How to participate?
On this page you will find any information you need to prepare for your participation in the Nikon Film Festival. We recommend you read it carefully in order to avoid format issues.
Because its aim is to be accessible to as many person as possible, the Nikon Film Festival is a totally free event.
Which format?
Short film
1 video file
Duration: 2min20
A duration and an imposed theme, that's all!
No limits or exclusivity are imposed. You can submit as many projects as you like, send them to other festivals, or distribute them on your own.
Read moreIt's free of charge and It’s open to all
Driven by the ambition to be accessible to as many people as possible, the Nikon Film Festival Benelux is a completely free event. With just a little support, simplicity, and a strong idea, even those with the smallest budgets can participate.
No matter who you are or how much experience you have, the Nikon Film Festival Benelux inspires creativity by lowering barriers and championing true openness through complete accessibility.
The greatest challenge is to dare, to create, and to share.
Recommended format
Below are the encoding settings for uploading your videos to our site and our recommendations for providing an optimal broadcast experience.
About image
Ratio
16:9 (recommended)
or 4:3 (black bands will appear on the sides)
If you suggest a different format (vertical, square, etc.), the player automatically adapts video
Resolution
1080p minimum
Up to 3840 x 2160 (4K)
Progressive
Framerate
24 FPS (recommended)
25 FPS
Codec video
H.264 / AVC (recommended)
H.265 / HEVC
DivX
WMV9
MPEG-2
Files Format
.mp4
.mov
.avi
.mpeg4
Video duration
Must be between 120 and 140 seconds including generic
Video player used can round up to the next second so we tolerate up to 02:21:00
File weight
Up to 2 Go maximum
About sound
Codec Audio
AAC - LC (recommended)
MP3
WMA9
MPEG Layer 2
Channels
Stéréo + 5.1 (recommended)
Stéréo
Sampling rate
96 kHz
48 kHz
Music
Original composition
or royalty-free content
If you wish to include copyrighted material in your video, you must seek prior permission or check rights of use associated with that work
In case of a claim, you may be required to mask or replace the copyrighted music
Would you like to use professional-quality music and hold full rights to its distribution? Take advantage of our special offer: tracks discounted 80% for the occasion (€30).
To benefit from this special rate, you must contact contact_paris@bam.mu to submit a request.
Discover
Subtitles
English subtitles are mandatory to participate in the Nikon Film Festival Benelux, if the film includes spoken content.
Embedding
They must be directly embedded in the image before video’s uploaded
Most commonly used font types
Arial - Helvetica - Roboto - Tiresias
Color
White or black (recommended)
You can consider other colors depending on desired aesthetic, but remember to check legibility on the whole movie
Position
Subtitles are usually positioned at the center bottom, but sometimes they can interfere with the visibility of certain information and should be moved
Other recommendations
Maximum 36 characters per line (including spaces)
Maximum two lines of subtitles if possible
Avoiding a subtitle overlapping a change of plan
Here is an example
TEARS COME FROM ABOVE directed by par Manon Stutz et Margaux Fazio
Vertical Poster
This is the visual that appears on the website across all pages listing the films and series in competition, as well as those used on the festival’s social media.
Vertical format 4:5
Ideal resolution: 1080 x 1350 px
File type: JPG or PNG
Maximum file size: 10 MB
Horizontal Thumbnail
This is the visual that appears as a preview in the integrated video player. It also appears automatically when sharing your link on social media.
Horizontal format 16:9
for the video player
Ideal resolution: 1280 x 720 px
(with a minimum width of 640 pixels)
File type: JPG or PNG
Maximum file size: 2 MB
ℹ️ Important: you can update both visuals at any time by logging into your director's space.