Focus International Film Festival

1. By submitting to the festival you confirm that you own the rights to the film or trailer and agree to allow your project to be shown by the festival through its website and/or social media. If your film is not available for public viewing you will state so but provide the festival judges the ability to view your film through secure online screener. You also agree that your name and project information may be used for festival promotion. We do not pay screening fees. If this is an issue, please do not submit.

2. FIFF only accepts online submission through FilmFreeway with a link to your film or trailer. If a password is required please provide it and let us know if your film is unavailable for public viewing. We do not accept mailed submissions. Projects previously submitted to a Focus International Film Festival event are eligible to be resubmitted to a future event as long as the project was not previously Officially Selected. Previously officially selected projects are disqualified from future events.

3. All fees are nonrefundable. No fee waivers will be granted. No exceptions!

4. Film makers may submit as many films and trailers as they like, but a separate entry must be made for each. Projects may have distribution.

5. Films and trailers selected to compete may be asked for promotional materials.

6. Official selection and festival award voting is final. No feedback will be provided.

7. Festival awards will feature up to but not more than 7 winners of the tiers listed above and will be at the sole discretion of the festival.

8. Any film not in English must have English dubbing or subtitles. Any film in a language other than English without English dubbing or subtitles will be disqualified.

9. Festival laurels will be provided to "Official Selections" only. Award laurel email certificates will be issued to award winners.

10. FIFF reserves the right to change the event dates should reasonable circumstances warrant. FIFF will do all possible to maintain the published schedule.

11. Awards and Prizes - No cash awards will be made. For details on awards see the awards section.

12. Indemnity:
By submitting to the festival, entrants release and hold harmless the Focus International Film Festival, representatives, volunteers, staff and assignees and any other entities associated with the event from and against any and all loss, damage, rights, actions and claims arising in whole or in part from the contest or their participation therein, whether directly or indirectly, including but not limited to use or misuse of the selection process, judging, award nominations or winners, without limitation including ISP issues, award delivery or promotion, and also including personal injury, damage to persons or property or death as well as claims on property rights, defamation, privacy or force majeure. The festival will take appropriate and reasonable steps in the event awards to the film makers are delayed, to resend award certificates in whatever form they are represented within 30 days of the announcement of the winners.
The film makers involved retain all rights to their projects, and the festival is only granted a limited, non exclusive right to promote the project for purposes of declaring award winners for the festival period.

By submitting to the festival, the festival, its employees and assignees and anyone else entrusted with carrying out the festival's duties, are hereby held harmless against claims of any kind, including but not limited to financial or any other reason, and film maker agrees that all judging to be the final decision of the festival and holds the festival and anyone associated with it harmless against suit for defamation, slander or any other reason. Film makers agree not to hold the festival responsible for losses of any kind including financial relating to their entering into the festival.

Force Majeure. Nonperformance of any party shall be excused to the extent that performance is rendered impossible by strike, fire, flood, earthquakes, war, governmental acts, alien invasions or orders or restrictions, or any other reason where failure to perform is beyond the reasonable control, and not caused by the negligence of, the nonperforming party.

For any dispute not subject to arbitration entrant agrees to personal jurisdiction by the federal and state courts located in Dallas, Texas , United States of America , and waives any jurisdictional, venue, or inconvenient forum objections to such courts.

Further, in any such dispute, under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and hereby irrevocably waives all rights to claim damages of any kind outside of claimants entry fees into the festival including punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys' fees.

Personal information submitted in connection with the festival will be kept confidential although some basic information about the film or trailer may be shared with the public.