Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller & Official Contact

The data controller responsible for the processing of your personal data under applicable data protection regulations and the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules is:

2. Categories of Personal Data Collected

We collect only the data necessary to verify your registration, deliver digital resources, process payments, coordinate jury judging, and maintain competition compliance:

• Identity & Profile Data: Full legal name, date of birth / age category, city, state, postal code, creator category (Individual Filmmaker, Student, Campus Representative, or Family Co-Creator), and optional social/portfolio links.
• Contact Information: Active email address and WhatsApp-enabled Indian/international mobile phone number.
• Payment & Financial Metadata: Cashfree Order ID, payment status, Cashfree reference number, payment mode (UPI, Netbanking, Card), and payment timestamp. Note: We NEVER receive, collect, or store your debit/credit card numbers, expiry dates, CVVs, netbanking passwords, or UPI PINs. All financial credential processing occurs directly within Cashfree's PCI-DSS Level 1 certified gateway.
• Competition Submission Data: Video title, synopsis, selected competition theme, language, format (Short Reel, Short Film, Documentary), YouTube/Vimeo/Drive screening links, thumbnail art, cast & crew credits, and participant consent declarations.
• Compliance & Audit Logs: Version of terms accepted (e.g., NRSFC-LEGAL-v2026.1), acceptance timestamp, IP address, user agent, and registration audit tokens.

3. Purpose & Legal Basis of Processing

We process your personal information for the following specific purposes:

• Contractual Performance: Creating your Creator Profile, generating your unique Registration ID (e.g. NRSFC-2026-CRXXXXXX), provisioning Creator Dashboard access, and processing your ₹500 entry fee.
• Digital Service Delivery: Transmitting your digital entry pass, 12-part Creator Kit, participant docket, and official tax receipt.
• Competition Administration: Facilitating blind-panel jury evaluation, tracking submission status, publishing shortlist results, and conferring verified participation certificates.
• Direct Communications: Sending essential transactional receipts, submission deadline reminders, and technical notifications via email and WhatsApp.
• Legal & Regulatory Compliance: Maintaining audited accounting books, tax compliance (TDS where applicable), and preventing duplicate fraudulent enrollments.

4. Third-Party Service Processors

To ensure enterprise-grade security and reliability, we work with specialized third-party cloud and infrastructure providers who process data strictly under our contractual instructions:

5. Data Retention Period

We retain your personal data for a period of three (3) years following the formal conclusion of the Competition and Grand Finale. This retention window is maintained to facilitate:

• Verification of digital participation certificates and creator credentials;
• Resolution of any accounting, tax, or payment reconciliation disputes;
• Compliance with statutory Indian financial and audit record-keeping obligations.

Upon the expiration of the retention period, data is irreversibly purged or anonymized from active operational databases.

6. Technical & Organisational Security Measures

• Transport Security: All web traffic is strictly encrypted end-to-end using 256-bit TLS 1.3 encryption (HTTPS). Plain HTTP connections are automatically redirected.
• Database Isolation: User submission records and credentials are protected with PostgreSQL Row Level Security (RLS) policies within Supabase, ensuring creators can only access their authorized portfolio.
• Webhook Integrity: All payment updates from Cashfree are verified through cryptographic HMAC-SHA256 signature verification before any order status is updated.
• Zero Sensitive Financial Storage: No credit card data, bank account numbers, or PINs ever touch or reside on our servers.

7. Creator Rights & User Requests

Under applicable Indian data regulations, you have clear rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to Access: You may inspect your stored profile details at any time via your Creator Dashboard.
• Right to Rectification: You may correct inaccurate or outdated profile information by contacting support.
• Right to Erasure / Deletion: You may request the deletion of your account and creative records following the competition cycle, subject to statutory audit retention rules.
• Communication Preferences: You can opt out of non-essential email or WhatsApp updates at any time with a single click.

To exercise any of these rights, email our team at support@nationalreelsfilm.com. We acknowledge all data requests within 48 hours and complete them within 30 days.

8. Cookies & Local Storage

We use only essential session cookies and local storage tokens required for creator authentication, form progression (saving your draft during registration), and security CSRF protection. We do not deploy third-party advertising cookies or behavioral tracking pixels.

9. Contact Desk for Privacy Concerns

For questions, clarifications, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy: