Lumara Film Festival — Official Submission Rules and Terms & Conditions

By submitting a film, video, or other audiovisual work ("Work" or "Entry") to Lumara (the "Festival"), you ("Entrant") agree to these Terms & Conditions in full. If you are submitting on behalf of a team, company, or client, you represent that you are authorized to bind all rights holders to these Terms and you further agree to provide all information that may be required herein by the Organizer for each team member, company, or client, as applicable. If you do not agree, do not submit.

2.1 Entrants must be at least [18] years of age, or, if an Entrant is under the age of 18, have a parent or legal guardian submit the entry on their behalf. Entrants under the age of 14 are not eligible to participate.

2.2 This Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. Entrants are solely responsible for determining whether their participation, and acceptance of any prize, is lawful in their country, state, province, or territory of residence. The Venice.ai, Inc. and MoonPay, Inc (each an "Organizer", and together the "Organizers") reserve the right to disqualify any entrant, or withhold a prize, if awarding it would violate applicable law, including but not limited to the sanctions laws and regulations of the United States administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

2.3 Entrants who are residents of, or the Contest is void in, the following jurisdictions are not eligible to participate: Afghanistan, American Samoa, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kosovo, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe, along with any other country or region subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions at the time of entry. This list may be updated by either Organizer from time to time to reflect changes in applicable sanctions or legal requirements, without prior notice.

2.4 By entering, each entrant represents and warrants that their participation does not violate any law applicable to them, and agrees to provide any documentation reasonably requested by an Organizer to verify eligibility, identity, and lawful receipt of the prize, including but not limited to tax forms required under applicable law (e.g., IRS Form W-9 for U.S. persons or Form W-8BEN for non-U.S. persons). Failure to provide requested documentation within the time specified by the Organizer may result in disqualification and forfeiture of the prize.

2.5 Employees of the Organizers, jurors, sponsors directly involved in judging, and their immediate family members are ineligible to win prizes.

2.6 Entrants may use any preferred AI filmmaking platform, software, or tool to create their submission; use of any specific platform is not required for eligibility. Each entrant is solely responsible, at entrant's own cost and expense, for obtaining and maintaining any account, license, subscription, or other authorization necessary to access and use the AI platform, software, or tool selected by entrant, and for ensuring that such use complies with the applicable provider's terms of service, end-user license agreement, and usage policies. Entrant represents and warrants that entrant possesses all rights and authorizations necessary to use the selected platform, software, or tool in the manner contemplated by these Terms. Neither the Organizer makes any representation or warranty regarding, and neither assumes any responsibility for, any third-party AI platform, software, or tool, including its availability, functionality, cost, or entrant's ability to access or use.

2.7 Works previously selected, nominated, screened, or awarded by another AI-focused film festival or competition are not eligible. Works submitted elsewhere but not so selected, nominated, screened, or awarded remain eligible. Entrants must disclose all prior festival or competition submissions and results for the Work.

3.1 Submission Platform. All submissions must be done through FilmFreeway.com/LumaraFilmFestival. By submitting an entry through FilmFreeway, entrant agrees to comply with, and be bound by, FilmFreeway's Terms of Service, which are hereby incorporated by reference into, and made a part of, these Terms. Submissions done through any other platform will not be accepted.

3.2 Format. All submissions must be uploaded directly through FilmFreeway. Accepted video formats include all major file types (e.g., MP4/H.264, MOV, ProRes), though we recommend exporting as H.264 in an MP4 container for optimal playback quality. Videos must be no larger than 10GB and should not exceed a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 (1080p HD); aspect ratio will be preserved. Recommended encoding settings are a maximum video bitrate of 4500 Kbps with audio at 256 Kbps AAC, 2-channel stereo. Films submitted in vertical (9:16) format are strongly encouraged to be uploaded via a password-protected Vimeo or YouTube link rather than direct upload, as FilmFreeway's platform may not properly optimize vertical video. Submissions exceeding the file size or resolution limits, or in an unsupported format, may be disqualified at the discretion of the Organizers.

