FESTIVAL NEWS
Media That Matters Seeking Fair Use Films
In case you haven't heard, our
call for entries for the sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival is in full swing. The early deadline is January 6th and we are seeking shorts on any and all social and/or environmental issues.
In Bush for Peace, filmmakers Jen Simmons and Sarah Christman remixed one of George Bush's TV addresses to comment on global politics.
This year, in partnership with the
Center for Social Media, we are specifically seeking entries that utilize Fair Use in their approach to storytelling, in addition to seeking films on all social issues.
Fair Use is the right, in some circumstances, to quote copyrighted material without asking permission or paying for it. It is a crucial feature of copyright law. It is what keeps copyright from being censorship. You can invoke Fair Use when the value to the public of what you are saying outweighs the cost to the private owner of the copyright. The law avoids setting exact standards for when that occurs, and this is a good thing. Otherwise, rules appropriate for one creator would not fit the practices of another.
Broadcast news producers, academics and other creator groups have established shared understandings of what they think, for their own practices, is Fair Use. But documentary filmmakers for years have found themselves almost unable to use Fair Use, because lawyers and broadcasters and cablecasters were not sure how to interpret it. Filmmakers have finally gotten together, through their service organizations, and developed a set of their shared understandings about what is fair and reasonable interpretation of Fair Use. The result of this work is the
"Documentary Filmmakers' Statement on Best Practices in Fair Use," which will be available, as of November 18th, for your consultation.
Arts Engine, the nonprofit that produces the Media That Matters Film Festival, believes that reclaiming Fair Use as an empowering filmmaking tool is important. It's key to freedom of speech. And it's the law.
We are looking for submissions that employ Fair Use, as filmmakers themselves have decided it should be interpreted, as a device in exploring a social or environmental issue. We are also interested in pieces that are about Fair Use itself and which can communicate the importance of the concept to a broad audience of activists, educators, youth and the general public.
One film will be honored with a Fair Use Award at the sixth annual Media That Matters Film Festival awards ceremony.
Submit your short today!
We expect that you will consult the
"Documentary Filmmakers' Statement on Best Practices in Fair Use" and explain what in your work has employed fair use, according to the terms of the statement.
Examples of films that employ Fair Use:
Learn more about Fair Use:
Published on October 27, 2005
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