Sydney Women's International Film Festival (“SWIFF”) competition entry Terms and Conditions
I. Introduction
By submitting your film or screenplay to the Sydney Women's International Film Festival (SWIFF), you agree to the following Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between SWIFF and all entrants, selectees, and their representatives.
II. Eligibility and Rules
To be eligible for entry, your film must meet the criteria outlined on our competition entry page:
1. Include at least one female or non-binary or self-identifying female writer, director, cinematographer, producer, or editor in the production team.
2. Include a female or non-binary or self-identifying female protagonist.
3. All non-English language films must have English subtitles or be dubbed in English.
4. Films must not have had their Australian NSW territory cinematic release, or been released on any public online streaming (unless a web-series entry or music video entry), TVOD, or SVOD platform, or completed post-production on their film over 18 months. In the case of a website series or music video entry, the project must not have been released for over 12 months from the time of entry.
III. Submission and Selection
1. By submitting your film or screenplay, you warrant that the submission is your original work, and there are no disputes regarding the ownership, distribution, or exhibition rights of the submission in part or in entirety.
2. You also warrant that the submitted material does not defame or invade the rights of any person living or dead and fully indemnify SWIFF against any claim made for such violations of law.
3. SWIFF reserves the right to use a clip, and or clips or photos from accepted entries for up to three minutes in length for promotional purposes.
4. SWIFF reserves the right to screen accepted entries as part of the Sydney Women's International Film Festival.
5. For a selected film to screen at the live physical event a key creative or associated organisation representative must attend the screening to represent the film.
6. Selectees whose films will screen in the live physical event are offered a complimentary pass to the Grand Opening event and their live physical film screening. SWIFF may require proof of travel for out-of-state or country selectees to ensure their planned attendance.
7. Selectees who are invited to be a nominee must book a ticket by the given deadline to the Awards Gala and send a representative to the Awards Gala to accept their nomination.
IV. Deliverables and Deadlines
1. It is the responsibility of all selectees to send their deliverables properly, meeting the set deadlines.
2. SWIFF's team is unable to assist during this process, and failure to meet deadlines may result in disqualification.
3. By submitting your film or screenplay, you agree to provide all required deliverables on time and in the format specified by SWIFF.
V. Festival Promotion and Online Streaming
1. SWIFF reserves the right to promote selected films through various channels, including social media, email marketing, and online advertising.
2. Selected films may be screened online. SWIFF retains the right to post-festival streaming, unless the submitter provides explicit written notice of withdrawal. Such notice must be sent from the same email address used for the original film submission. Upon SWIFF's confirmation of receipt of the withdrawal notice, the submitter bears sole responsibility for verifying the actual removal of their film from SWIFF's online platform.
VII. Screening Fees
1. At present, SWIFF does not offer screening fees to selected filmmakers.
2. SWIFF is working towards offering screening fees in the future and will notify selectees if this policy changes.
VII. Communication and Support
1. SWIFF's volunteer team will respond to emails and queries to the best of their ability, but may not be able to respond to all emails, especially those requesting information already provided.
2. Entrants and selectees are expected to carefully read and follow the instructions provided by SWIFF and adhere to established deadlines.
VIII. Harassment and Abuse
1. SWIFF has a zero-tolerance policy on abuse and harassment.
2. Any communication deemed aggressive, threatening, abusive, or defaming from any team members will result in immediate disqualification.
3. Selectees and their representatives are forbidden from reaching out to singular members of the operations and volunteer team members, past and present business partners, and past and present sponsors with any grievances or queries about the festival.
4. All festival communication must be directed to: hello@swiff.tv
IX. Defamation and Liability
1. SWIFF reserves the right to take action against any individual or entity that defames or harasses SWIFF, its volunteers, business partners, or sponsors.
2. Selectees and their representatives agree to hold SWIFF harmless from and defend them from all claims, demands, losses, damages, judgments, liabilities, and expenses (including attorneys' fees) arising out of or in connection with any and all claims of third parties, whether groundless or not, based on any film submitted to the festival.
X. Cancellation and Postponement
1. SWIFF reserves the right to cancel and modify the schedule with any entry or entry fee and can do so at its discretion.
2. In the event of natural disasters, isolation laws, or other unforeseen circumstances, the festival may be postponed, have the venue changed, or run online only.
XI. Governing Law
These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New South Wales, Australia. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms and Conditions shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the Australian Disputes Centre.
XII. Acceptance
By submitting your film or screenplay to SWIFF, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
* At SWIFF, we want to ensure that our communication remains positive and constructive. We appreciate the hard work and creativity that goes into every submission and are here to run the best festival we can to promote it.
To help us maintain a respectful and productive dialogue, we kindly ask that all communications adhere to the following guidelines:
- Respectful Tone: Please ensure that all emails and messages are courteous and respectful. We are all working towards the same goal of celebrating women, film, and creativity.
- Clear and Constructive Feedback: If you have concerns or feedback, please express them clearly and constructively without insults of any kind. We value your input and want to address any issues effectively.
- Understanding Guidelines: We encourage you to familiarize yourself with our festival rules and guidelines. This will help us avoid any misunderstandings and ensure a smoother process for everyone involved.
- Patience and Understanding: Remember that we are a small team made up mostly of dedicated volunteers working hard to bring this festival to life. We appreciate your patience as we navigate any challenges that may arise.
- Communication with Sponsors and Partners: Please be aware that any selectee communicating negatively about SWIFF to any of our sponsors or partners may result in disqualification, a lifetime ban, and the recouping of damages from the loss of partnerships or sponsors.
- Email Inquiries: We receive a large number of emails daily and cannot respond to every inquiry. If a selectee or entrant has emailed asking for information already provided, or is seeking alternative information already shared, unless we reply otherwise, the answer is no.
Please note that adherence to these guidelines is essential for maintaining a positive environment. Failure to comply may result in disqualification from the festival.
We’re excited to work together to make this festival a success and appreciate your undertaking and cooperation.
**SWIFF is committed to caring for the health and well-being of our entrants and audience members and playing a constructive role in supporting local health officials and government leaders. Read below about the latest decisions being made by the SWIFF committee on the impact of COVID-19 and natural disasters on our festival.
***At present, our event is scheduled for mid-April; however, if natural disasters or isolation laws prevent the running of the event or for any other reason, the festival will be postponed, will have the venue changed or run online only.
****At present, our online is planned for our private subscriber-only viewing account on TikTok. TikTok have strict polices surrounding music rights. It is advised not to use a song that has already been registered as an original sound on this app in your film and to also register it with TikTok’s CML. More information about this can be found on the TikTok website. For online films shown to our TikTok subscribers, there is a limit of 60 minutes in length. Longer films are welcome to cut down their film for this online screening activity.
By entering our festival you agree and hold the Sydney Women's International Film Festival and all associated partners and sponsors harmless from and defend them from all claims, demands, losses, damages, judgments, liabilities, and expenses (including attorneys' fees) arising out of or in connection with any and all claims of third parties, whether groundless or not, based on any film submitted to the festival.