3.3 Language. Non-English Works must include English subtitles.

3.4 Deadlines. Submissions open July 23, 2026 and close September 14, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Late entries will not be accepted.

3.5 Fees. Film submissions are free.

These clauses are specific to an AI film festival and should be reviewed carefully.

4.1 AI is permitted and encouraged. Works may use generative AI and machine-learning tools for any part of the creative process, including but not limited to script generation, image and video synthesis, voice cloning, music, editing, and upscaling — subject to the requirements below. All visual footage in the Work must be generated with AI. Filmmakers may use any preferred AI filmmaking platform.

4.2 Disclosure. Entrants must disclose, in the submission form, the AI tools and models used and, at a high level, how they were used (generation, assistance, post-production). The Organizers may require additional detail. Material misrepresentation is grounds for disqualification.

4.3 Category-specific AI rules. Award categories and any category-specific requirements will be as published by the Organizers on FilmFreeway and/or the Festival website.

4.4 Rights in inputs and prompts. Entrants represent that any images, footage, audio, likenesses, or other material used as inputs, training data, reference, or prompts were lawfully obtained and that the Entrant holds all rights necessary to use them and to grant the licenses in Section 6. Uploading copyrighted material you do not have rights to — including using another person's style, voice, or likeness without permission — is prohibited.

4.5 Likeness, voice, and deepfakes. Works may not depict a real, identifiable person's likeness or voice (including via AI synthesis or "deepfake") without that person's written consent, except where clearly permitted by law (e.g., protected commentary, satire, or public-domain/historical). The Organizers may require proof of consent.

4.6 Prohibited AI content. Works must not contain AI-generated: child sexual abuse material or any sexualized depiction of minors; non-consensual intimate imagery; content designed to deceive as to a real person's actual statements or actions in a defamatory or fraudulent manner; or material that violates Section 5.

4.7 Provenance. The Organizers will request source files, project files, generation logs, or content-provenance data (e.g., C2PA/watermark metadata) to verify authorship and AI usage. Failure to provide reasonable verification on request may result in disqualification.

4.8 Human accountability. Regardless of the degree of automation, a named human Entrant is responsible for the Work and its compliance with these Terms.

5.1 Works must not contain content that is unlawful, defamatory, that infringes third-party rights, or that harasses or incites violence against any person or group.

5.2 Subject to Sections 4.6 and 5.1, mature, surreal, bizarre, graphic, satirical, and experimental work is eligible. Entries will not be disqualified merely for being provocative or outside mainstream taste.

5.3 The Organizers reserve the right, at its sole discretion, to refuse, remove, or decline to screen any Entry that violates these Terms or applicable law, without obligation to refund fees.

6.1 You keep ownership. Entrants retain all ownership rights in their Work, subject to the licenses granted below and to any rights that may not be available in AI-generated material under applicable law.

6.2 License to the Organizers. Entrants retain full ownership of their Work and all commercial rights outside the Festival. The license below is non-exclusive, and Entrants remain free to distribute, monetize, and submit the Work elsewhere.

By submitting, Entrant grants the Organizers a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, exhibit, stream, publicly perform, and display the Work (in whole or in excerpt) solely for the purposes of judging, exhibition at the Festival, and promotion of the Festival, across in-person, online, broadcast, and social channels. This Festival license is perpetual for those Festival purposes only. It does not transfer ownership and does not permit use of the Work for any other purpose not related to Festival promotion.

6.3 Promotional use. Entrant grants the Organizers permission to use the Work's title, stills, trailer, logline, and the Entrant's name and likeness for Festival marketing and archival purposes.

6.4 No obligation. Nothing obligates an Organizer to screen, judge, or promote any Entry.

6.5 Third-party assets. Entrant is solely responsible for clearing and paying for all third-party rights (music, footage, fonts, actors, AI outputs, etc.) used in the Work.

6.6 No Use of Organizer Marks. Entrants shall not use the name, logo, trademark, or other branding of any Organizer in the Work or in connection with the Entry without that Organizer's prior written consent, and an Organizer participation in the Festival does not constitute an endorsement by that Organizer of any Entry.

