Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP),

TVE Asia Pacific (TVEAP)

and

Public Media Agency (PMA)

proudly announce the

ASIA PACIFIC RICE FILM AWARD 2008

The first ever Award in the region to acknowledge  excellence in film on rice-related issues! 

Rice is Life to the people of Asia and our most revered treasure. It is central to the Asian way of life; its cultural heritage and diversity, spirituality, and traditions. 

v     AWARD CATEGORY & ELIGIBILITY: One general category: open to everyone in the eligible countries in the Asia Pacific region with no age limit. The films must be produced by a person who is a permanent resident or citizen of an eligible (Asia Pacific) country. (Please see eligibility criteria at www.panap.net.)

v     DURATION OF COMPETITION: Entries will be accepted from 1 August 2008 to 31 January 2009.

v     THEMATIC SCOPE: Asia's rice heritage (based on the Five Pillars of Rice Wisdom described at www.panap.net) and the threats it faces in this era of globalization.

v     FILMS: Films may be fictional or factual, as long as they have rice in Asia as the key theme. The films may have been produced using professional video, home video, mobile phones or cinematic equipment. 2D or 3D animation; songs; short drama; satire; adaptations of folk culture; documentaries will be accepted. Entries must contain moving images for at least 90% of the total film duration – animated still photos or slides shows are not eligible. Entries should have been produced after January 2008 and should be no longer than 10 minutes long.  

v     GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE: The entry's content must be filmed in the Asia Pacific region.

v     COPYRIGHTS: All who enter films need to declare that they either own or share the copyright of the film. They also agree to allow the competition organisers to use the film online, on DVD/VCD/VHS, or in any other form, for advocacy, educational, or promotional purposes with no time limit for such use.

v     Judges: The organisers have jointly designated a regional panel of 7 judges below comprising experienced film-makers, journalists, activists or other professionals in relevant fields.

o        Teena Amrit Gill is a journalist and film maker based in New Delhi, India.

o        Lihong Shi is an independent filmmaker and freelance media consultant based in Beijing, China.

o        Nalaka Gunawardene is the Director and CEO of Television for Education - Asia Pacific (www.tveap.org).

o        Amir Muhammad is a writer and independent filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

o        Hyaekyoung Lee is the Chairwoman of the International Women's Film Festival (IWFFIS) and  Consultative Chairwoman of the Green Film Festival, both in Seoul.

o        Rafael Mariano is a farmer-leader and a national chairperson of the Peasant Movement of the Philippines (Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas – KMP).

o        Augustine Loorthusamy is the president of Signis, the International Catholic Association for Communication.  

v     JUDGING CRITERIA         

o       Originality of the story idea

o       Innovative presentation in an engaging, non-technical style

o       Potential for effective communication of rice issues in the Asia Pacific region.

o       Clever use of available technological facilities

The decision of the judges will be final, binding, and not open to challenge. The judges and organisers reserve the right not to present an award if entries do not meet minimum quality standards. Results are expected to be announced by April 2009.

v     PRIZE: The winner will receive the following:

·        US Dollars Two Thousand (US$ 2,000) in cash / cheque

·        An Asia-Pacific Rice Film Award plaque

·        An Asia-Pacific Rice Film Award certificate

These will be presented at an event in 2009 to be organised by PAN AP or a PAN AP partner organisation at a venue determined at PAN AP's discretion.

v     ENTRY SUBMISSION: There is no entry fee. Entries may be submitted online or offline according to specifications given at www.panap.net/aprfa. Each entry should be accompanied by a completed and signed Entry Form.

v     Not eligible to participate in this competition are: The management and staff of PANAP, PMA, and TVEAP; the judges and their organisations; and the immediate family members of all such persons/organisations.

                                               ______________________________________________________________

For full details on this competition, please go to www.panap.net/aprfa

For enquiries, contact:  PAN Asia and the Pacific,

P.O. Box 1170, 10850 Penang, Malaysia.
E-mail: panap@...