Indie Short Fest

Please read these Rules & Terms carefully before submitting.
By submitting a project to Indie Short Fest, the submitter confirms that they have read, understood, and accepted the conditions below.

1. ELIGIBILITY
1.1. Indie Short Fest accepts films from all countries and across all genres.
1.2. Submitted films must have a maximum running time of 60 minutes, including credits.
1.3. Short scripts must not exceed 60 pages.
1.4. Films containing dialogue in a language other than English must include accurate English subtitles.
1.5. Works may have been previously screened, distributed, broadcast, or made available online.
1.6. The submitter is responsible for selecting the appropriate submission category.
1.7. The festival may reassign a project to a more suitable category when considered appropriate.

2. SUBMISSIONS AND FEES
2.1. All submissions must be completed through FilmFreeway.
2.2. Submission fees are non-refundable, including when a project is not selected, nominated, awarded, or scheduled for screening.
2.3. Incomplete submissions, inaccessible viewing links, incorrect passwords, or files that cannot be reviewed may be disqualified without refund if the submitter does not resolve the issue within the requested period.
2.4. Applicants using a student submission fee or entering a student category may be required to provide valid evidence of current student status, such as a student identification card or official enrollment document.
2.5. Submission does not guarantee Official Selection, nomination, an award, written feedback, or a public screening, except where a specific benefit is expressly stated for the applicable category.

3. SELECTION AND JUDGING
3.1. All eligible projects are evaluated according to the festival’s judging procedures and standards of artistic merit.
3.2. Each project is evaluated independently against the applicable criteria for its category.
3.3. Jury decisions are final and are not subject to appeal.
3.4. The festival is not required to grant an award in every category.
3.5. Categories may remain unawarded when no submission reaches the required evaluation threshold.
3.6. Award levels, special recognitions, and the number of recipients may vary according to the quality and competitiveness of each round.
3.7. Notification dates may be adjusted when additional judging time is reasonably required.
3.8. Submitters will be informed of material changes whenever practicable.

4. OFFICIAL SELECTION AND WITHDRAWAL
4.1. A project may be withdrawn before the Official Selection announcement by contacting the festival in writing.
4.2. Once a project has been announced as an Official Selection, it may not be withdrawn without the festival’s prior written consent.
4.3. Withdrawal requests submitted after the Official Selection announcement will be considered only in exceptional circumstances.
4.4. Unauthorized withdrawal after selection may result in the revocation of the project’s selection, nomination, award, certificate, or annual eligibility.
4.5. Unauthorized withdrawal may also affect the submitter’s eligibility for future editions of the festival.

5. RIGHTS AND AUTHORIZATION
By submitting a project, the submitter represents and warrants that:
5.1. They own or control all rights necessary to submit and exhibit the project or are duly authorized to act on behalf of all applicable rights holders.
5.2. The project does not unlawfully infringe any copyright, trademark, privacy right, publicity right, contractual right, or other personal or proprietary right.
5.3. The project does not contain unlawful defamatory material.
5.4. All required music, archive, performance, image, screenplay, location, and other licenses and clearances have been obtained.
5.5. All fees, royalties, residuals, permissions, and other obligations arising from the submission and authorized exhibition of the project have been or will be fulfilled by the appropriate rights holders.
5.6. The submitter is duly authorized to represent all persons or entities holding ownership rights or interests in the project.
5.7. The submitter accepts responsibility for any claims arising from a breach of these representations.
5.8. The submitter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the festival, its organizers, venues, representatives, partners, and contractors from claims arising from such a breach, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

6. PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
6.1. By submitting, the submitter authorizes Indie Short Fest to use the project’s title and synopsis for festival-related promotional and informational purposes.
6.2. The festival may use the project’s poster, promotional artwork, trailer, teaser, stills, and behind-the-scenes images.
6.3. The festival may use publicly supplied credits, biographies, and production information.
6.4. The festival may use short excerpts when reasonably necessary for festival promotion, event coverage, or award announcements.
6.5. Promotional materials may be used on the festival’s website, social-media channels, newsletters, press materials, event programs, award announcements, and other official platforms.
6.6. The festival will not publicly release or distribute the complete film without separate authorization from the applicable rights holder.
6.7. The complete film may be used for an agreed festival screening when the project has been formally invited and the screening authorization has been accepted.

7. AI-USE DISCLOSURE
7.1. Projects that have used Artificial Intelligence tools at any stage of production must include a brief AI-Use Disclosure in the FilmFreeway cover letter or project description.
7.2. The disclosure must identify the principal AI tools used.
7.3. The disclosure must briefly explain the extent and purpose of their use.
7.4. Relevant uses include, but are not limited to:
7.4.1. Screenwriting or dialogue generation.
7.4.2. Image or video generation.
7.4.3. Animation or visual effects.
7.4.4. Voice generation or performance replication.
7.4.5. Music or sound design.
7.4.6. Editing, restoration, or post-production.
7.5. The use of AI does not automatically make a project ineligible.
7.6. Material omission or misrepresentation of AI-assisted content may result in disqualification.
7.7. Material omission or misrepresentation may also result in the revocation of an Official Selection, nomination, award, certificate, or screening invitation.
7.8. The submitter remains responsible for ensuring that all AI-assisted elements comply with applicable copyright, consent, privacy, and publicity requirements.

