RULES & REGULATIONS

RULES & REGULATIONS

BFF Music Videos Competition

Please read the rules and regulations carefully before submitting your Music Videos.

If you have any queries regarding submissions. Please Contact Us at 9815068100.

1. Objectives of the Award

• 1.1) To Promote Punjabi Culture: Celebrate and showcase the rich heritage, traditions, and vibrancy of Punjabi music, language, and aesthetics through creative video content.
• 1.2) To Encourage Artistic Expression: Provide a platform for aspiring artists, filmmakers, musicians and dancers to express their creativity and talent in producing high-quality Punjabi music videos.
• 1.3) To Foster Talent Development: Identify and nurture emerging talent in the Punjabi entertainment industry, offering opportunities for recognition and career growth.
• 1.4) To Engage the Community: Bring together individuals, groups, and communities to participate, collaborate, and connect over their shared love for Punjabi music and culture.
• 1.5) To Boost Innovation in Content Creation: Inspire participants to push creative boundaries by blending traditional Punjabi elements with modern storytelling and cinematic techniques.
• 1.6) To Enhance Cultural Representation: Amplify authentic Punjabi narratives and voices in mainstream media, promoting diversity and inclusivity in the global entertainment landscape.
• 1.6) To Support Industry Growth: Contribute to the growth of the Punjabi music and film industry by encouraging professional production standards and networking opportunities for participants.

2. Date, Place & Deadline

• 2.1) The 5th edition of BFF (Bathinda Film Festival) will be held in the Month of Feb, 2026.
• 2.2) The Place of the Festival is Bathinda City, Punjab, INDIA. (PIN Code : 151001)
• 2.3) There is No- Entry Fee or Registration Charges in any category.
• 2.4) The deadline for Music Video submissions is 28-02-2026 (05:00 pm)

3. FREE ENTRY PASS

• 3.1) An Entry pass will be required to Attend/Watch the festival.
• 3.2) Free entry passes will be available on the festival website in the month of March 2026.
• 3.3) Music Lovers, Delegates, film-makers, media students, critics, film theorists, film lovers can download their entry passes from the website free of cost.

4. Eligibility & Participation

• 4.1) Open to individuals or teams aged 18 years and above.
• 4.2) Participation in the festival implies acceptance of Festival Rules & Regulations, Terms & Conditions.
• 4.3) Any Music Video produced in Punjabi or Hindi anywhere in the world can participate in the Bathinda Film Festival.
• 4.4) Entry Forms with incorrect / inadequate / illegible / ambiguous particulars will not be considered.
• 4.5) Anybody can submit one or more than one entries. There is no limit for submission. (Multiple entries from the same participant are accepted, but each Music Video must be accompanied by a separate form)
• 4.6) Any organization, agency, individual, producer, director, Actor, Singer, Music Director, Lyricist, team member, crew member can submit the Music Videos.
• 4.7) The Music Videos must have been completed or released after 1st January 2024 in order for them to be eligible for BFF
• 4.8) Entries must be original works created by the participants.
• 4.9) The music video must be based on an original Punjabi song (newly created or previously unreleased).
• 4.10) Participants must have the legal rights to all content submitted, including music, lyrics, visuals, and performance.
• 4.11) Both released and Un- released Music Videos Can be submitted.
• 4.12) In case of Already released videos the Music Videos must have been completed or released after 1st January 2024.

5. Entry Guidelines

• 5.1) Genre: Must be in Punjabi or Hindi language or dialect.
• 5.2) Genre: Bhangra, Folk, Sufi, Pop, Dhadi, Qawwali, Hip-Hop/RAP, Tappe & Boliyan.
• 5.3) Length: Video duration must be between 2 minutes and 6 minutes.
• 5.4) Format: Submit in MP4, MOV, or AVI formats only.
• 5.5) Resolution: Minimum 1080p FHD quality or 4K (3840 x 2160)
• 5.5) Deadline: All entries must be submitted by 28-02-2026 (05:00 pm).

