Let us be absolutely clear: we will not apologise or entertain Ana Pio’s review as constructive feedback because it is entirely false. Below, we will address the inaccuracies point by point while reaffirming our commitment to supporting filmmakers. Fake reviews will not stop us. This statement comes directly from the director of Cinebooth, and we take this opportunity to warn others in the industry to be cautious of individuals like Ana, who take advantage of kindness and demand more than they are entitled to.
We strive to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all filmmakers. Ana Pio’s film, however, was not up to the standard of the other selected works, and it was only included because we wanted to extend a kind gesture to a local filmmaker. These events are far more than what is seen on the night; they involve countless hidden costs to obtain a cinema venue, like promotional materials, and covering complimentary seats for guests. In Ana’s case, we went far beyond what is normally offered, and yet she repaid this kindness with anger, demands, and now a fake review two months after the event. This review appears to be motivated purely by bitterness over her ban, a decision made to ensure others are not subjected to her behaviour.
1. Technical Issues & Public Screening Standards:
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Ana’s claims about technical issues and trigger warnings are completely baseless. Cinebooth events are public screenings hosted at professional cinemas, where all films undergo rigorous testing weeks before and on the day for technical elements such as sound, colour, ratio, etc. Trigger warnings and age certificates are reviewed and added by the cinema or requested from us if needed.
The suggestion that we singled Ana out or blamed her for a missing trigger warning is not only false but ludicrous. The process is entirely handled by the cinema and our team to ensure everything meets public screening standards. These screenings are hosted in a cinema open to the general public meaning it’s as important to them as like any other film, to maintain quality and all the standards in place!
2. Generosity Overlooked
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We would like to highlight the generous offerings given to Ana as a local filmmaker, which included:
- 7 free seat tickets (£35 value),
- 3 free film submissions (£30 value),
- 2 free pizzas for her and her group (£24 value),
- and even a cinebooth cocktail for (£7.50 value).
These aren’t typical offerings and were granted to make her feel welcome and provide opportunities. While other filmmakers appreciated our communication, Ana’s lack of gratitude speaks volumes. We made special exceptions for her and we are being as transparent as possible putting this online for everyone to know.
3. Communication
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We make an effort to reach out via FilmFreeway email, our own email, and social media to make sure everyone knows about the opportunity to reserve free seats, which is a part of our promise when filmmakers submit their work. We do this early to ensure no one misses out, and this outreach typically starts at least three weeks before the event. Asking filmmakers to let us know how many seats they’d like is entirely in their best interest, as these reservations cost us money. We do not rush anyone but make sure they know the seats are available. The idea of a 24-hour deadline was never communicated to Ana. In fact, why would we rush someone for something that costs us? It’s counterproductive. Other filmmakers were grateful for our communication, responding politely and without issue. Ana, however, responded with anger and entitlement, and we are left questioning would she behave and respond this way if it were Cannes Festival asking for her seat preferences? We doubt it.
To be transparent, when Ana was away on this holiday that she mentions in her review with her family which is when she received our message about seat reservations, it was during a time of personal loss for our team, as we had just lost a close family member. Despite this, we still made the effort to ensure filmmakers were informed about available opportunities. This highlights our commitment as a small team to supporting filmmakers, even in difficult times. Ana, please remember that everyone has their own challenges and while you were enjoying a holiday, we were going through a difficult period, yet we still made the effort to care. Also Ana, note that we appear on FFW any message, or email written to anybody can arrive in their inbox at any time as we welcome filmmakers all over the world in different times zones. We would understand frustration if you'd receive a telephone call waking you in the middle of the night, which you did not.
4. GDPR
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On the GDPR point, let’s clarify: Cinebooth operates transparently to help filmmakers gain exposure. At events, we include contact details; such as social media handles, web link, an email provided to us or any other details, all to then be on-screen and in the printed programme to benefit the filmmaker. Our Terms & Conditions (bullet point 12), available publicly on FilmFreeway, clearly outline this practice. In our automated emails we reflect this so filmmakers can share their preferred form of contact to be displayed.
Ana did not provide any contact preference, so a team member used an email associated with her FilmFreeway submission. While FilmFreeway terms allow us to use this, we’ve warned the team member to be more cautious in the future, ensuring no personal email is used if there’s any uncertainty. This measure is to prevent misunderstandings, even though we acted within policy.
4. Ana Banned for Reason:
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We’ve also been taken aback by Ana’s toxic attitude at the event and the fact that she left a review on behalf of others who didn’t share her concerns. It’s clear that her issues were personal, and she tried to speak for people who were perfectly happy with their experience. This misrepresentation caused discomfort among the other filmmakers, who were offended by her actions. One of the filmmakers even took the time to let us know how uncomfortable Ana’s behaviour was. It’s important to note that we’ve never received any negative feedback about the event from any other filmmakers. In fact, many of them have already submitted more films to us, and we are excited to continue working with them.
5. A Final Word
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Anyone reading this is welcome to reach out on social media with any questions or discount inquiries, no commitment needed. We’re here to help. However, Ana Pio has been banned from our events and social media. We strongly advise festivals, filmmakers, and actors to be cautious of her toxic attitude, which only makes an already challenging industry even harder for herself and others. We believe in supporting one another, not making things more difficult for those trying to make their way. Cinebooth does not tolerate bullies, and we will standup against them like Ana Pio, and we want you to all know that any constructive feedback is always taken seriously, we just don’t respect lies!
PS. We kindly ask you Ana to respect the ban from all future events, to not try and continue to send us more work and/or seek more offers and discounts from us, do not bother responding we are tired of your lies and we do not want to reach a point to use legal action to keep you away from us! There is no reality in this where we open the doors again to you at our events so please do not try anymore, and instead use this opportunity to grow and learn to respect others.