Legal
Privacy, rights and the rules for using Pheelm. Updated 8 November 2026.
The short version
Pheelm is in early access, so most of it needs a free account. We keep only what’s needed to run it, we don’t sell anything, there are no advertising trackers, and you can download or delete your data yourself in Settings.
What we collect
- Your account. Your email address, so you can sign in with a link or code. No password is stored.
- Your profile. The name, handle, country and profile photo you choose, and your privacy settings.
- What you save and do. Your Watchlist, the films you mark as watched, your collections (and whether each is public), the collections and directors you follow, your comments and likes, and the films you suggest.
- People you block. Kept so we can stop them commenting on your collections, co-curating with you or notifying you. They aren’t told.
- Newsletter. Your email address and when you signed up.
- Messages and feedback. What you send through the contact and partnership forms: your name, email, organisation and message, and for feedback, the page or film it’s about.
- Reports. When you report a collection or comment, the report and, if you’re signed in, your account.
- Visits. Anonymous, aggregated page views (which pages are popular, from which countries and devices), measured without cookies and without identifying you.
Who can see what
- Everyone with an account can see your public profile: your name, handle, country, profile photo and public collections, and, unless you hide them in Settings, the films you’ve watched and the directors you follow. A private profile shows only your handle.
- Pheelm’s admins, who look after films and the community, can see the list of members: handles, when they joined and last signed in, and how many collections, saved films and comments each has. They read reports and messages.
- Pheelm’s owner can also see members’ email addresses, to answer them and keep the site safe. Your email is never shown to other members.
Profile photos are public image files. Making a profile private hides its photo and other profile details from the public member directory. Someone with a previously shared image link may still be able to view that image. Replacing or removing a photo deletes the stored previous image, although cached copies may remain temporarily.
What’s stored on your device
Your browser remembers your light or dark setting, how posters are shown, your recent searches and whether you’ve seen the welcome steps. These stay on your device. Signing in sets a cookie that keeps you signed in. If you add Pheelm to your home screen, pages you’ve opened are kept so it works offline. There are no advertising or tracking cookies.
Who helps us run the site
- Supabase stores accounts, profile photos, watchlists, collections, the newsletter list and messages.
- Vercel hosts the site and measures the anonymous page views.
- TMDB provides film details, posters and photos, which your browser loads from TMDB’s servers.
- YouTube plays trailers, in its privacy-enhanced mode, only when you press Play.
- An email service sends sign-in emails and the newsletter.
- Cloudflare Turnstile checks that the contact and newsletter forms are sent by people, not bots.
Streaming links take you to the service’s own site, where its privacy policy applies.
How long we keep it
Account data is kept until you delete your account or ask us to. Newsletter addresses are kept until you unsubscribe. Messages are kept as long as needed to reply and follow up.
Your choices
You can see and change what you’ve saved from your Watchlist page. In Settingsyou can make your profile private, hide what you’ve watched or who you follow, unblock people, download a copy of your data, and delete your account and everything in it. For anything else, use the contact form. We’ll reply within 30 days.
Children
Pheelm isn’t meant for children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect their information.
Changes
If this policy changes, we’ll update the date at the top, and tell account holders by email if the change is significant.
Copyright and credits
© 2026 Pheelm. A project by Leo Battiste with the courtesy of TMDB.
Films and images
Films, posters, stills, portraits, trailers and platform logos belong to their respective rights holders. Their appearance on Pheelm does not transfer ownership or give visitors permission to reproduce or distribute them.
Film information and viewing links
Some film information and images are provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Viewing availability may include data supplied through TMDB by JustWatch and can change by region and date.
Your contributions
You retain ownership of original text and other material you contribute. Share only content you own or have permission to use. By publishing a contribution, you allow Pheelm to display it as part of the service, as explained in our terms.
Report a rights concern
If you believe material on Pheelm infringes your rights, contact us. Include the page URL, identify the material and the rights you hold or represent, and provide a way for us to reach you. We will review the request and may remove or restrict the material while investigating.
For factual errors rather than rights concerns, use the corrections form.
Using Pheelm
Pheelm is free to browse. By using it you agree to these terms. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the site.
Your account
You need an account to keep a watchlist, make collections or suggest films. Keep access to your email secure, since that’s how you sign in. You can delete your account in Settings or contact us for help.
What you add
Collections you make public, and films you suggest, should be your own work and lawful. By adding them you let Pheelm show them on the site. We may edit or remove anything that breaks these terms. Suggested films are reviewed before they’re added, and we decide what goes in the directory.
Please don’t
- Copy the directory in bulk, scrape it, or overload the site.
- Use the forms to send spam, abuse or anything unlawful.
- Try to get into accounts or parts of the site that aren’t yours.
Films, posters and information
Posters, stills and trailers belong to their filmmakers and distributors and are shown to help people find the films. Film information comes partly from TMDB and JustWatch. Pheelm uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB. We work to keep everything accurate, but details, awards and where-to-watch information can be incomplete or change. Tell us about mistakes and we’ll fix them.
Other sites
Links to streaming services, IMDb, Instagram and others take you to sites we don’t run, where their own terms apply.
No guarantees
Pheelm is provided as it is. We can’t promise it will always be available or free of errors, and to the extent the law allows, we’re not responsible for losses from using it.
Changes
We may update these terms. The date at the top shows when they last changed. Using the site after a change means you accept the new terms.
Questions
Contact us with any questions about these terms.
A place to discover and discuss cinema
Pheelm is a community for discovering films by Black directors. Discuss films and ideas thoughtfully, respect other members and help keep information accurate.
Respect people
No harassment, threats, hate speech, discrimination, impersonation or sharing another person’s private information. Disagree with an opinion without attacking the person behind it.
Share responsibly
Keep collections, comments, profile content and submissions relevant and lawful. Do not post spam, scams, malicious links, pirated material or content you do not have permission to share. Mark significant spoilers clearly before discussing them.
Help keep the directory accurate
Check names, credits and release information before suggesting a change. Use Suggest a film for additions and contact us for corrections. Suggestions are reviewed before publication.
Use reports and blocking
Use the report action on a comment or collection to flag a concern. You can block a member from their profile and manage blocked members in Settings. For urgent safety concerns or issues without a report action, contact us.
How we moderate
We review reports in context and may remove content, restrict features or suspend accounts that break these guidelines or our terms. Serious or repeated abuse can result in account removal. If you believe a moderation decision was mistaken, contact us with the relevant page or account details so we can review it.