@itslala wrote:

Hi!

Hello!

I just discovered that someone — who I don't know — added me to the credits of a film that doesn't even exist. The whole thing is a weird mix of South Korean actors and directors with unknown/relatively unknown Spanish artists like me.

Well, a trailer for the film does exist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRVRvQL8CQ4

And there's also a page on Amazon for it:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0FJZ74PVD/

I assume that the user (pLaCeB0) created the entry based on this trailer and the page on Amazon.

What's interesting -> this seems to be a compilation of 5 different short films.
And 1 of these 5 short films seems to be the old one that you mention:

I was previously credited without permission in another film I was involved in — it was a college project with no professional or official release (Descripción del link), and I was just starting out as an actor.

Based on the backdrop, this might be the same film.

Thanks so much to whoever can help solve this!

The question is if that's a legal use of the short film?
Can you contact the director of "Un Soplo De Aire Fresco" - Raquel Maral?
Could you ask her if she knows anything about this?

More info about the company LB Global Media:
https://en.unifrance.org/directories/company/355943/lb-global-media-ex-filmdoo

This company buys short films and releases them in compilations on video on demand.
I assume that Raquel Maral knows about this.
If not, she should ask the company why they use her short film?

Also, the old short film "Un Soplo De Aire Fresco" is online available for video on demand:
https://www.lesflicks.com/programs/a-breath-of-fresh-air-2022-trailer
https://app.allrites.com/video/101271/un-soplo-de-aire-fresco-a-breath-of-fresh-air
https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5005/a-breath-of-fresh-air-2022

To me, that looks like the short film was licensed for online distribution.
You should ask the director, Raquel Maral!

The other question is if these entries should be kept here on TMDb or if they should be deleted?
I'm not sure if these video on demand services count as a relevant release?!?

Oh my God, I had no idea about this. This has to be illegal. I never signed anything — nothing. Not even for the first one (which, again, was just a freaking college project). I'm going to contact the director about this.

At the very least, can I ask for my credits to be removed? I'm honestly shocked.

Thanks so much for the quick reply! If I hear back from the director, I'll let you know.

@itslala wrote:

Oh my God, I had no idea about this. This has to be illegal. I never signed anything — nothing. Not even for the first one (which, again, was just a freaking college project). I'm going to contact the director about this.

Yes, all of this sounds a bit weird.
Unfortunately, I don't know how this company operates?

At the very least, can I ask for my credits to be removed? I'm honestly shocked.

I'm thinking about removing all the data for both films.
Student films are generally not allowed.
And this compilation seems murky.

Thanks so much for the quick reply! If I hear back from the director, I'll let you know.

Yes, that would be great!
Thank you!

Hello again ^{^}

I believe she's deliberately ignoring me. She's been online but not responding. This is extremely upsetting.

I spoke with someone knowledgeable in audiovisual rights, and she confirmed that what was done is not legal and that I can file a complaint. I will definitely move forward with that, because none of these platforms should have the short film in the first place. I even contacted the other actress. Someone — and I strongly believe it's the director — has been profiting from our image without our permission since 2024. I honestly can't believe this, as the director always seemed like such a kind person, passionate about her work, and she took good care of us during filming.

All the material used came from the school where she studied, along with some funding to proceed with the shoot. I'm not even sure she obtained permission from the school to profit from the short film. The whole situation is bizarre. (And, of course, I follow her on Instagram — she hasn't posted anything, so I suspect she thought we'd never find out. If that's not the case, I truly can't understand it.)

I would greatly appreciate it if my credits were removed from both sites. In fact, the sites should be removed entirely, given how questionable this has been. Without a signed contract, what she's doing is illegal.

@itslala wrote:

I believe she's deliberately ignoring me. She's been online but not responding. This is extremely upsetting.

It all sounds very mysterious - I'm so sorry that happened to you!

