1. Acceptance of Rules
Submission of a film to The Film Circle Shorts constitutes full and unconditional acceptance of the Festival’s Rules & Terms by the submitter and their representatives. By submitting, you confirm that you have read and agreed to the complete Rules & Terms available on the official Festival website:
https://www.thefilmcircle.org/festival
2. Eligibility
The Festival accepts short films from filmmakers around the world. All submitted films must not exceed 30 minutes in length. All films must be in horizontal (landscape) format. Vertical films are not eligible. All genres are accepted, including but not limited to documentary, narrative, animation, experimental films, and music videos.
All films with dialogue must be in English or include English subtitles. Submissions without English dialogue or subtitles may not be eligible for consideration.
3. Submission Fees
All submission fees are non-refundable under any circumstances, including but not limited to disqualification, non-selection, withdrawal, or change of Festival dates or venue.
4. Selection & Discretion
Submission does not guarantee selection. The Festival is not obligated to provide feedback, comments, or explanations regarding selection decisions.
The Festival reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to accept, reject, or disqualify any submission without explanation. The Festival’s total liability, under any circumstances, shall be limited to the amount of the submission fee paid by the submitter.
5. Rights & Warranties
By submitting a film, the submitter represents and warrants that they hold all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions required for public screening of the film and for all materials included in it. The film must not be subject to any legal disputes, claims, or pending litigation. The submitter accepts full legal responsibility for the content of the film and agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Festival, its organizers, partners, and affiliates from any claims, damages, liabilities, or legal expenses arising from the submitted work.
6. Indemnification & Liability
The submitter further agrees not to initiate or participate in any collective or class action claim against the Festival.
By submitting, the filmmaker grants the Festival the non-exclusive right to screen the film publicly during Festival screening events throughout the season, including monthly Movie Night screenings and the annual finalist screenings and ceremony, if selected. The submitter also grants the Festival the right to use excerpts, trailers, stills, titles, and information related to the film for promotional and marketing purposes, including but not limited to social media, website, press materials, and advertising.
The submitter waives any right to inspect or approve promotional materials created by the Festival.
7. Screening & Promotional Rights
If selected, the submitter agrees to provide the final exhibition copy in the required format and by the specified deadline. Failure to comply may result in removal from the program without refund.
8. Technical Delivery & Withdrawal
Once officially selected, a film may not be withdrawn from the Festival program without written consent from the Festival.
The Festival reserves the right to determine the appropriate category for selected films at its sole discretion.
9. Dates & Force Majeure
Festival dates, venue, and schedule are subject to change at the sole discretion of the Festival.
10. Governing Law
The Festival shall not be held liable for any technical failures, file corruption, force majeure events, or circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, any dispute arising out of or relating to the submission, selection, or exhibition of a film shall be governed by the laws of the State of California and shall be resolved exclusively in Los Angeles, California.
