Under Construction - UC Films

Submission of films for distribution

Under Construction primarily works with independent films that attempt to explore aesthetics and formal experiments to enrich story telling, recast the notion of political filmmaking, and represent voices and issues that find little space in the dominant media. It aims to reach the films to a wide range of audience and seeks to widen the parameters of discourse in civil society.

Although many of the Under Construction films are documentaries, we equally welcome fiction, short fiction, experimental, animation and all other forms and genres. There is no bar for production year or duration. There is also no discrimination on the basis of the popularity of the films or stature of the filmmakers. In short, all films are welcome, provided they have something important to say, and say it differently.


Submit your film

The Distribution mechanism in brief

Under Construction is a non-commercial, non-theatrical, non-broadcast and non-exclusive distribution mechanism for sale of the films in the territories that is granted to us by the producer – India, South Asia or World. Being non-exclusive, producers are free to give their films to other distributors in the same territories as they allot to us.

The intellectual property rights of the work remain with the filmmaker/ producer; we only seek rights to sell and circulate the film in the territory that is assigned to us. Filmmakers can continue using the film in any manner, whether for publicity, advocacy, educational purposes, screening or entering film festivals, or even to other distributors or resellers, in all areas, including the territory you award us.

The distribution is done primarily by the sale of individual copies in VCD and DVD.

Our primary audience is students, colleges, universities, other institutions of higher learning, NGOs and other civil society groups and individual viewers. Sale is carried out largely from our office. We also put up sale points at events related to films, culture and public events such as book fairs, etc. We are exploring possibilities of sale outlets in different cities through local resellers, and online sale over the internet.

Revenue sharing and Royalty

Revenue generated from sales is shared in the ratio of 65:35, where 65% of each sale goes to the producer and 35% is retained by Magic Lantern Foundation as distribution fees.

The costs of duplication, packaging, publicity, marketing and mailing are borne by Magic Lantern Foundation.

We have a pricing structure in place. However, we always arrive at the final prices in consultation with filmmakers.

We also sell films at discounted / modified rates at sale points and through retailers, where the prices and sharing ratios may be different. We keep our filmmakers informed about the prices and sharing rations on such sales.

We pay royalty twice a year, i.e. on January and July. However, we provide a sale report every quarter. If the royalty exceeds Rs. 20,000 in one financial year, Tax is deducted at source as per the prevailing rates. A certificate of tax deduction will be duly provided.

For foreign producers, we defer the payment of royalty until it has accumulated to a sizeable amount, e.g. USD 200, because for smaller amounts, a substantial portion is deducted as bank charges. Tax will be deducted at source as per the double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) rates that the producers’ countries have with India for all payments. A certificate of tax deduction will be provided.

Royalty can also be split between multiple producers if so desired.

We do not expect to make much sales for the first six months – a time we normally need for marketing and promotion. But, as mentioned earlier, we provide a sale report every three months.

At the present, we are not taking broadcast rights. If such offers come, we usually put the filmmakers in direct contact with the broadcaster.

Entry to Film Festivals

We expect producers to enter their films in festivals on their own and deal with organisers directly. But we definitely suggest films to festival organisers in the process of curation, and if selected, we put filmmakers in direct contact with festival organisers. We also expect producers to send the preview screeners and the screening tape/dvd directly to the festival organisers.

Submission

If you wish to give your film to Under Construction for distribution, please fill up the Submission Form. We will respond to your form in 2-4 weeks. Please wait to hear from us. Do NOT send DVD for preview unless we request you for one.

The Preview process

All submitted films are previewed by a preview group. The preview process is not to judge the quality or relevance of the film, it merely assesses if the submission conforms to the prerequisites of curation.

Ideally we try and complete the preview process in 6 to 8 weeks, although at times it may take longer, as members of the preview group also attend film festivals to identify films and travel frequently.

Agreement

Once the film is accepted, we send you a draft of an agreement by email for your review and suggestions. You are requested to go through all the terms, concretise the variables and suggest changes if you feel the need for.

What we need to know from you:

• The films you want to give us for distribution
• The territory: India / South Asia / World
• Duration of contract. We prefer a minimum of 5 years, but you can give us for longer if you wish.
• Details of the producer/s – the primary holder of the film’s rights – and their full contact details. The agreement will be made in the name/s of the holder of the film’s rights.

Once we hear your feedback and acceptance of the terms, we send you the final agreement incorporating all the changes and variables. This final agreement is in two copies and is sent to you by post. The copies are signed from our side.

You are requested to sign both copies, keep one for your records and send us back the other copy for our records. If more producers are involved, we may send you more copies of the final agreement for the record of each producer.

Deliverables

Following are the deliverables that are required to begin the distribution:

1. One copy of the film in MiniDV or DVCam
2. Two DVDs
3. All information on the film
4. Four stills of the film and Two stills of the director
5. A brief biography and filmography of the director
6. Open artwork file of the cover in CorelDraw or Adobe Illustrator, if you already have a cover design that you would want us to use. If there is no designed cover, we use the standard Under Construction cover.

Once we have all the signed agreement and the deliverables, the film will go under circulation in 2 weeks. After the information of the film appears on our website, we will provide a direct url to you that you can use for promotion. Do ensure that all the information provided to us is complete, and both sound and picture of the tape and DVD are of the best quality.


Submit your film