F A R O Concurso de Cinema Mediterrâneo e Mundial

Rules to enter the FARO Concurso de Cinema Mediterrâneo e Mundial, by submitting your work to FARO you agree to the following terms and conditions...

1. Online Festival Dynamic: FARO is an exclusively online film contest that operates annually with a unique structure featuring three classification periods throughout the year. The culmination of these periods leads to a final Results Day, on which all individual award category winners and the Grand Prize Winner for Best Picture of the Year are announced. While FARO does not routinely stream films as part of its contest, we reserve the right to request permission to showcase the Best Picture winners during a designated short window. This potential showcase is subject to the following conditions to ensure the security and integrity of the films:

a. Copyright Confirmation: Filmmakers must provide express consent and confirm copyright ownership for any streaming of their audiovisual project, ensuring that all necessary rights are in place for public exhibition.

b. Secure Viewing and Anti-Piracy Measures: In the event of streaming, audiovisual projects will be protected with encryption, making them safely viewable without risk of unauthorized access or distribution. The streaming platform will employ robust anti-piracy measures, including but not limited to geoblocking capabilities and digital rights management (DRM) to prevent downloading and illegal sharing.

c. Limited Accessibility: The streaming window will be brief, and access will be tightly controlled and limited to a specified audience, ensuring exclusivity and respect for the filmmakers’ work.

2. Use of Stills and/or Clip Fragments: You certify that your work is ready for festival exhibition (all music, fonts, visuals, etc. are cleared worldwide, in perpetuity, multi-platform), and that the intellectual property is yours. If you are acting as a distributor, you affirm you've secured permission from the copyright owner. You allow us to use stills and short clips from your audiovisual project on the festival's digital platforms, including our website and social media channels, exclusively for promotional, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

3. Downloading: You grant permission to the Festival Director and Grand Prize Adjudicators to download your audiovisual project(s) to assist with offline viewing and to fulfill the festival's programming needs. There may be an opportunity for your audiovisual project to be showcased, to be confirmed, in those events you permit us to showcase your audiovisual project online with appropriate encryption and password protection.

4. Grand Prize Allocation Procedure: Upon notification of being selected as the Grand Prize Winner and a cash prize recipient, the winning party must acknowledge receipt and accept the prize within fourteen (14) business days. Failure to do so will result in the forfeiture of the Grand Prize, which will then be awarded to the runner-up (2nd place) of the competition. It is the winner’s responsibility to ensure communication channels with FARO remain open and responsive to facilitate the timely delivery of the prize. This clause is intended to expedite the award process and maintain the momentum of the recipient’s success, ensuring that the celebration of excellence continues unabated.

5. IMDb: FARO's team can update your awards/nominations on your IMDb pages, but will not initiate the creation of project pages if they don't exist.

6. Code of Conduct: You pledge to maintain respect and courtesy toward all involved.

7. Feedback: While we don't provide feedback on every submission, we do offer a critical review option.

8. No Refunds and Sportsmanship: No refunds will be provided based on dissatisfaction with final festival decisions.

9. One-Time Fee for All Categories: A singular fee ensures your project is evaluated across all festival categories for potential awards/nominations.

10. Accepted Submission Types: We accept a broad spectrum of submission formats.

11. Submission Permissions: Filmmaker teams can enter multiple projects in the same festival round.

12. Submission Restrictions: Once an audiovisual project has been submitted to a particular edition, it cannot be re-submitted in subsequent ones.

13. Film Reviews: To request a written critique, your audiovisual project must have been submitted to the competition.

14. Official Selection: A submission does not automatically grant "Official Selection" status.

15. Mailing List: By submitting to FARO, you automatically join our newsletter.

Policy on Free Waivers and Online Integrity

At FARO, our mission is to ensure a level playing field for all filmmakers who wish to showcase their creative prowess. We are fully committed to maintaining the integrity and fairness of our online platform, and to this end, have set forth the following guidelines:

1. Email Marketing & Official Selection: While we employ email marketing as a strategy to amplify the reach and awareness of our festival, it is important for filmmakers to understand that receiving marketing communication does not equate to automatic official selection or nomination. Audiovisual projects undergo a stringent selection process, and there is no guarantee of selection based solely on marketing outreach.

2. No Free Waivers: In the realm of online creative contests, optics matter as much as substance. Offering free waivers can inadvertently send a mixed signal about the festival's integrity and the value it places on filmmakers' contributions. Our decision to not provide free waivers is twofold:

3. Respect for All Participants: Many filmmakers invest both time and resources to participate in our festival. It is paramount that every filmmaker feels their efforts and investments are respected and valued equally.

4. Maintaining Prize Integrity: Granting the prestigious winner of the year title, accompanied by a grand cash prize, to someone who entered on a fee waiver could potentially undermine the perceived value and fairness of the competition. Such an approach might unintentionally devalue the efforts of those who adhered to the standard entry process.

Our festival thrives on the passion, dedication, and sportsmanship of its participants. We believe these policies ensure an environment where creativity is celebrated, and all filmmakers are given an equitable chance to shine.

Privacy Policy

1. Newsletter and Promotional Communications Opt-In: By submitting an entry to our festival, you consent to be added to our mailing list and marketing communications from partner film festivals and creative contests.

2. Opt-Out Rights: You may unsubscribe or withdraw consent for electronic communications at any point. Opt-out is available by emailing us with a request to unsubscribe.

3. Use of Personal Information: We respect your privacy and will handle your data according to relevant data protection regulations.

4. Changes to this Clause: We may update this Privacy Policy Clause when necessary.

5. Contact: Any queries regarding this Privacy Policy Clause can be directed to our team.

By agreeing to these terms, filmmakers understand that their content will be treated with the highest level of care and consideration, with safety and security as a priority. FARO is committed to promoting cinematic excellence while safeguarding the filmmakers' intellectual property.

By entering FARO, you confirm your understanding of and compliance with the above terms and acknowledge having read and accepted FARO's rules and regulations.​