6. Content Requirements

• 6.1) Must be culturally respectful and free of vulgarity, hate speech, or offensive content.
• 6.2) Videos must respect Punjabi culture and traditions, avoiding any content that is offensive, discriminatory, or derogatory toward any community, religion, or individual.
• 6.3) No explicit content, violence, or promotion of illegal activities is allowed.
• 6.4) Videos must adhere to Indian copyright laws and avoid plagiarism.
• 6.5) Lyrics should be original or have licensed usage if written by someone else.
• 6.6) Video must not promote drugs, alcohol, or violence.
• 6.7) Upload the video to a secure online platform (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, we share, youtube)and share the link via the official website www.bathindafilmfestival.com
• 6.8) Include a brief description (max 100 words) of the video’s concept and inspiration.
• 6.9) Provide proof of original song ownership (e.g., copyright registration or affidavit or self declaration with photo).
• 6.10) Any product placement or sponsorship must be disclosed.

7. Judging Criteria - Entries will be judged on:

• 6.1) Originality & Creativity, Music & Lyrics Quality, Cinematography & Direction, Cultural Relevance/Impact, Public Engagement (likes/views/shares) (if applicable)

8. Prizes & Awards

• Folk, Cultural, Performance & Genre Awards
• 8.1) Golden Voice Award (Male) – (for best Singer Male)
• 8.2) Golden Voice Award (Female) – (for best Singer Female)
• 8.3) Master of Melody Award – (for best Lyricist)
• 8.4) Music Icon Award – ( for best Music Score)
• 8.5) The Beatmaker or Label of the Year Award – (for best music Company or Producer)
• 8.6) Stage Stealer Award (Male) – (for standout on-screen presence)
• 8.7) Stage Stealer Award (Female) – (for standout on-screen presence)
• 8.8) Visual Verse Award– (for best cinematography or visuals)
• 8.9) Director’s Dhamaaka Award– (for outstanding direction)
• 8.10) Editing Edge Award – (for best video editing)
• 8.11) Groove Guru Award – (for best dance & choreography)
• 8.12) Bhangra Blaze Vibe– (for best high-energy Bhangra /dance video)
• 8.13) Best Romantic Vibe - (for romantic/slow music video)
• 8.14) Folk Fiesta Award– (for Best Folk Music Video)
• 8.15) Soulful Strings Award– (for emotional/soulful/sad music video)
• 8.16) Hip-Hop Haveli Award– (for best Punjabi hip-hop/urban video)
• 8.17) Swag Wala Video Award – (stylish, attitude-driven, energy video that showcases the artist's confidence, fashion, lifestyle, and bold personality)
• 8.18) Trending Tune Trophy – (Most viral/video with reach)
• 8.19) Sufi Spark Award– (for spiritual/sufi-themed video)
• The above list of awards is provisional and tentative in nature and may be expanded or reduced depending on the needs of the festival and the entries received.

9. OFFICIAL SELECTION OF MUSIC VIDEOS

• 9.1) Selection of MUSIC VIDEOS for BFF 2025 will be done by a Preview committee & Jury.
• 9.2) However, Festival President and Festival Director reserves the right to accept or reject any Music Video that is likely to offend sentiments, feelings or sensibilities of any caste, community, religion and sect or is likely to promote racism or ill will in the society.
• 9.3) Official Selection committee (OSC) / Preview Committee will finalize the List of Official Selection of Music Videos in each edition or Category.
• 9.4) The decision of the Official Selection Committee shall be final & binding on all the Participants.
• 9.5) The festival will not provide any feedback on Music Videos or specific reasons for selection or rejection of any Music Video.
• 9.6) Only the Music Video makers who make it to the official selection of the festival will be notified about selection at the end of the selection process and no information will be divulged before that.
• 9.7) The festival is not bound to share any information about the received Music Videos / entries or the number of Music Videos received with anyone.
• 9.8) The festival will not provide any feedback about the selection process of the Music Videos.
• 9.9) The Preview Committee & Jury can evolve its own rules for assessment of the entries. The Festival Director or his representative can attend the Preview Committee and Jury deliberations.
• 9.10) Once the Music Videos has been selected and the right holder confirms her/his agreement, Music Videos in the official programme shall not be withdrawn from the festival programme before or during the event.
• 9.11) The festival will notify the selected Music Videos makers.
• 9.12) If selected, the representatives of the selected Music Videos must keep this information confidential (including on social media) till the official press conference of the Bathinda Film Festival, where the final list of selected Music Videos will be announced. Breach of this will make the selection of the feature films liable to be cancelled.However, Festival President and Festival Director reserves the right to accept or reject any Music Videos that is likely to offend sentiments, feelings or sensibilities of any caste, community, religion and sect or is likely to promote racism or ill will in the society.

