Call for Submissions: Health for All Film Festival (HAFF)

Deadline: 31 January 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) is inviting public health institutions from around the world, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), communities, activists and students in public health, film schools, and other relevant domains to submit their original short films championing a health issue.

The HAFF’s fifth official selection of about 90 short films will be presented to the public in April 2024 via the WHO YouTube channel and WHO Health for All Film Festival homepage. Winners from this selection will be announced by mid-May 2024.

Categories

Short documentaries, fiction films, or animation films will have to be submitted in one of the following “Grand Prix” categories:
- Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – films about mental health, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and other UHC stories linked to communicable diseases not part of emergencies;
- Health Emergencies – films about health emergencies, such as COVID-19, Monkeypox, Ebola, disaster relief, and health in conflict settings;
- Better Health and Well-being – films about environmental and social determinants of health as well as other non-medical conditions for good health, such as nutrition, sanitation, pollution, gender, physical activity, and/or health promotion or health education.

Prize Information

Each prize will be constituted of a trophy and a payment
- There will be three GRAND PRIX, one for each category. Each GRAND PRIX will receive a payment of US$ 10,000.
- In addition, juries can nominate special prizes for shortlisted videos not receiving a GRAND PRIX. From this pool, the Director General can choose up to four special prizes, each receiving a payment of US$ 5,000.

Prize Categories

In addition, four special prizes will be attributed as follows:
- Special Film Prize on Physical Activity and Health – Individual stories and those at the community, health facilities and/or national levels are welcome in the perspective of demonstrating the health benefits of physical activity.
- For instance, they could relate to:
  - Prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, including mental health.
  - Experiences of older adults who remain physically active and the impact on their vitality, independence, and quality of life.
  - Stories of resilience, breaking stereotypes, and achieving personal growth through being physical active or participation in sports, such as sports practice empowering specific genders or other groups of people being stigmatized.
  - Physiotherapy and medical rehabilitation.
  - Inclusivity and accessibility.
  - Environmental impact of physical activity.
- Special Migrants and Refugees Health Film Prize – Films that shed light on the impact of migration and displacement on the physical and mental health and well-being of migrants and refugees. Films raising awareness on the rights and unique health needs of these populations, and showcase how access to health care for these populations contributes to their better health and well-being.
- For instance, the short films submitted could explore the following topics and more:
  - Situations where the health of migrants and refugees has improved in the transit and host countries compared to their country of origin.
  - Situations where their health status has deteriorated because of the conditions in which they travel and settle in the new destination, including factors such as poor housing, overcrowding, lower levels of education, difficulties in accessing health care, clean water, and good sanitation, poor air quality, food insecurity, vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence, gender and cultural stereotyping, and the adverse effects of immigration detention.
  - Challenges in access to health care, including for migrants in irregular situations, due to exclusion from national programmes for health promotion, disease prevention, treatment and care, high fees, language, and cultural barriers, distance to facility, discrimination by the provider, and lack of documentation.
  - Impact of restricted and discontinuous access to health care in transit and host countries.
  - Causes of migration and displacement, including seeking a better life and job opportunities.
- Student Film Prize – Films produced by students who can justify that their submitted production was made during their university studies.
- Very Short Film Prize – Films between one to below three minutes (1’00” to 2’59”) about any health-related topic previously described in the above competition categories.

Eligibility Criteria

Only short films about health completed between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2024 are eligible for the Film Festival 5th edition.
All types of artistic approaches are welcome: animation, fiction, documentary, and video art.
Submissions of films may be made by production institutions or individuals 18 years or older.
A submission can be in any language; if the film is not in English; English subtitles must be included in the frame.
Any production made by United Nations staff members or exclusively done with UN funding is not eligible.
Commercial/corporate films advertising for a product, device, or private business service, won’t be selected.
Institutions applying can be from the public or non-profit domains, as well as audiovisual production companies and public or private academic institutions.
If the film of an entrant under 18 years of age is chosen as a semifinalist or finalist, and written parental or guardian permission cannot be provided, WHO has the right to reject the entry.
If you wish to be considered for the student prize, you must provide proof of your enrollment in a high school or educational institution during the period when the submitted video was made.

Technical Requirements

Every video submitted must be a final edited product: rough-cuts will not be considered for the selection.
Submissions do not need to have been already distributed to be eligible.
Every submission must be in horizontal format in full HD (1920 X 1080 pixels) compressed with MP4 codec, data-rate of 10 MB/s. In case a video is produced in square or vertical formats, the file should be inserted in the horizontal full HD format as described with black bands on left and right sides.
WHO takes no responsibility for submissions that are lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete or cannot be delivered or entered for any technical or other reason. Proof of delivery of the entry is not proof of receipt.

For more information, visit WHO.