Terms of Use

Last updated 29 July 2026

These terms apply to your use of the Focus on Ability Short Film Festival website, operated by NOVA Employment (PLACEHOLDER — insert full legal entity name and ABN). By using this site you agree to them.

Using this site

• The films, articles, images and text on this site are protected by copyright and remain the property of their respective owners.
• You may view and share our pages and link to them freely. You may not republish, resell or systematically copy content without permission.
• You may not attempt to interfere with the site, gain unauthorised access to any account or system, or use automated tools to scrape or overload it.

Voting

The public vote is open only during the published voting window for each festival year. When you vote:

• You may vote once per film. We enforce this by email address and by a device identifier, and we apply daily limits per device and per network connection.
• You must provide a genuine name and email address.
• Votes are checked by an automated bot-detection service. Votes we identify as automated, duplicated or manipulated may be removed without notice.
• The festival’s decision on the validity of any vote is final.

Comments

• Comments are reviewed before they appear on the site.
• Do not post anything unlawful, defamatory, abusive, discriminatory, or that identifies a person without their consent.
• We may edit or remove any comment, and may decline to publish one, at our discretion.
• You are responsible for what you post.

Filmmaker accounts

• You are responsible for keeping your password secure and for activity under your account.
• Provide accurate details when you register, and keep them up to date.
• We may suspend or close an account that breaches these terms.

Entering a film

PLACEHOLDER — the following must be drafted or approved by the festival’s lawyer. Each point below is a heading for content that does not yet exist, not a statement of the festival’s position.

• Eligibility — who may enter, age limits, parental consent for entrants under 18, geographic restrictions.
• Film requirements — maximum length, format, subtitling and accessibility requirements, closing date.
• Rights granted — precisely what licence the entrant grants the festival, for how long, in what media, and whether it survives the festival. This is the single most important clause on the page.
• Warranties — that the entrant owns or has cleared all footage, music and likenesses, and indemnifies the festival against claims.
• Consent — confirmation that people appearing in the film, particularly people with disability, have consented to appear and to distribution.
• Withdrawal — whether and how an entry can be withdrawn.

Prizes

PLACEHOLDER — prize values, how and when they are awarded, judging criteria and process, tax treatment, and what happens if a winner cannot be contacted. Must be checked against the trade-promotion rules of each Australian state or territory the competition is open in.

Donations

Donations are processed securely by Stripe. Donations support the running of the festival and are generally not refundable. PLACEHOLDER — confirm deductible gift recipient status and the refund position.

Availability and liability

We aim to keep this site available and accurate, but we do not guarantee it will be uninterrupted or error-free. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for loss arising from your use of the site. Nothing in these terms excludes any right you have under the Australian Consumer Law.

Changes

We may update these terms. The date at the top of this page shows when they last changed. Continuing to use the site means you accept the current version.

Contact

Questions about these terms? Use the contact page.