Community Guidelines

• Create boldly, respect others. Art can challenge; harassment cannot.
• Own your rights. Only upload what you have the right to share.
• Play fair. No fake engagement, ranking games, or eligibility lies.
• Label honestly. Use accurate content ratings and metadata so viewers can choose what to watch.

2.1 Allowed (with honest labeling)

Narrative violence, mature themes, strong language, and artistic depictions of difficult subjects may be allowed when they have clear contextual, documentary, educational, or artistic purpose and are labeled with an appropriate content rating (G, PG, PG-13, R, or NR). Misleading "safe" ratings for mature work is a violation.

2.2 Not allowed

• Child sexual exploitation and abuse material — zero tolerance; includes fictional depictions involving minors (anyone 17 or under). We report to authorities as required.
• Non-consensual intimate imagery (including deepfakes of real people) and sexual content involving real people without consent
• Pornography / hardcore sexual content intended primarily for sexual arousal rather than narrative/artistic cinema we host; when in doubt, we may remove or restrict
• Real-world harm: content that promotes terrorism, violent extremism, or credible threats; instructional content for committing violent crime; graphic real-world gore shared for shock without news/documentary context
• Hate content: material whose primary purpose is to promote hatred or dehumanization of people based on protected characteristics (race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, age, disability, or similar)
• Illegal activity: content that primarily facilitates drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, fraud, or other illegal markets
• Dangerous challenges that encourage serious physical harm
• Spam / scams / malware embedded in uploads or descriptions

2.3 Self-harm and suicide

Do not post content that encourages or provides instructional detail for suicide or self-harm. Films that depict these themes for narrative/documentary purposes should be labeled sensitively. If you or someone you know is in crisis, seek local emergency help or resources such as https://www.iasp.info/suicidalthoughts/.

• Only upload films and assets you own or are authorized to distribute on FSTiVL.
• Clear music, footage, fonts, trademarks, and likenesses. "I found it online" is not a license.
• Do not re-upload others' FSTiVL films, festival entries, or trailers as your own.
• Copyright owners may submit DMCA notices as described in our Terms. Repeat infringers lose their accounts.

4.1 Respectful interaction

• Critique the work, not the person. No harassment, bullying, threats, or pile-ons.
• No hate speech, slurs used as attacks, or targeted abuse.
• No doxxing, stalking, or sharing others' private personal information.
• No impersonation of individuals, brands, or FSTiVL staff.
• Keep disagreements civil—especially under reviews and festival discussions.

4.2 Reviews, votes, and ratings

• Reviews should reflect genuine viewing opinions.
• No paid, coerced, bot, or coordinated fake reviews/votes/rankings.
• Don't brigading-bomb competitors during festivals.
• Don't post spoilers without a clear spoiler warning where the UI allows context.

4.3 Spam and promotion

• No repetitive spam, scam links, phishing, or misleading CTAs.
• Reasonable promotion of your own film is fine; flooding the feed or others' threads is not.
• No misleading metadata, clickbait thumbnails that misrepresent the film, or fake awards.

• Meet all posted eligibility rules (e.g., university student status, length, category). False attestations = disqualification and possible account action.
• Respect per-user and per-location submission caps—no alt accounts to game limits.
• Do not manipulate rankings, scores, views, or screening outcomes (vote rings, bots, bribes, fake accounts).
• Do not harass jurors, rankers, curators, or other entrants about outcomes.
• Credits spent on valid submissions are generally non-refundable; platform-error cases are handled under the Terms.

• No hacking, scraping at scale, reverse engineering, or circumventing access controls.
• No malware, credential stuffing, or abuse of APIs/uploads.
• Don't share account access in ways that violate the Terms or enable abuse.
• Don't exploit bugs for credits, Pro access, or rankings—report them instead.
• No referral or promo abuse (self-referral loops, fake signups).

• Unsolicited bulk advertising in community surfaces is prohibited unless we expressly allow a sponsored format.
• If you include branded content or sponsorships inside a film or post, disclose the relationship clearly where required by law (e.g., FTC endorsement guidelines).
• Ads served by FSTiVL or partners are separate from your content; do not interfere with ad delivery or measurement.

8.1 How to report

Email [email protected] with:

• URL or location of the content/account
• Description of the issue and why it violates these Guidelines
• Screenshots if helpful
• For copyright: follow the DMCA process in the Terms

Report; don't escalate with harassment. False or abusive reports may themselves be enforced against.

8.2 What we may do

• Remove or restrict content (including age-gating or unpublishing)
• Warn, limit features, reset rankings/votes, or disqualify festival entries
• Suspend or terminate accounts; forfeit credits tied to abuse
• Preserve data and report to law enforcement when required or appropriate

We may act on reports, automated signals, rights-holder notices, or our own review. We are not obligated to discuss every moderation decision in detail.

8.3 Appeals

If you believe we made an error, email [email protected] with subject "Moderation Appeal," the content/account at issue, and a brief explanation. We will review in good faith when feasible; repeat frivolous appeals may be ignored.

We may update these Guidelines as the community and product evolve. The "Last Updated" date will change when we do. Continued use means you accept the updated Guidelines.