8. PUBLIC SCREENINGS
8.1. Monthly Official Selection, nomination, or award status does not automatically guarantee a public screening.
8.2. Projects invited to participate in the Annual Awards Showcase, a curated screening, or another in-person festival event will receive a separate invitation.
8.3. Screening invitations will include the applicable delivery requirements, deadlines, venue information, and participation details.
8.4. By accepting a screening invitation, the submitter grants Indie Short Fest a limited, non-exclusive right to exhibit the project at the specified festival event.
8.5. The screening authorization also permits the festival to include the project’s title, credits, synopsis, and approved promotional materials in connection with that event.
8.6. The submitter must immediately inform the festival of any distribution agreement, premiere restriction, rights conflict, or other circumstance that could affect the authorized screening.
8.7. Failure to disclose a material screening restriction may result in removal from the public program.

9. PUBLIC SCREENING TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
9.1. Primary Exhibition Format
For an invited public theatrical screening, the submitter must provide a 2K or 4K Digital Cinema Package compliant with applicable digital-cinema standards:
SMPTE format preferred
Properly mastered Interop packages may also be accepted
Frame rate of 24 fps preferred
Other properly mastered frame rates may be accepted
5.1 surround or stereo audio
5.1 surround preferred when available
Correct aspect ratio and audio configuration clearly identified
English subtitles included when required

9.2. Backup Exhibition File
The festival also requires one of the following backup files:
2K or 4K Apple ProRes 422 HQ
2K or 4K H.264 High Profile
.mov or .mp4 container
Stereo or 5.1 audio
Recommended H.264 bitrate of approximately 20–50 Mbps, depending on the project’s resolution and content

9.3. Delivery
9.3.1. Materials must be delivered through the festival’s secure upload portal or another delivery method authorized by the festival.
9.3.2. A secure, download-enabled digital-transfer link may be accepted.
9.3.3. Public streaming links that do not permit downloading are not accepted as final screening materials.
9.3.4. The submitter is responsible for ensuring that all links, passwords, and files remain accessible until delivery has been confirmed.
9.4. Subtitles and Accessibility
Films not in English must include English subtitles.
English-language captions and additional accessibility materials are encouraged.
Subtitle or caption files may be requested separately when required for technical or accessibility purposes.
The submitter is responsible for the accuracy and synchronization of all supplied subtitles and captions.
9.5. Final Approval
All screening materials must be delivered by the deadline established by the festival.
Late, incomplete, damaged, incorrectly formatted, or technically inadequate materials may result in removal from the screening program.
The festival may request replacement or corrected files when necessary.
Failure to provide adequate replacement materials by the requested deadline may result in removal from the public screening program.
The festival reserves the right to make reasonable technical adjustments required for exhibition.
Such adjustments will not materially alter the project’s creative content.

10. EVENT CHANGES
10.1. Festival dates, venues, schedules, screening programs, guests, and event formats may be adjusted because of operational requirements.
10.2. Changes may also occur because of venue availability, public-safety considerations, technical circumstances, or events beyond the festival’s reasonable control.
10.3. When a material change affects an invited project, the festival will make reasonable efforts to notify the submitter.
10.4. The festival is not responsible for travel, accommodation, visa, shipping, or other expenses incurred by submitters, filmmakers, cast members, or guests.
10.5. The festival does not guarantee the attendance of any previously announced guest, jury member, speaker, or industry representative.

11. AFFILIATED EVENTS
11.1. Indie Short Fest is officially associated with Independent Shorts Awards and IndieX Film Fest.
11.2. The festival does not claim affiliation with similarly named events or organizations unless such an association is expressly identified through its official channels.
11.3. Any resemblance to other events, brands, or organizations is coincidental unless an official relationship is expressly stated.
11.4. Indie Short Fest does not represent, and is not represented by, any unrelated event or organization.

12. PRIVACY AND COMMUNICATIONS
12.1. Submitter information is used for festival administration, judging, communication, event organization, awards, and related operational purposes.
12.2. Information may be processed through FilmFreeway and through service providers reasonably necessary to operate the festival and its communications.
12.3. Indie Short Fest does not sell submitter information to advertisers or unrelated third parties.
12.4. Information may be shared when reasonably necessary to administer a screening, award, certificate, prize, or festival-related service.
12.5. Festival communications may be sent through FilmFreeway, email, newsletters, or other contact details provided with the submission.
12.6. The submitter is responsible for maintaining accurate and current contact information.
12.7. The festival is not responsible for missed notifications caused by incorrect contact details, spam filtering, mailbox limits, or failure to review FilmFreeway messages.

13. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
13.1. By submitting a project to Indie Short Fest, the submitter confirms that they have read, understood, and accepted these Rules & Terms.
13.2. These Rules & Terms apply to all submissions, selections, nominations, awards, screenings, prizes, and related festival activities unless otherwise stated in writing by the festival.
13.3. The festival reserves the right to update these Rules & Terms when reasonably necessary.
13.4. Any material change affecting an existing submission will be communicated whenever practicable.
13.5. If any provision of these Rules & Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply to the fullest extent permitted by law.
13.6. Any exception to these Rules & Terms must be expressly approved in writing by Indie Short Fest.
13.7. Failure by the festival to enforce any provision on one occasion does not constitute a waiver of its right to enforce that provision in the future.

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