One of the most exciting festivals in Belize is scheduled to take place November 10-13, 2016 in Belize City. Now in its 11th year, the Belize International Film Festival will showcase a wide variety of films from Belize, southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean to promote cultural tolerance and raise awareness. With a focus on the impact that climate change is having in the region, the Belize International Film Festival will also screen documentaries and short films that encourage the development and use of green technologies and social changes to safeguard the environment. The festival will also conduct several workshops and seminars in order to encourage dialogue and a stimulation of regional film-making.
Awards will be given to the best narrative feature, the most notable Belizean film, the best full-length documentary, the best short documentary the best short film, the best animation, the best TV dramatic series, and best music video. Additional categories which will receive awards include a youth audience award (chosen by attendees aged 5-12) and special mentions for the best short film and the best documentary (full-length) feature. The documentary and full-length narrative feature films are open to filmmakers globally while the other categories are restricted to filmmakers in the region. The music video category is restricted to clips featuring an artist from Belize and must be shot on location in Belize.
Interested filmmakers are still eligible to submit their films prior to June 30, 2016. A complete list of the rules and entry forms can be found on the festival’s official website as well as their Facebook page.
For many years, the Belize International Film Festival was held during the summer in Placencia in the southeastern part of the country but at the end of 2015, the organizers decided to return the festival to Belize City, where it was held during its earlier years. The timing of the festival was also rescheduled for November 10-13 because it was “time for a little shake up again,” according to the organizers in a posting on their official Facebook page. The Belize International Film Festival is organized by the Film and Media Arts Unit of the Institute of Creative Arts, a subdivision of Belize’s National Institute of Culture and History.