10. Copyright & Rights

• 10.1) The creators retain ownership of their work
• 10.2) Bathinda Film Festival reserves the right to use submitted videos for promotional purposes with due credit.
• 10.3) By entering, participants grant non-exclusive rights to display, promote, and archive entries.

11. Disqualification

• Entries will be disqualified if:
• 11.1) Submitted after the deadline.
• 11.2) Contain plagiarized content or copyrighted material without permission.
• 11.3) Violate cultural or ethical guidelines.
• 11.4) Manipulate voting/Jury or engagement through unethical means.

12. Technical Support & Queries

• For any queries or technical issues, participants may contact at: bathindafilmfestival@gmail.com

13. Authority Letter

• 13.1) The applicant must submit Authority Letter with the form “I confirm that I have the requisite authority or I took the requisite authority from the rights holder of this Music Video to submit the Music Video in the BATHINDA FILM FESTIVAL 2025”
• 13.2) ਮੈਂ ਪੁਸ਼ਟੀ ਕਰਦਾ/ਕਰਦੀ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ਸੰਗੀਤ ਵੀਡੀਓ ਨੂੰ ਸਬਮਿੱਟ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਲੋੜੀਂਦੀ ਅਥਾਰਟੀ ਹੈ ਜਾਂ ਮੈਂ ਬਠਿੰਡਾ ਫ਼ਿਲਮ ਫੈਸਟੀਵਲ 2025 ਵਿੱਚ ਸੰਗੀਤ ਵੀਡੀਓ ਜਮ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਰਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਇਸ ਸੰਗੀਤ ਵੀਡੀਓ ਦੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਧਾਰਕ ਤੋਂ ਲੋੜੀਂਦੀ ਅਥਾਰਟੀ ਲੈ ਲਈ ਹੈ।“

14. Rights of the Festival Director

• 14.1) Festival Director reserves the right to accept or not to accept any Music Video on any ground without assigning any reason.
• 14.2) Decisions of the Festival Director regarding all matters not expressly provided in these regulations or which require interpretation of the clauses mentioned above shall be final & binding on all.
• 14.3) The Festival Director reserves the right to settle all cases not covered by the guidelines and to grant exceptions in special cases.
• 14.4) The festival director also reserves the right to remove any Music Video from the selection List in any special cases as deemed by the festival.
• 14.5) All cases will be governed by and construed in all respects in accordance with the laws of India and settled under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Bathinda City.

15. Technical and Creative Guidelines

• 15.1) Originality: The song and video must be original creations. Use of copyrighted material (music, visuals, or lyrics) without permission will lead to disqualification.
• 15.2) Credits: Include proper credits for all contributors (e.g., director, singer, composer,Lyricist, actors) at the end of the video.
• 15.3) Branding: No third-party logos, watermarks, or advertisements are allowed unless pre-approved by Bathinda Film Festival.

16. Legal & Miscellaneous

• 16.1) The decision of the jury is final and binding.
• 16.2) Bathinda Film Festival & Bathinda Film Foundation reserves the right to amend the rules or cancel the competition if necessary.
• 16.3) By participating, you agree to abide by all rules listed above.

17. Compliance

• 17.1) All submissions must comply with local laws, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, Indian Penal Code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) provisions on obscenity and defamation.
• 17.2) Participants must ensure no third-party intellectual property is infringed.

