The World Health Organization’s Health for All Film Festival invites independent filmmakers, production companies, public institutions, NGOs, communities, students, and film schools from around the world to submit their original short films on health. The festival’s aim is to recruit a new generation of film and video innovators to champion and promote global health issues.
Competition categories
In submitting a short film, the copyright owner of the film has to choose one category of competition among the three described below, which relates to WHO’s global health goals set out in the Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13):
- Universal health coverage (UHC) – films about mental health, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and other UHC stories linked to communicable diseases not part of emergencies;
- Health emergencies – films about health emergencies, such as COVID-19, Ebola, disaster relief and health in conflict-settings;
- Better health and well-being – films about environmental and social determinants of health, such as nutrition, sanitation, pollution, gender, and/or about health promotion or health education.
For each of these three GRAND PRIX categories, candidates can submit short documentaries, fiction films or animation films of three to eight minutes in length.
Additionally, three special prizes are attributed to some short-listed videos not receiving a GRAND PRIX. In 2022, the three special prizes include:
- Special Prize on Health Innovation – films presenting one or more innovative solutions with a proven positive impact in the health and wellbeing of people. These can include social innovations (e.g. new or improved approaches or ways of working); digital solutions; and new technological solutions – or a combination thereof – that promote health and wellbeing. We are looking for stories that capture how health innovations have the potential to address people’s health needs and positively change lives anywhere in the world, including in the most vulnerable settings.
- Special Prize on Rehabilitation – films telling stories about the life changing impact that rehabilitation has on people’s lives. Rehabilitation addresses the impact of a health condition on a person’s everyday life and ensures that people remain as independent as possible, while continuing to participate in education, work and meaningful life roles.
- Student film prize – films produced by students who can justify that the films were made during their university studies.
- Very short film prize – films between one to two minutes and 30 seconds about any health-related topic previously described in the three main competition categories including topics like health innovation and rehabilitation.
Submission deadline
30 January 2022
Application process
Eligibility criteria and information on the application process:
https://www.who.int/initiatives/the-health-for-all-film-festival
