Festival ’26 Open Call – IF Festival Stream
IICSI’s 7th annual Improvisation Festival (IF) will run in collaboration with Sonorities Festival Belfast 2026. IF is an around-the-clock celebration of improvised arts.
Deadline for this open call is the 31st August 2025.
Both IF and Sonorities are dedicated to showcasing a wide range of original performances by improvising artists of all disciplines.
For this open call, we are accepting submissions of pre-recorded improvisation performance videos (maximum length 20min, no minimum length). Works will be reviewed and selected by a group of IICSI members, with the aim of maximising both artistic quality and diversity (broadly conceived).
To apply, please complete the submission form and submit a proposal (in PDF format) containing:
- Proposal Title
- Names and roles of all artists involved
- Link to online improvisation performance video*
- Any additional contextual information
*It is the responsibility of submitting artists to ensure that the video link is operational until the end of the open call review period (i.e. end of September 2025). Streaming platforms with unlisted and other privacy options such as YouTube and Vimeo are recommended. Avoid using platforms such as WeTransfer that require downloading of files and have links that expire.
For works that are selected, we will ask artists to provide files in the following format:
Video Requirements
Resolution- 1080p (full hd)
Codec- H.264
Framerate- 30fps
Bitrate minimum- 8mps for SDR, 10mps for HDR
Audio requirements
Embedded audio at 48khz
Minimum bitrate of 128 required
If binaural please let us know
Selected videos will be streamed on the Sonorities website as part of a 24hr broadcast on each of the four days of the Sonorities festival. This IF Festival Stream will be intertwined with live streamed events taking place in Belfast, and will be replayed at different times to make the works accessible to audiences in different time zones. Audiences in Belfast will also be able to watch the IF Festival Stream together in a listening studio in SARC equipped with high quality audio and video playback.
For each selected video, we will pay a broadcasting fee of £100. No other fees or expenses are covered by this open call, and travel to Belfast is entirely optional.
This open call is supported by the SSHRC funded partnership grant Improvising Futures.