7.1 Entrant represents and warrants that: (a) the Work is their original creation or lawfully created using licensed tools and inputs; (b) they hold all rights necessary to submit and to grant the licenses herein; (c) the Work does not infringe or violate any third party's intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights; and (d) all disclosures made under Section 4 are accurate.

7.2 Entrant agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless each Organizer, its affiliates, sponsors, jurors, and each Organizer's respective officers and agents from any claim, loss, or damage (including reasonable legal fees) arising from the Work, its content, its AI inputs, or a breach of these Terms.

8.1 Entries are evaluated by jury. Award categories and judging criteria will be as published by the Organizers. Judging decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

8.2 Prizes: Up to $100,000 in cash prizes and Venice credits, allocated as published by the Organizers. Prizes are non-transferable and may not be exchanged for cash except at the Organizer's discretion. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Venice credits awarded as a prize hereunder shall have no cash or cash-equivalent value, are non-transferable, and may not be sold, exchanged, redeemed, or otherwise converted into fiat currency, cryptocurrency, or any other asset. Winners are responsible for any applicable taxes.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

• Grand Prize (US$32,000 plus 3,200,000 Venice Credits)

• Jury Selection Runner-Up (US$20,000 plus 2,000,000 Venice Credits)

• Terminal Award (US$12,000 plus 1,200,000 Venice Credits)

• Serenissima Award (US$12,000 plus 1,200,000 Venice Credits)

• Get Shorty Award (US$8,000 plus 800,000 Venice Credits)

• Mouse Award (US$8,000 plus 800,000 Venice Credits)

• Rekt Award (US$8,000 plus 800,000 Venice Credits)

8.3 The Organizers may withhold or revoke a prize if an Entry is found to breach these Terms, including undisclosed or misrepresented AI usage.

8.4 The Organizers reserve the right not to award a prize in any category if, in the jury's judgment, no Entry meets the standard.

8.5 Role of MoonPay Inc. While MoonPay Inc may contribute funding, credits, or other support toward the prizes described in this Section 8, all such funds will be disbursed by Venice.ai, Inc. In addition, MoonPay Inc does not administer the Festival or participates in the judging or selection of winners.

9.1 An Entrant may withdraw a Work before September 14th, 2026. Entrants can withdraw directly through the FilmFreeway.com Platform.

9.2 Either Organizer may disqualify any Entry at any time for breach of these Terms, false disclosures, or ineligibility, without refund.

10.1 Personal data submitted (name, contact, payment details, disclosures) is processed to administer the Festival in accordance with the Venice.ai, Inc.'s Privacy Policy and applicable law. Personal data may also be shared with MoonPay Inc where reasonably necessary for prize administration and compliance verification.

10.2 By entering, you consent to receiving Festival-related communications. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time.

11.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Organizer is liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from participation in the Festival, technical failures, lost or corrupted submissions, or reliance on AI tools.

11.2 The Festival is provided "as is." To the fullest extent permitted by law, the total liability of the Organizers, collectively, to any Entrant will not exceed the lesser of the amount of the submission fee paid by the Entrant or US $100.00. Each Entrant further releases each Organizer from all other claims arising from the Entrant's participation in the Festival or the judging or award of any prize.

The Organizers may modify these Terms, the schedule, categories, or prizes, or cancel or postpone the Festival, at any time, including for reasons beyond its control (force majeure). Material changes will be communicated to Entrants via [email protected].

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute arising from these Terms or the Contest will be resolved exclusively in the state and federal courts located in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States, or, at either Organizer's election, by binding arbitration administered by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) under its International Arbitration Rules, with the seat of arbitration in Wyoming, United States. Entrants outside the United States expressly consent to this jurisdiction and waive any objection to venue or personal jurisdiction on the basis of inconvenient forum.

14.1 If any provision is held unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect.

14.2 These Terms are the entire agreement between Entrant and Organizers regarding the Festival and supersede prior understandings.

14.3 An Organizer's failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.

Questions about these Terms: [email protected].