The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health for All Film Festival (HAFF) is accepting creative short films on health from independent filmmakers, production companies, public institutions, NGOs, communities, students, and film schools worldwide.

The Festival aims to find a new generation of film and video creators who will champion and promote global health challenges.

HAFF has three categories, each evaluated by a jury composed of external advisers from the arts and WHO experts. All jury members are experts in specific areas of public health.

The Jury will select a maximum of 15 films for each category to watch, and then they will shortlist 10 to 15 films for special prizes, including a trophy and a grand prize of USD 10,000. The Jury will screen these shortlisted videos online for public viewing. Finally, the WHO Director-General will select the final winners in each category considering the juries’ recommendations.

Important Details 

• Submission Deadline: 31 January 2024
• Submission Status: Open
• Event Date: April 2024
• Notification Date: April or Early May 2024
• Winners Results: Mid-May 2024
• Funding Type: Partially-funded
• Organized By: World Health Organization (WHO)
• Subject: Health

Awards

Each reward will consist of a trophy and grant as follows:

• Based on the festival categories, there will be Three Grand Prix, with each GRAND PRIX receiving a USD 10,000 grant.
• Additionally, juries can nominate Special Prizes for shortlisted videos that do not receive a GRAND PRIX. For this pool, the Director-General will choose up to Four Special Prizes, each getting a USD 5,000 grant. Special Prizes are not available to GRAND PRIX winners. Also, each candidate will only be eligible for one special prize as follows:

1. Student Prize: The student’s Special Prize is for videos 3-8 minutes long produced by students who are:

• Legal adults in their country;
• Enrolled in formal education, including audio-visual and film-making schools.

2. Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Film Prize: This prize is for videos 3-8 minutes long with a story in line with the content described on the festival website;

1. Climate Change and Health Film Prize: This prize is for videos 3-8 minutes long with a story content described on the festival website;
2. Very Short Film Prize: This prize is for 1 to 2 minutes and 30 seconds long videos with a story in line with the content of 1 of the main 3 categories or the content of other special prizes described on the festival website.

Festival Categories

The Festival has three film categories; for each of these three Grand Prix categories, applicants submit short documentaries, fictions, and animation films of 3 to 8 minutes in length:

1. Universal Health Coverage (UHC): For the UHC category, candidates can submit films addressing mental health, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and other UHC stories regarding infectious diseases that are not part of emergencies;
2. Health Emergencies: Applicants for this category can submit films concerning health emergencies such as COVID-19, disaster relief, Ebola and health in war zones;
3. Better Health and Well-Being: Candidates can submit environmental and social determinants of health films, such as nutrition, sanitation, pollution, gender, and health promotion or health education.

Films Eligibility

All submitted films must meet the following requirements:

• The Film Festival will accept some older films about public health historical achievements & challenges. In this case, historical films must be reformatted to meet these rules’ guidelines. Only videos created between 1 January 2021 & 31 January 2024 are eligible.
• Submissions can be animation, fiction, documentary, and video art;
• The length of each film submitted must be 3-8 minutes, and for the very short films, the size can be 1 to 2 minutes and 30 seconds;
• Candidates can submit a film in any language. If the submission language is not English, an English subtitle is necessary;
• The content of all films should address a health issue that states complete physical, mental, and social well-being by WHO;
• United Nations staff members or completed works with UN funding are not eligible;
• Commercial or corporate films advertising for a device, product, or private business service are not eligible.

Note: Read more about the festival application rules here.

Technical Requirements

Every video must meet the following technical requirements:

• Be a final edited product: rough-cuts is are NOT considered;
• Not have been already distributed;
• It can be in any language; if it is not in English, English subtitles are necessary;
• Be in a horizontal format in full HD (1920 X 1080 pixels) compressed with MP4 codec, the data rate of 10 MB/s;
• WHO is not responsible for submissions that are:

1. Lost
2. Delayed
3. Misdirected
4. incomplete
5. Not entered or delivered for technical or any other reason.

• Delivery proof of entry is not proof of receipt.

How to Submit?

Applicants can submit their films via Film Freeway online portal by entering the link below.

Submit Now

Check More Opportunity

• ICLRS Young Scholars Fellowship on Religion and the Rule of Law 2024
• Maynard 200 Fellowship Program 2024 for Editors and Managers
• TRC Investigative Reporting Fellowship 2024 (Rs. 80,000 Grant)
• Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship 2024 (Stipend: $100,000)

For more information about Health for All Film Festival, please visit the WHO Website .