Privacy policy
Plain version: we collect what the site needs to work, we don’t sell it, we don’t run ads or tracking, and you can delete your account yourself.
Effective October 13, 2026. Global Film Festivals (globalfilmfests.com) is part of the WholeTech network, based in Austin, Texas. “We” means the people who run it.
If you only browse
- No accounts, no cookies, no analytics, no ads. Browsing the directory, festival pages, maps and calendars sets no cookies and runs no tracking scripts.
- Server logs. Like every website, our server records each request: IP address, time, page, browser type and referring page. We use these logs to keep the site running and to block abuse. They are deleted after 14 days.
- Things your browser loads from other companies, which then see your IP address:
- Fonts from Google Fonts.
- Map tiles from OpenStreetMap, and the map library from cdnjs (Cloudflare), on the map page.
- Video thumbnails from YouTube on festival pages. A video only loads from youtube-nocookie.com when you press play.
- The discussion section on festival pages, which is served by AustinSpring (austinspring.com) and covered by its own terms.
- “Near me” on the map asks your browser for your location only when you press it. The location stays in your browser; it is never sent to us.
If you make an account (the submissions app at /app/)
| What | Why | Who can see it |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email, password (stored only as a one-way hash) | Your account, sign-in codes, notices about your entries | Us; festivals you enter see your name and email |
| Your films: title, credits, synopsis, runtime, links to your screener, trailer and poster, and any screener password you add | So you can enter festivals in one step | Only you, until you enter a festival here; then that festival’s team |
| Your tracker: festivals, status, dates, fees, notes | Your own record of entries, and your private calendar feed | Only you (the calendar link is private; keep it to yourself) |
| Entries made here: film, category, premiere statement, note | To pass your entry to the festival | You and that festival’s team |
| Screener opens: when a festival team member opens your screener | To show you whether your film was opened | You see the count and the date, never who opened it. The festival’s admins can see which team member opened it. |
| Festival teams: role, scores, private notes, written feedback | Judging | That festival’s team. Feedback is sent to the filmmaker only if the festival writes some. |
| Festival claims: the email you claim with, or the note you send for review | To confirm you run the festival | Us |
| Corrections you send | To fix the directory | Us; once checked, the fact appears on the public page |
| Numbers a festival chooses to publish (entries received, films selected) | So filmmakers can judge their odds | Everyone, marked “reported by the festival” |
| Monthly alerts: email and country | To send the list you asked for | Us |
| IP address with sign-up, sign-in and form attempts | Rate limits against spam and password guessing | Us; kept for 24 hours |
One cookie. Signing in sets one cookie, gffapp, limited to /app/. It keeps you signed in for up to 30 days. There are no other cookies.
Email. We send email only for things you started: sign-in codes, password resets, festival claims, entry receipts, decisions, deadline reminders you set up, and the monthly list if you subscribed. Messages come from noreply@globalfilmfests.com and are delivered by Resend.
Who else handles data
- DigitalOcean hosts our server in the United States.
- Resend delivers our email.
- The festivals you enter receive what that entry needs (above).
We don’t sell personal data, rent it, or share it for advertising. We would only disclose it if the law requires us to.
How long we keep it
- Account data: until you delete your account.
- Server logs: 14 days. Rate-limit records: 24 hours.
- Backups of the server can hold deleted data for up to 30 days before they roll over.
Your choices and rights
- Delete your account any time from your dashboard. This removes your profile, films, tracker and alert subscriptions. If you have entries a festival is still deciding on, withdraw them first.
- Download your tracker as a spreadsheet from the tracker.
- Stop the monthly email with the link at the bottom of each one.
- For anything else — a copy of your data, a correction, or a question — contact us. Wherever you live, including the EU, UK and California, we’ll answer within 30 days.
Children
The site is for adults and older teens. Accounts are not for children under 13. If you are under 18, have a parent or guardian agree to the terms with you.
Open data
Our festival directory is published as open data. It contains facts about festivals, never anything from user accounts.
Changes
If we change this policy we’ll update the date above, and tell account holders by email about anything significant.
Questions: contact us. See also the terms of service.