By submitting a film, screenplay, or other project to Teleos Film Festival, the submitter acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to the following rules and terms.
1. Submission Platform
All submissions to Teleos Film Festival must be made through FilmFreeway. Teleos does not accept submissions by email, file transfer, private message, physical mail, or any other method unless specifically requested by the festival in writing.
Submitters are responsible for ensuring that all submission materials, screener links, passwords, scripts, and project information are accurate, complete, and accessible through FilmFreeway.
2. Eligibility
Teleos Film Festival accepts completed films and screenplays.
Eligible categories may include, but are not limited to:
Narrative Feature
Documentary Feature
Narrative Short
Documentary Short
Animated Short
Student Film
Family Film
International Film
Feature Screenplay
Short Screenplay
Teleos reserves the right to add, remove, combine, rename, or reassign categories at its discretion.
Submission does not require agreement with any particular religious, political, cultural, or philosophical viewpoint. Teleos welcomes submissions from a wide range of filmmakers, writers, backgrounds, traditions, genres, and perspectives.
3. Runtime and Length Definitions
For festival purposes:
Feature Film: 50 minutes or longer, including credits.
Short Film: Under 50 minutes, including credits.
Feature Screenplay: 50 pages or longer.
Short Screenplay: Under 50 pages.
Teleos may make exceptions or reassign projects to different categories at its discretion.
4. No Works-in-Progress
Teleos does not accept works-in-progress.
Films submitted to Teleos must be final, completed versions at the time of submission. Rough cuts, unfinished edits, placeholder visual effects, temporary sound mixes, incomplete color correction, incomplete subtitles, incomplete credits, or projects requiring substantial additional post-production may be deemed ineligible.
Teleos is not required to review updated versions after submission.
5. Premiere Status
Teleos does not require world premiere, U.S. premiere, North Carolina premiere, or local premiere status unless specifically stated for a category.
Premiere status may be considered during programming but is not required for eligibility.
6. Submission Fees
Submission fees are non-refundable.
This includes, without limitation, submissions that are not selected, withdrawn by the submitter, submitted to the wrong category, disqualified for failure to comply with festival rules, or later determined to be ineligible.
Fee waivers, discounts, and special submission codes are granted only at the discretion of Teleos.
7. Film Screeners
Film submissions must include a secure online screener through FilmFreeway or a FilmFreeway-supported link.
The screener must remain active and accessible through the festival notification date. If a password is required, the submitter is responsible for ensuring that the password remains valid and is correctly provided.
Teleos is not responsible for reviewing submissions with broken links, expired links, incorrect passwords, private videos, region-blocked videos, missing files, or otherwise inaccessible screeners.
8. Screenplay Submissions
Screenplay submissions must be uploaded as PDF files.
The submitted draft should be the version the writer wishes to have considered. Teleos is not required to consider revised drafts after submission.
Submission of a screenplay does not create an option, purchase agreement, representation agreement, production agreement, development agreement, employment relationship, agency relationship, or fiduciary relationship between the submitter and Teleos.
Writers retain all rights to their submitted screenplays.
9. Rights, Permissions, and Clearances
By submitting to Teleos, the submitter represents and warrants that they have the full legal right and authority to submit the film or screenplay and to grant Teleos the rights described in these rules.
For film submissions, the submitter represents and warrants that all necessary rights, licenses, releases, and permissions have been obtained for festival consideration and exhibition, including but not limited to music, archival footage, stock footage, artwork, trademarks, logos, locations, performances, interviews, likenesses, life rights where applicable, and any other protected material included in the film.
For screenplay submissions, the submitter represents and warrants that the screenplay is original to the submitter or that the submitter has secured all necessary rights to submit the screenplay for festival consideration.
The submitter further represents and warrants that the submitted work does not infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, privacy right, publicity right, contractual right, personal right, property right, or other right of any person or entity.
Teleos is not responsible for resolving rights disputes between collaborators, producers, directors, writers, cast, crew, subjects, rights holders, estates, distributors, agents, managers, or any other third parties.
10. Similar Ideas and Materials
The submitter acknowledges that Teleos, its organizers, programmers, judges, staff, volunteers, affiliates, partners, sponsors, advisors, or participants may be developing, producing, considering, reviewing, or receiving other works with similar themes, ideas, premises, historical events, characters, settings, genres, titles, subject matter, or concepts.
Submission to Teleos does not restrict Teleos or any related party from developing, producing, supporting, programming, or participating in other works, even if those works contain similar ideas, themes, premises, or subject matter.
11. Festival Exhibition Rights
Submission does not transfer ownership of the submitted film, screenplay, or underlying rights to Teleos.
If a film is selected, the submitter grants Teleos a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to exhibit the film as part of Teleos Film Festival and related festival activities.
Selected films may be presented in person, online, or in a hybrid format. Online screenings, if used, may be limited by date, geography, ticketed access, password protection, platform security, or other access controls.
Teleos will use reasonable efforts to protect online screenings but cannot guarantee against unauthorized recording, copying, downloading, sharing, or distribution.
Teleos may contact selected filmmakers before confirming online exhibition details.
12. Promotional Rights
By submitting, and especially if selected, the submitter grants Teleos permission to use submitted publicity materials for festival-related purposes.
These materials may include, but are not limited to, the film or screenplay title, logline, synopsis, poster, trailer, stills, clips of up to 60 seconds, filmmaker names, writer names, director names, producer names, cast names, biographies, photographs, likenesses, laurels, and other submitted press materials.
