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SOCIAL POLITICS
BUENOS AIRES MUSIC VIDEO FESTIVAL

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION POLICY

Buenos Aires Music Video Festival (BAMV Fest) is an organization that incorporates the use of diversity and inclusion as transversal elements to defend the concepts of justice, equality and parity. 

 

Through this policy, BAMV Fest expresses a firm commitment to equal opportunities and non-discriminatory treatment in all areas of the organization. In this sense, the Festival takes very seriously the commitment to fair representation and gender parity and diversity both in the staff and in the selection of videos of the Official Competition and members of the International Jury.

 

BAMV Fest is committed and willing to work under a fair and varied approach through all practices, for which it expresses itself categorically against any conduct or practice associated with prejudice for reasons, among others, of nationality, ethnic origin, color of skin, marital status, family condition, religion, age, disability, social condition, political opinion, serological and health status, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

 

Buenos Aires Music Video Festival's diversity and inclusion policy is designed to remove barriers and increase visibility opportunities for underrepresented filmmakers and artists. In the same way, as an organization, it seeks to establish a work environment that treats its collaborators with justice, dignity and respect.

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1.  Language and communication

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In the Spanish language, grammatical gender is manifested in nouns, adjectives, articles and pronouns. BAMV Fest therefore promotes the use of inclusive, non-sexist or discriminatory language with the aim of promoting communication where gender diversity is questioned.

 

In this sense, BAMV Fest is committed to the use of Useful Strategies of Inclusive Language in Terms of Gender, according to the United Nations* :

 

  • Avoid discriminatory expressions

  • Avoid expressions with negative connotations

  • Avoid expressions that perpetuate gender stereotypes

  • Making gender visible when required by the communicative situation

  • Use pairs of feminine and masculine (unfolding) and typographical strategies

  • DO NOT make gender visible when the communicative situation does NOT require it 

  • Omit the determiner before common nouns in terms of gender

  • Use collective nouns and other generic structures, collective nouns to refer to groups of people 

  • Use relative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, and indefinite adjectives followed by a common gender-related noun. 

  • Use gender-neutral adjectives instead of nouns. 

 

In addition to this, in Argentina since 2011 the 26,743 Law recognizes the right to have a self-perceived sexual identity in the National Identity Document (DNI) and since 2021 the Presidential Decree No. 476/21 recognizes identities outside the male and female binomial by incorporate the nomenclature "X" in the ID as an option, for all people who do not identify themselves as male or female. Therefore, it is essential to modify the habitual use of language to avoid the binarism and incur in the invisibility of these diversities.

 

The Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, on the use of "x" and "e" clarifies: "its use is recommended for those cases in which generics are not possible or in which you want to emphasize the plural character of the gender identity of the social group to which we are referring”**. The use of the "e" is recommended to define the plural when dealing with a diverse group of people whose self-perceived gender identity is unknown and also suggests: 

 

  • Use generic, collective and abstract terms

  • metonymic constructions

  • Prefix the word “person” 

  • Unfold, use the “X” , use the slash (/)

  • Words and pronouns without gender marks

  • Determinations without gender mark

 

Use of the “x” by Buenos Aires Music Video Festival: 

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Since the first edition of BAMV Fest in 2019, the “x” has been used as an element attributed to diversity and gender identity and thus avoid sexist communication. 

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One of the most notorious examples within its communication has been the explicit and deliberate use of the “x” as an inclusive speech in the “Mejor Directorx” (Best Director) category for a fairer representation of diversity.

--> In Spanish, "Director" is used only for men, while "Directora" is used for women. 

Categories that rewards directors commonly are known by the title "Best Director" at other events and awards; however, BAMV Fest considers this use -in Spanish- to be not very inclusive and that it expresses a communication that does not reveal the number of female directors and sexual dissidents in the same role. Thus why we use an "X" at the end of the word. 

 

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*   Guidelines for the use of gender-inclusive language in Spanish , United Nations 

**    Guide for communication with a gender perspective , Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity 

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2.  BAMV Fest talents and beneficiaries

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Buenos Aires Music Video Festival incorporates this Diversity and Inclusion Policy as a key element to connect and promote the talents that participate in the event.  BAMV Fest offers opportunities and benefits in order to spread a message fair and positive managed in an environment free of discrimination through the management of diversity to break down inequalities. And to achieve this goal, the clear commitment of the general management of the event to promote a free and inclusive culture with the following points is essential:

 

→ Gender equality and parity​.

→ Promotion of young and emerging talent​.

→ Make dissident communities and ethnic diversity visible. 
 