I spoke with someone knowledgeable in audiovisual rights, and she confirmed that what was done is not legal and that I can file a complaint. I will definitely move forward with that, because none of these platforms should have the short film in the first place. I even contacted the other actress. Someone — and I strongly believe it's the director — has been profiting from our image without our permission since 2024. I honestly can't believe this, as the director always seemed like such a kind person, passionate about her work, and she took good care of us during filming.

I looked up the company again - LB Global Media was formerly known as FilmDoo.
This company was and is - for itself - not a fraudulent business.
They buy or license (short) films from all over the world and stream them.
And I assume that happened here with the short film that you were in.
But the director should have asked you for permission.

All the material used came from the school where she studied, along with some funding to proceed with the shoot. I'm not even sure she obtained permission from the school to profit from the short film. The whole situation is bizarre. (And, of course, I follow her on Instagram — she hasn't posted anything, so I suspect she thought we'd never find out. If that's not the case, I truly can't understand it.)

Yeah, I hope you'll get some answers, eventually.

I would greatly appreciate it if my credits were removed from both sites. In fact, the sites should be removed entirely, given how questionable this has been. Without a signed contract, what she's doing is illegal.

Given the circumstances that you describe here, I'm going to delete both entries from TMDb.
I don't think we should list them when this is a questionable business practice.

I deleted both entries and the associated person profiles for the film/compilation.

PS:

There's always a possibility that another user creates a new entry for the same short film and/or the compilation here on TMDb in the future.
I/We can't prevent this from happening - this is out of our hands.
If you are becoming aware of this, just reply here or file a new content issue report.

Thank you so much for everything! I will reply through here if it happens again.

Edit: I have another question — will it also disappear from my Letterboxd profile? I read something about a 30-hour delay, but I just want to be sure, or at least know what steps I should take to have it removed there as well.

@itslala wrote:

Thank you so much for everything! I will reply through here if it happens again.

Thank you!

Edit: I have another question — will it also disappear from my Letterboxd profile? I read something about a 30-hour delay, but I just want to be sure, or at least know what steps I should take to have it removed there as well.

On the FAQ page for letterboxd, they write:

"Should I report non-film content?

Yes. Please use the Report function on a film’s page (web or iOS) to report non-film content such as returning TV series (some exceptions are listed below). These will be removed at Letterboxd’s discretion. You may also use the Report function to report inappropriate content throughout the site, including reviews of trailers."

I assume that's how it works - you file a report.
Problem is that I don't know how to do it?!?

These are the 2 pages:
https://letterboxd.com/film/a-breath-of-fresh-air-2022/releases/
https://letterboxd.com/film/where-we-begin-1/

I don't see a report button - do you see it?

Yes! I've found it — it's the little flag that appears right next to the TMDb button. But I can handle it, you've already helped more than enough. No problem at all. Thank you 😊

For the short film, I'm thinking of writing that it's been deleted from TMDb because it's not only amateur, but also violates the actors' rights by profiting from it on platforms without a signed contract. Does that sound right? And for the compilation film with multiple shorts, should I write something similar?

@itslala wrote:

Yes! I've found it — it's the little flag that appears right next to the TMDb button.

I don't spot any little flag!
(I think I need to log in to see it, but I don't have an account on letterboxd.)

But I can handle it, you've already helped more than enough. No problem at all. Thank you 😊

Great!

For the short film, I'm thinking of writing that it's been deleted from TMDb because it's not only amateur, but also violates the actors' rights by profiting from it on platforms without a signed contract. Does that sound right? And for the compilation film with multiple shorts, should I write something similar?

Or you could just tell them that both entries were deleted here on TMDb and then you add the link to this long discussion here.
I think that should work.

Update

It looks like it work - but both pages disappeared from letterboxd.

That's great — adding the link to the discussion makes it so much more efficient, hahaha. And yes, you do need to be logged in to see the flag.

Thank you again for everything, really. I can only imagine the amount of requests you handle, and I truly appreciate the help. Mods like you are absolutely essential.