Teleos may use these materials for festival promotion, press, social media, website content, program guides, email communications, sponsor materials, archival records, and related non-commercial festival purposes.
13. AI-Generated or AI-Assisted Material
Teleos does not currently prohibit the use of generative AI tools.
However, submitters are responsible for ensuring that any AI-generated or AI-assisted material included in a submission is lawful, properly authorized, and does not violate the rights of any person or entity.
Teleos reserves the right to request additional information about AI-generated or AI-assisted material if needed for legal, ethical, or programming reasons.
14. Programming Discretion
Final programming decisions are made at the sole discretion of Teleos.
Teleos may consider artistic merit, storytelling quality, originality, production value, thematic depth, audience experience, category fit, runtime, schedule limitations, venue suitability, technical quality, and overall festival balance.
Teleos reserves the right to decline, remove, or disqualify any submission that, in the festival’s judgment, is unlawful, defamatory, pornographic, exploitative, maliciously deceptive, hateful, threatening, harassing, or otherwise unsuitable for the festival, its audience, venues, sponsors, partners, or public presentation.
Teleos may also remove a selected work from the program if the submitter fails to provide required materials, violates these rules, misrepresents the work, or creates legal, reputational, logistical, or safety concerns for the festival.
15. Selection and Notification
Selection decisions are final.
Teleos is not required to provide judging notes, scores, ratings, explanations, feedback, or individual comments regarding selection or non-selection.
Teleos may move a submission into a different category if the festival determines that another category is more appropriate.
Notification dates, event dates, screening dates, venues, and programming details are subject to change.
16. Selected Film Deliverables
If selected, filmmakers must provide all required exhibition and publicity materials by the stated festival deadline.
Required materials may include, but are not limited to:
DCP
ProRes file
High-resolution digital file
Digital backup file
English subtitles
Captions
Trailer
Poster
Film stills
Director biography
Filmmaker headshot
Press kit
Content advisory information
Screening authorization
Premiere status information
For theatrical screenings, Teleos may require a DCP and a ProRes or high-quality digital backup file.
Failure to provide required materials by the stated deadline may result in removal from the festival program.
17. Subtitles and Captions
Non-English films must include English subtitles.
English-language films are strongly encouraged to provide captions. Teleos may require captions or subtitles for selected screenings depending on venue, accessibility, online platform requirements, or audience needs.
18. Content Advisories
Selected filmmakers may be asked to provide content advisory information, including but not limited to language, violence, sexual content, nudity, drug use, disturbing imagery, mature themes, or other material that may affect audience guidance.
Teleos may create or publish its own content advisories at its discretion.
19. Awards and Laurels
Selected films and screenplays may be eligible for festival awards, recognitions, or laurels.
Award categories, nominations, prizes, laurels, and physical awards are subject to change at the discretion of Teleos.
Teleos reserves the right not to present an award in any category.
Unless specifically stated, awards do not include cash prizes, distribution, representation, production, travel, lodging, or other compensation.
If physical awards are offered, Teleos may require winners to provide a valid mailing address. Teleos is not responsible for lost, delayed, damaged, or misdirected shipments.
20. Filmmaker Attendance
Selection does not guarantee travel, lodging, appearance fees, per diem, screening fees, or other compensation.
Teleos may provide filmmaker passes, tickets, hospitality, or special event access at its discretion.
21. Withdrawals
Submission fees are non-refundable.
Once a film or screenplay has been selected and the submitter has accepted the invitation, the work may not be withdrawn without written approval from Teleos.
Teleos may continue to use already-published promotional materials, including title, stills, synopsis, filmmaker name, and laurels, in archival festival materials unless otherwise agreed in writing.
22. Festival Changes, Cancellation, or Force Majeure
Teleos reserves the right to modify, postpone, cancel, relocate, reschedule, or move any portion of the festival online due to circumstances beyond its control.
Such circumstances may include, but are not limited to, venue issues, severe weather, public health concerns, technical failures, acts of God, governmental restrictions, labor disputes, security concerns, platform failures, sponsor or partner changes, or other force majeure events.
In such cases, submission fees remain non-refundable.
23. Communications and Privacy
By submitting, the submitter agrees to receive submission-related communications from Teleos regarding deadlines, selection status, festival logistics, deliverables, screenings, awards, and related administrative matters.
Submitters may separately opt in to receive Teleos news, festival updates, submission announcements, and other communications.
Teleos may collect and use submitter information for festival administration, programming, communication, promotion, and archival purposes. Teleos will not knowingly sell submitter personal information.
24. Indemnification
The submitter agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Teleos Film Festival, Teleos Institute, its organizers, programmers, judges, staff, volunteers, sponsors, partners, venues, officers, directors, representatives, affiliates, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or related to the submission, the submitted work, any alleged rights violation, any breach of these rules, or the exhibition, promotion, review, or consideration of the submitted work.
25. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Teleos shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages arising out of or related to submission, selection, non-selection, exhibition, festival changes, cancellation, postponement, technical failure, platform failure, or use of submitted materials.
26. Governing Law
These rules and any dispute arising from submission to Teleos Film Festival shall be governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
27. Authority to Submit
The individual submitting the film or screenplay represents that they are authorized to submit the work on behalf of all owners, creators, producers, writers, and rights holders.
By submitting to Teleos Film Festival, the submitter agrees to be bound by these rules and terms.
