My Heritage Short-film Competition
Open Call for Application
To Participate in the 3rd Edition of the Short-Film Competition
“My Heritage”
The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage and the Heritage Commission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair for World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism management in the Arab Region, announces the launch of the third edition of the short film competition “My Heritage”, with the aim of increasing Arab youth’s awareness on World Heritage in the Arab region and highlighting Cultural and natural heritage in their local surroundings by creating innovative short films to tell different stories about World Heritage sites in the Arab region.
Theme:
In its third edition, My Heritage Competition sheds the light on the traditional handicrafts in World Heritage Sites, the relationship of local communities to the site, crafts and memories related to it, the cultural practices associated with the site, and the relationship of young people to the site at the present time.
Participants shall submit a proposal of an innovative short film for a World Heritage Site in their country using a smartphone or any of the available filming technologies. The filming does not require to be filmed with professional equipment, the important goal of the competition is to address the site in an innovative way that suits young people’s trends and interests. Short films can include stories about crafts present or linked to the World Heritage Site listed on the UNESCO list.
Objectives:
- Raising youth’s awareness on World heritage sites located in their local or regional surroundings.
- Forming a network of Arab youth interested in culture in the Arab region.
- Interpreting heritage in a contemporary and innovative approach.
- Involving the local community, especially youth, in heritage narration.
- Encouraging understanding of the role of heritage sites in contributing to improving the future of Arab youth and influencing their lives.
- Promoting World Heritage sites and encouraging sustainable tourism to them.
- Promoting sustainable development goals at different levels, whether cultural, social, economic or environmental.
Conditions:
- The short film should be a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes.
- The film must be about a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Arab region.
- The film must include translation from Arabic to English and from English to Arabic.
- Films must not revolve around any political issues.
- Applicants can participate as individuals or as a group of up to 3 people.
- Participant must be 18 – 30 years old.
*Compensations won’t be offered for winners that are unable to participate in the in-person training.
Requirements:
- A 3-5 minutes short film about traditional crafts at a World Heritage Site.
- A trailer/promotional clip for the film, no more than 30 seconds long.
- A2 size advertising poster.
- A short introductory film for the participant/ participant/s
Timeline:
Registration Deadline: 30 May 2024
Online training workshops: During June and July
Film submission deadline: 1st of August 2024
In-Person Training workshops: 24 – 31 October 2024
*The dates of the training workshops will be announced later
Judging Criteria:
Overall: makes an impact on viewers and leaves them with a strong impression and understanding of the topic that encourages them to learn more about the World Heritage Site.
Story Narrative: providing information about the significance of the cultural and/or natural heritage of the site; Demonstrating the main theme clearly, the film touches on the social, cultural and economic context of the site more broadly. This can be done through interviews with people of the area, surrounding communities and/or visitors.
Creativity: Telling the story of the World Heritage Site in a unique way, including different voices from the local community, visitors, the elderly, youth and children.
Production: All audio and visual elements convey the story’s message in a smooth and understandable way. Attention is paid to the quality of audio and video so that the sound is balanced and easy to hear.
Prize:
- A fully funded trip for all the winners to Assir in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Getting an in-person practical training with a film director.
- Filming a collaborative film with all the winners
*Winners will be compensated with a maximum amount of 700 USD if they were unable to attend due to logistical reasons.
To watch the winning films in the first edition
To watch the winning films in the second edition