These terms govern the submission of films and series to the Reel Fear open call. By submitting your work through the Reel Fear submission form, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these terms in full.
Who We Are
Reel Fear is an immersive cinema experience that installs itself inside horror and fantasy film festivals worldwide. It is operated under Spanish jurisdiction. For any legal or contractual matter, contact us at content@reelfear.tv.
References to "Reel Fear", "we", "us" or "our" throughout these terms refer to the Reel Fear project and its operators.
Who May Submit
The open call is open to directors, producers, distributors and sales agents who hold the necessary rights to authorize the exhibition of the submitted work. You must be at least 18 years old to submit.
Works may be submitted on behalf of a production company, provided the person submitting has authority to grant the rights described in these terms.
What You Are Submitting
Reel Fear accepts short films and vertical series in the horror, supernatural, suspense, fantastic, gore, thriller, crime and related genres. Works must be in native 9:16 vertical format, or available in a version that can be exhibited in that format.
Submitting a work does not guarantee selection. Reel Fear curates a selection of 7 works per festival edition. All editorial decisions are final and will not be entered into correspondence.
You may withdraw your submission at any time before a selection decision is communicated to you, by writing to content@reelfear.tv.
Exhibition License
If your work is selected, you grant Reel Fear a non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable license to screen your work at any festival or venue where the Reel Fear installation operates during the edition for which it was selected.
This license is limited to:
- Public exhibition within the Reel Fear installation space at the relevant festival or venue.
- Delivery of the work to festival attendees via QR code on their personal mobile device, in 9:16 vertical format, for viewing within the festival context.
- Use of the title, logline, synopsis, poster and credits for promotional purposes directly related to the Reel Fear installation and the relevant festival edition.
This license does not:
- Transfer ownership of any rights in your work to Reel Fear.
- Grant Reel Fear the right to distribute, sell, sublicense or monetize your work in any form outside the exhibition context described above.
- Restrict your ability to exhibit, distribute, license or sell your work through any other channel, at any time.
- Grant Reel Fear the right to modify, edit or alter your work in any way.
The license applies solely to the edition for which the work was selected. Any subsequent inclusion in a future edition requires a separate agreement.
Prior Notification
Before any screening of your selected work takes place, you will receive an email at the address provided in your submission form. This notification will include:
- The name of the festival or venue.
- The location and dates of the exhibition.
- The exhibition format and context.
- Any relevant co-branding or sponsor information associated with the installation.
You will have a reasonable opportunity to raise any concerns following this notification. Reel Fear will endeavour to address any issues in good faith before the exhibition takes place.
It is your responsibility to ensure that the email address provided in your submission form is active and monitored. Reel Fear cannot be held responsible for notifications that are not received due to incorrect contact details, spam filtering or other factors outside our control.
No Fee, No Compensation
There is no submission fee to participate in the Reel Fear open call.
Selected filmmakers receive no monetary compensation for their work being exhibited in the Reel Fear installation at this stage of the project. Participation is offered on the basis of cultural visibility, audience reach and festival presence.
This may be reviewed in future editions as the project develops. Any change to this policy will be communicated clearly before the relevant open call opens.
Awards
Reel Fear Audience Award. At the close of each festival edition, one selected work will receive the Reel Fear Audience Award, determined by the votes of festival attendees via the Reel Fear star rating system. The specific prize associated with the award will be confirmed and communicated to all selected filmmakers before the edition opens. All editorial and voting processes are managed by Reel Fear.
Dramabeats Award. The winner of the Reel Fear Audience Award will additionally receive the Dramabeats Award: a professional consultation in either script development or production, at the winner's choice, provided by Dramabeats. The terms and format of the consultation will be communicated to the winner directly upon selection.
Awards are non-transferable and carry no cash equivalent unless explicitly stated. Reel Fear reserves the right to modify the award structure for any given edition, provided that any changes are communicated before the edition opens.
Your Data
The information submitted through the Reel Fear submission form will be used exclusively for the following purposes:
- Evaluating your submission for selection.
- Communicating with you about the status of your submission.
- If selected, managing your participation in the relevant Reel Fear edition.
- Including your work's title, poster, logline and credits in Reel Fear communications, the installation itself, and post-festival reports where relevant.
Your data will not be shared with third parties outside the Reel Fear team without your prior consent, except where required by law.
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Spanish data protection law (Ley Orgánica 3/2018, de 5 de diciembre, de Protección de Datos Personales y garantía de los derechos digitales), you have the right to access, rectify, delete and object to the processing of your personal data. To exercise any of these rights, write to content@reelfear.tv.
Warranties
By submitting your work, you warrant that:
- You are the rights holder of the submitted work, or have full authority from the rights holder to grant the license described in these terms.
- The submitted work does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights or any other rights of any third party.
- All necessary clearances, licences and permissions have been obtained for any music, archive footage, third-party materials or performances included in the work.
- The submitted work does not contain content that is unlawful, defamatory or otherwise prohibited under applicable law.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Reel Fear and its operators from any claims, damages or costs arising from any breach of the above warranties.
Governing Law
These terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Spain. Any disputes arising from or in connection with these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Spain.
Reel Fear reserves the right to update these terms at any time. The version in force at the time of your submission governs your submission. Any material changes will be communicated via the Reel Fear website before the next open call opens.
Contact
For any questions about these terms or your submission, write to:
For all other enquiries: dontlookback@reelfear.tv