Community Guidelines

CLOWD celebrates innovative, ethical storytelling with AI. By participating in CLOWD, you agree to:

  • Respect Others
    Treat fellow filmmakers, staff, judges, and audience members with courtesy. Harassment, hate speech, or discrimination will not be tolerated.

  • Champion Creativity
    Bring your unique voice. Share diverse ideas and styles.

  • Be Honest and Transparent
    Accurately disclose AI tools and techniques used in your film’s creation.

  • Protect Privacy
    Do not disclose personal or sensitive information about others without permission.

  • Keep It Safe and Legal
    No submissions depicting illegal acts, violence, hateful content, or harmful misinformation.

 

Policy, Safety & Copyright Policies

1. Content Ownership & Copyright

  • You must own or have secured all rights (including intellectual property rights) to the content you submit. This covers:

    • Scripts

    • Footage

    • Music

    • AI-generated assets

    • Performances (including likeness, voice, or biometric data)

  • You are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary licenses, permissions, and releases, including:

    • Talent/model releases

    • Location releases

    • Music or sound effects licensing

    • AI training data rights where required

  • Films containing unauthorized copyrighted material may be rejected or disqualified.

2. AI Use Disclosure

  • You must:

    • Disclose all AI tools used in the production of your film.

    • Specify how AI contributed (e.g. scriptwriting, visuals, voice synthesis, editing).

  • Misleading use of AI—particularly in ways that impersonate real individuals or misrepresent events—is prohibited.

3. Safety & Ethics

  • Submissions may not contain:

    • Hateful or discriminatory speech or imagery.

    • Explicit sexual content involving minors.

    • Gratuitous violence or shock content intended solely to disturb viewers.

  • Deepfake or synthetic media is permitted only if:

    • Clearly labeled as fictional or synthetic.

    • Not used to defame, mislead, or impersonate real individuals without documented consent.

4. Data Privacy & Consent

  • Any film that uses:

    • Biometric data

    • Facial scans

    • Synthetic voices modeled on real individuals
      must:

    • Obtain documented, written consent from those individuals.

    • Comply with all applicable privacy and data protection laws (e.g. GDPR, CCPA).

5. Festival Rights

By submitting your film, you grant CLOWD, Curt Doty Company LLC, RealmIQ, and their affiliates:

  • The non-exclusive right to screen your film publicly and digitally during the festival.

  • Permission to use:

    • Your film’s title

    • Filmmaker name(s)

    • Short excerpts, stills, or trailers
      for festival promotion, publicity, and archives.

6. Reporting Violations

  • If you witness or experience policy violations, please notify festival staff.

  • CLOWD reserves the right to:

    • Remove content violating these policies.

    • Disqualify participants who violate guidelines, without refund of fees.

 

Legal Disclaimers & Indemnification

Representations and Warranties

By submitting your film to CLOWD, you represent and warrant that:

  • You are the rightful owner or licensee of all intellectual property included in the film.

  • Your film does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, moral rights, or any other rights of any person or entity.

  • Your film does not violate any law or regulation.

  • All statements and information you provide to CLOWD are true and complete.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless:

  • Curt Doty Company LLC

  • RealmIQ

  • CLOWD

  • All affiliates, advisors, staff, directors, officers, contractors, agents, volunteers, and representatives

from and against any and all claims, damages, liabilities, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to:

  • Your participation in CLOWD.

  • The content or screening of your film.

  • Any alleged or actual breach of your representations, warranties, or obligations under these guidelines and policies.

  • Any third-party claim alleging that your film infringes intellectual property or other rights.

Limitation of Liability

  • CLOWD, Curt Doty Company LLC, RealmIQ, and all affiliates, advisors, staff, and officers shall not be liable for:

    • Any loss, damage, or injury to persons or property in connection with the festival.

    • Any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

  • The total liability of CLOWD and its affiliates to you shall not exceed the amount of any entry fees paid.

Reservation of Rights

CLOWD reserves the right to:

  • Amend these guidelines and policies at any time.

  • Make final decisions on all matters concerning eligibility, selection, and awards.

 

By submitting your film to CLOWD, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Community Guidelines, Policy, Safety & Copyright Policies, and Legal Disclaimers.