18. GENERAL AGREEMENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN BATHINDA FILM FESTIVAL 2025

• 18.1) I have read the Rules and Regulations on the website and accept the Rules and Regulations of Bathinda Film Festival. I certify that I hold necessary rights for the presentation of this Music Video in Bathinda Film Festival and that all rights and permissions have been made. This Music Video is not subject to any litigation nor is threatened by any litigation. By accepting these conditions, I transfer to Bathinda Film Festival the right to use excerpts of the submitted Music Video, its stills, and trailers, for the purposes of publicity and marketing of the film festival at the various social networks and on the website of the festival, and for other non-commercial purposes related to the promotion of the festival. I hereby agree to indemnify Bathinda Film Festival, in the event that such rights have not been properly transferred
• 18.2) ਮੈਂ ਵੈੱਬਸਾਈਟ ਤੇ ਨਿਯਮਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਰਤਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪੜ੍ਹ ਲਿਆ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਮੈਂ ਬਠਿੰਡਾ ਫਿਲਮ ਫੈਸਟੀਵਲ ਦੇ ਨਿਯਮਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਸ਼ਰਤਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਵੀਕਾਰ ਕਰਦਾ/ਕਰਦੀ ਹਾਂ। ਮੈਂ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਣਿਤ ਕਰਦਾ/ਕਰਦੀ ਹਾਂ ਕਿ ਮੇਰੇ ਕੋਲ ਬਠਿੰਡਾ ਫਿਲਮ ਫੈਸਟੀਵਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਇਸ Music Video ਦੀ ਪੇਸ਼ਕਾਰੀ ਲਈ ਲੋੜੀਂਦੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਇਹ ਕਿ ਜਿਥੇ ਕਿਤੇ ਲੋੜ ਸੀ ਸਾਰੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਅਤੇ ਇਜਾਜ਼ਤਾਂ ਸੰਬੰਧਿਤ ਪ੍ਰੋਡਿਊਸਰ/ਡਾਇਰੈਕਟਰ ਤੋਂ ਲੈ ਲਈਆਂ ਗਈਆਂ ਹਨ। ਇਹ Music Video ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਮੁਕੱਦਮੇ ਦੇ ਅਧੀਨ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਨਾ ਹੀ ਭਵਿੱਖ ਵਿਚ ਕਿਸੇ ਮੁਕੱਦਮੇ ਅਧੀਨ ਆਉਣ ਦੀ ਸੰਭਾਵਨਾ ਜਾਂ ਧਮਕੀ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਗਈ ਹੈ। ਇਹ Music Video ਭਾਰਤ ਦੇ ਕਾਨੂੰਨ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਵਸਥਾ ਦਾ ਪਾਲਣ ਕਰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਇਹਨਾਂ ਸ਼ਰਤਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਵੀਕਾਰ ਕਰਦੇ ਹੋਏ, ਮੈਂ ਬਠਿੰਡਾ ਫਿਲਮ ਫੈਸਟੀਵਲ ਨੂੰ ਵੱਖ-ਵੱਖ ਸੋਸ਼ਲ ਨੈਟਵਰਕਸ ਅਤੇ ਫੈਸਟੀਵਲ ਦੀ ਵੈਬਸਾਈਟ 'ਤੇ ਫਿਲਮ ਫੈਸਟੀਵਲ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ ਅਤੇ ਮਾਰਕੀਟਿੰਗ ਦੇ ਉਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ਲਈ ਪੇਸ਼ ਕੀਤੀ Music Video ਦੇ ਅੰਸ਼ਾਂ, ਇਸ ਦੇ ਸ੍ਟਿਲ ਅਤੇ ਟ੍ਰੇਲਰਾਂ ਦੀ ਵਰਤੋਂ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਟ੍ਰਾਂਸਫਰ ਕਰਦਾ ਹਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਫੈਸਟੀਵਲ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਸਬੰਧਤ ਹੋਰ ਗੈਰ-ਵਪਾਰਕ ਉਦੇਸ਼ਾਂ ਲਈ ਵਰਤੋਂ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਟ੍ਰਾਂਸਫਰ ਕਰਦਾ ਹਾਂ। ਮੈਂ ਬਠਿੰਡਾ ਫਿਲਮ ਫੈਸਟੀਵਲ ਨੂੰ ਮੁਆਵਜ਼ਾ ਦੇਣ ਲਈ ਸਹਿਮਤ ਹਾਂ, ਜੇਕਰ ਅਜਿਹੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਸਹੀ ਢੰਗ ਨਾਲ ਤਬਦੀਲ ਨਹੀਂ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ ਹੈ।

19. SELF DECLARATION FORM

• In case the music video is selected in the official selection List of 5th Bathinda Film Festival 2025, each producer/director will have to submit a self-declaration form on the day of the festival.
• 19.1) A passport size photograph of himself should be placed on the form.
• 19.2) A photocopy of Aadhaar card should be attached with the form.
• Download Self Declaration Form

20. Disclaimer

• 20.1) All disputes in respect of any matter relating to the BFF shall be subjected to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts and forums in Bathinda City only.
• 20.2) Bathinda Film Festival & Bathinda Academy of Motion Pictures are the registered trademarks of Bathinda Film Foundation.
• 20.3) All rights reserved with Bathinda Film Foundation 2025.