Beneficiaries of this Diversity and Inclusion Policy are those who identify themselves as belonging to an underrepresented group. Therefore, BAMV Fest condemns any discriminatory act that distinguishes, excludes, violates or hinders the recognition of the following groups: 

 

  • People of different ethnic origins;

  • People with any type of reduced capacity;

  • People from less favored socioeconomic backgrounds;

  • Racialized populations;

  • Migrant population;

  • Cis and trans women;

  • LGBTIQ+ community;

  • People with stigmatized infections/diseases.

  • Other vulnerable groups.

3. Fight against discrimination

 

Buenos Aires Music Video Festival is committed to:

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  • Ensure that there is no unjustified discrimination in our processes of curation, pre-selection and selection of nominated and winning videos;

  • Understand, value and work constructively with diversity, to achieve full and fair participation in our various activities;

  • Promote equality through different actions and activities;

  • Take actions to eliminate barriers and correct imbalances caused by inequality and unjustified discrimination;

  • Respect individual differences in culture, religion, ethnic origin, gender identity and sex;

  • In the curatorial processes: grant the same opportunities to directors and artists,  sin  importa  nationality, ethnic origin, skin color , marital status, family responsibility, religion, age, disability, social status, political opinion, serological and health status, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression;

  • Fomentar  un  ambiente  laboral  de  respeto_cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ e  equality, free from discrimination, sexual harassment and other forms of intolerance and violence;

  • Respetar  y  promover el  derecho  de  las_cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ personas  a  alcanzar  un  equilibrio  en  their lives, promoting co-responsibility in the work, family and personal life of our collaborators;

  • Use inclusive, non-sexist and non-discriminatory communication;

  • Avoid any type of verbal violence that encourages victimization, humiliation, stigmatization or suggests subordination.

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In this sense, BAMV Fest avoids producing or disseminating material that reproduces stereotypes and/or a unique view of identities, such as: 

 

  • Music videos of songs with explicitly discriminatory, sexist lyrics and/or that appeal to various types of violence against dissident groups. 

  • Productions that visually contain sexist, discriminatory situations and/or that appeal to various types of violence towards dissident groups.

  • Videos made by directors and/or for artists who were criminally prosecuted by the Justice for sexual, physical and/or emotional violence. 

  • Videos made by directors and/or for artists who verbally and through images promote: hate speech, disinformation, disrespect and any kind of  systemic violence.

  • Videos that resort to the unjustified and exaggerated use of violence for reasons of 'aesthetics'.

POLICY AGAINST HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE

  1. Space free of discrimination, harassment and violence 

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Buenos Aires Music Video Festival (BAMV Fest) maintains a policy in which all participants in Festival activities -including staff and volunteers- enjoy and celebrate without problems in a safe environment free from all forms of discrimination, harassment and violence. . As a cultural organization, BAMV Fest is committed to providing an atmosphere that fosters respect, free expression and the exchange of ideas during the development of the festival as well as during its pre- and post-production stage. Exhibitors, sponsors, sponsors, suppliers and partners in general are also subject to this Policy.

 

2. Unacceptable behavior

 

Harassment includes but is not limited to the following violent conduct:

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  • Verbal comments that reinforce social structures related to skin color, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, body type, age, political views, or physical appearance;

  • Intentional intimidation, physical and/or verbal harassment or stalking; 

  • Inappropriate and non-consensual physical contact, unwanted sexual gaze; 

  • Harassment and non-consensual photography or recording;

  • Threatening, intimidating, or hostile actions;

  • Circulation of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility towards a person or a group of people;

  • Names, slanders or negative stereotypes based on an identity; 

  • Advocate or encourage any of the aforementioned conduct.


 

3. Code of conduct

 

The following Code of Conduct is valid for all events and activities promoted by Buenos Aires Music Video Festival and for anyone involved in these events. The main objective is to protect the BAMV Fest public from damage and moral risks. 

 

  • Any participant who violates these rules will be invited to withdraw from the event, without refund, at the sole discretion of the organizers, without prejudice to other applicable legal measures. 

  • If a participant engages in harassing behavior, the members of the organization will take the measures they deem appropriate, from alerts to the prohibition of their participation in future BAMV Fest events. 

  • The organizers reserve the right to take any action they deem appropriate, including expulsion without refund during activities and events in order to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for all. 

  • BAMV Fest takes a zero tolerance approach to physical and verbal harassment and violence. 

  • Event staff, and especially those in leadership roles, are expected to comply with the Festival Anti-Violence and Harassment Policy at all venues, including various pre- and post-event events, as well as at official gatherings. and during the BAMV Fest Agenda. 

  • BAMV Fest staff are expected to alert meet security personnel or law enforcement if they observe a situation where someone could be in physical danger. 

  • If a person is harassed, or it is observed that someone is being harassed or has other concerns, they should intercept or request help from the organizers or representatives of the event to put the matter in the care of the organization.

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