial resources.

How to Submit Videos

To submit a video for consideration, you must first complete the online form here.

Please provide all of the required information. Incomplete submissions will lead to disqualification.

The form will ask you to submit your videos in one of two ways:

1. Through a video-streaming website (e.g. YouTube or Vimeo). If submitting through this option, the entrant will be asked to include the URL of the video in the online form. The entrant must ensure that the video link is accessible and not private.
2. Through a file-hosting website (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, etc.) where the entrant’s video is saved. If submitting through this option, you will be asked to include the URL of the video in the online form. The entrant must ensure that the video link is accessible and not private.

Note: Services that require sending files via email (e.g. WeTransfer,FileMail, etc.) are not acceptable.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival 2023