Who this policy covers
The Indie Film Network (“IFN”) is operated by Charlie Whitley, as a sole proprietor. This policy applies to information handled through the public IFN website. It describes current practices only; a separate written agreement may govern a film, advertising, or other business relationship.
Information you choose to provide
The film-submission form collects your name, email address, project title, production type, genre, runtime, completion year, screener link, project summary, reason for submitting, and rights confirmation. The advertising inquiry form collects your name, email address, company or organization, and message, and optionally your website, phone number, budget, and timing. The audience-signup form collects your email address. When you submit any of these forms, the information is delivered by email through Resend to IFN’s mailbox, which is hosted by Microsoft 365; it is not stored in an IFN database. General email inquiries may include any information you choose to provide. Please do not send passwords, payment details, government identifiers, or other sensitive information.
How IFN uses information
If you submit a form or send an email, IFN may use the information to respond to your inquiry, evaluate a film for possible consideration, verify submission authority, or send the programming and audience updates you requested. A submission is not an acceptance, distribution commitment, or permission to publish a film.
Website and third-party services
The website is hosted by Vercel, which also provides its visitor analytics. Form submissions are delivered by email through Resend, an email delivery service, to a mailbox hosted by Microsoft 365. The HLS playback library is requested from jsDelivr, and video is streamed from Bunny.net. While a screening is live or about to start, the Watch page sends a random code to IFN every 30 seconds so it can show how many people are watching. The code lasts only for that browser tab: it is kept in the tab’s session storage so that reloading the page does not count you twice, and your browser erases it when you close the tab. It is not linked to you. IFN keeps it with Upstash, a database service: each code is removed when you leave the page, or within about a minute of its last update, and all codes for a screening are deleted within 10 minutes. The “Remind me” calendar button sends nothing to IFN; it opens Google Calendar only if you choose that option, and the Apple Calendar and Outlook file is created in your browser. These services may receive technical request information, such as IP address, browser and device details, and request time, as part of delivering or securing their services. Clicking an external link, including the Facebook link, takes you to a service governed by that provider’s policies. IFN does not control those providers or their data practices.
Cookies, analytics, and advertising
The website uses Vercel Web Analytics to count page views and anonymous interactions, such as starting, pausing, or finishing a film, searching the site (including the words searched), sharing a film, or following a link to another IFN page. Vercel Web Analytics does not use cookies or browser storage and does not identify individual visitors. IFN also uses Google Analytics 4, which sets first-party cookies (named _ga and _ga_ followed by an ID, kept for up to two years) to count visits and returning visitors, and records similar page and interaction information. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses, and its advertising features and Google signals are switched off. You can block these cookies in your browser or opt out with Google’s add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Each page view may record the page address, the referring website, approximate location (country, region, and city), browser, operating system, and device type, which are used only for aggregate statistics. Visitors are counted with a temporary code derived from the request, which Vercel discards after 24 hours. The website does not run advertising trackers. Because IFN does not track visitors across other websites, it does not change its practices in response to browser “Do Not Track” signals. Third-party services may use their own technologies when their resources are requested; see the Cookie Policy and those providers’ notices for more information.
What you watch
IFN does not share which films you watch with anyone, and does not link viewing to your name or email address. IFN has no viewer accounts. To power Continue watching and My List, your browser keeps where you stopped in each film and the films you saved, in its own local storage on your device. That information is never sent to IFN or anyone else, and you can erase it by clearing this website’s data in your browser.
Disclosure and retention
IFN does not sell or share personal information for advertising. Information you submit through the forms or send by email is available to people who have access to the IFN mailbox and is handled by the email delivery and email hosting providers. Film submissions that are not selected are deleted within 24 months of the decision; correspondence about selected films is kept for as long as the film is on IFN and as needed for business records or legal matters. Audience-signup addresses are kept until you unsubscribe. Hosting and streaming providers may retain technical records under their own policies.
Email updates and unsubscribing
IFN sends audience updates only to addresses that signed up for them. To unsubscribe, reply “unsubscribe” to any IFN email or write to info@theindiefilmnetwork.com. IFN removes the address within 10 business days.
Your choices and requests
You can choose not to submit the forms. To ask a question about information you sent directly to IFN, or to ask IFN to delete it, contact info@theindiefilmnetwork.com from the address used for the inquiry and describe your request. Applicable privacy rights vary by location; IFN will consider requests as required by applicable law. A request cannot require deletion of information that must be retained by law or is needed for a legitimate legal or operational purpose.
Children
IFN is a general-audience website for people 13 and older, and some films are intended for mature audiences. IFN does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13; if IFN learns that it has, it deletes that information. Film submissions must come from adults. A parent or legal guardian who wishes to discuss a minor’s project should contact IFN first and should not submit materials until appropriate permissions have been confirmed.
Changes and contact
IFN may update this policy when the website or its practices change. The updated date above will indicate the latest revision. Questions about this policy may be sent to Charlie Whitley at info@theindiefilmnetwork.com.