Call for films to be restored

Regulation

The 37^th edition of the Premiers Plans Festival will take place from January 18 to 26, 2025. Premiers Plans and Préludes have joined forces to award the Prix Préludes to support the restoration of a first film.
Préludes is a distributor, international sales agent and FVOD platform dedicated to first feature films (short and long). Alongside its distribution work, it is committed to supporting the emergence of new authors and the restoration of first cinematographic works.

Premiers Plans and Préludes launch a call for films to be restored
Open from September 20 to November 29, 2024

1/ Eligibility

• The project is a feature-length debut produced by French, European, or international sources (student films are not eligible).

• The rights holders to the film are looking to restore it ahead of a new theatrical, television, or online release.

• All rights must be secured: a clean chain of title will be required for authors’ rights, including writer and director agreements, as well as licenses for original and additional music and archival footage.

• The film must have been shot in celluloid and the original material must be available. A letter or email authorizing the release of the material from the laboratory where it is stored must be supplied. It will need to state the available material and provide a cost estimate for its release.

• Distribution and exhibition rights to the film must be available (for theatrical, television, and online release) at the time of submission. Past distribution and exhibition contracts must be supplied.

• The same film cannot be entered twice.

2/ Jury and Prize

A special jury made up of industry professionals is in charge of reviewing submitted projects and selecting a winner. Members convene in december. The winner is notified in the days following the jury’s decision.

3/ Prize detail

The Préludes Prize includes the following:

• Restoration of the selected project (4K scan and restoration by Préludes in collaboration with Micro Climat and Cosmo Digital, depending on the material provided).

• A screening of the award-winning film restored for Premiers Plans during the 38^th edition (January 2026)

4/ Counterparties

Préludes will acquire the exclusive rights to the film for a renewable 5-year period in accordance with the following terms and conditions:  

• Media: cinema - TV - (F-S)VOD (including on Préludes) 

• Territories: France as a minimum, and abroad if rights are available

The winning film must visibly include the awards provided by Premiers Plans and Préludes on all promotional documents and press kits published subsequently, for commercial or non-commercial distribution or festival presentation in France and abroad. These awards must also appear in the film's credits and on all DVD editions, alongside any references to the film's restoration.

5/ Registration and submission of applications

Registration is only possible via the form on this page:
https://www.premiersplans.org/festival/en/index.php 

For any specific request, please contact us at the following addresses: restauration@preludes.fr 

If you accept and understand these conditions, please complete the registration form.

Registration Form

Closing date for registrations: November 29, 2024

Premiers Plans team contact
Arnaud Gourmelen
Head of programming
arnaud.gourmelen@premiersplans.org 

Préludes team contact
Thomas Carillon, Founding President
Louise Gerbelle, Distribution Manager
restauration@preludes.fr