By submitting to the Festival, the entrant agrees to the following Terms & Conditions:
1) Originality, Rights, and Releases
The entrant confirms they hold all necessary rights, licenses, permissions, and clearances for the submitted work (the “Work”), including all visual, audio, and written content (e.g., music, images, footage, artwork, text, and any third-party materials). The entrant further represents that the Work does not infringe or violate any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity/personality rights, and that the Work is not defamatory or otherwise unlawful.
Where applicable, the entrant confirms they have obtained all necessary model, location, and contributor releases/consents for identifiable individuals and protected locations, and for any minors appearing in the Work.
Indemnity: The entrant agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Festival and its organizers, partners, employees, representatives, and volunteers (collectively, the “Festival Parties”) from any claims, damages, liabilities, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to a breach of these Terms or the entrant’s submission, including rights violations or unauthorized use.
2) Permission to Present, Promote, and Archive
By submitting, the entrant grants the Festival a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to present the Work as part of the Festival program (screening, installation, demonstration, or exhibition formats as applicable).
The entrant also grants the Festival permission to use stills, titles, loglines, synopses, and excerpts from the Work for Festival-related promotion, publicity, documentation, and archival records (including social media, printed/digital materials, press outreach, and program listings).
Online presence (promo/archive): The Festival may host or link to limited materials (e.g., stills, short excerpts, trailers, or project descriptions) on its official website or project archive for promotional and documentation purposes. The Festival will not publish full films online.
Web-based/interactive works: If the submitted Work is inherently web-based or interactive, online access may be required to present the Work as intended. In such cases, the entrant agrees to provide access instructions/links and acknowledges that presentation may involve online components consistent with the Work’s format.
3) Withdrawal, Changes, and Removal
Entrants may withdraw their submission by written request prior to July 31, 2026. After this date, submissions will be considered final and may not be withdrawn.
The Festival reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to schedule, reschedule, reformat, or cancel screenings/exhibitions, and to remove a selected Work from the program or archive listings if necessary, including for technical issues, rights concerns, changes in program delivery, or programming/curatorial considerations. Selection does not guarantee a specific screening time, format, or venue.
4) Content Responsibility
The entrant retains full responsibility for the content of their submission. The Festival Parties do not endorse and are not responsible for any views, claims, or representations expressed in submitted works.
5) Fees
No Screening Fees: The Festival does not pay screening fees for selected works.
Submission Fees: Submission fees (if applicable) are non-refundable, regardless of selection outcome.
6) Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Festival Parties shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from or related to submission, selection, scheduling, presentation, non-presentation, or cancellation. In no event shall the Festival Parties’ total liability exceed the amount of submission fees paid by the entrant (if any).
7) Force Majeure
The Festival is not responsible for delays, changes, or cancellation due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to weather events, public health restrictions, venue unavailability, technical failures, or labor disputes.
8) Privacy
Submission information will be used for Festival administration, programming, and communications, and may be shared with Festival partners involved in delivery. The Festival will not sell entrant personal information.
9) Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Any dispute shall be brought exclusively in the courts located in Ontario.
10) Agreement to Terms
Submission constitutes acceptance of these Terms & Conditions. Any breach may result in disqualification or removal from the program.
