Pantalla Bajío Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente (1)

Festival start: 15 March 2027      Festival end: 19 March 2027

Pantalla Bajío is a platform dedicated to the exhibition, promotion, networking, and advancement of independent national and international cinema. The festival aims to discover new voices, foster the circulation of emerging works, and create opportunities for meaningful connections among filmmakers, audiences, industry professionals, and the wider community.

The 2027 edition will take place in March 2027 in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico. Final dates, the main venue, partner locations, and the official program will be announced in due course through the festival’s official communication channels.

Prior to and during the festival, Pantalla Bajío may organize industry meetings, educational activities, conferences, workshops, presentations, and cultural events related to its programming, further encouraging dialogue, professional development, and audience engagement.

Feature Films

Best International Feature Film
Best National Feature Film
Best Bajío Regional Feature Film – Fiction
Best Bajío Regional Feature Film – Documentary

Short Films

Best International Short Film
Best National Short Film
Best Bajío Regional Short Film

Special Awards

Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Cinematography
Special Jury Award
Honorable Mention

Call for Entries and Submission

The call for entries will remain open from September 15 to November 15, 2026. Films must be submitted through Festhome or FilmFreeway, the platforms officially authorized by the festival. Applicable conditions and submission fees will be those published on these platforms for each category and submission period.

These regulations apply exclusively to the Official Feature Film and Short Film Competitions. Special competitions or calls, including any Vertical Narrative Competition, will be governed by separate regulations.

The person submitting the film shall be considered the official representative of the work before the festival and must provide truthful, complete, and up-to-date information.

Independent Cinema

Pantalla Bajío defines independent cinema as any work developed outside the creative control of major film studios or global commercial streaming platforms, and in which its creators retain substantial autonomy over the narrative, aesthetic, and key production decisions.

The receipt of public funds, cultural grants, institutional support, co-productions, or agreements with independent distributors shall not, by itself, constitute grounds for exclusion. Eligibility will be determined by the Selection Committee based on the information provided during submission and the festival’s curatorial identity.

Official Categories
1. Feature Films

• International Competition: Independent fiction or documentary feature films whose primary production country is other than Mexico.
• National Competition: Independent fiction or documentary feature films whose primary production country is Mexico.
• Bajío Regional Fiction Competition: Fiction feature films that meet the regional criteria established in these regulations.
• Bajío Regional Documentary Competition: Documentary feature films that meet the regional criteria established in these regulations.

2. Short Films

• International Competition: Independent fiction or documentary short films whose primary production country is other than Mexico.
• National Competition: Independent fiction or documentary short films whose primary production country is Mexico.
• Bajío Regional Competition: Independent fiction or documentary short films that meet the regional criteria established in these regulations.

For co-productions, the country of the majority production company, as declared in the submission, shall determine eligibility. A film may not compete simultaneously in more than one official category.

Bajío Regional Productions

A film shall be considered regional if it meets at least two of the following criteria:

• The majority of principal photography took place in one of the states recognized by the festival.
• The main production company is based in the region.
• The director or producer resides in the region.
• A significant portion of the cast or crew belongs to the region.
• The film maintains a demonstrable narrative, social, or cultural connection to the region.

For this edition, the region includes Querétaro, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes, Michoacán, and Zacatecas. The festival may request supporting documentation to verify compliance with these criteria. The nationality, residence, or place of birth of a single participant shall not, on its own, determine regional eligibility.

Eligible Works

Films completed on or after January 1, 2023, and before the submission deadline are eligible. The submitted version must substantially correspond to the final exhibition version.

The festival accepts fiction, documentary, and hybrid works that clearly fit within one of the official categories.

The following are not eligible:

• Fully animated works.
• Web series.
• Television series or programs.
• Reality shows.
• Music videos.
• Commercial advertising.
• Institutional materials.
• Corporate content.
• Promotional pieces.

The partial use of animation techniques within a live-action production will not disqualify a film.

Running Time

• Feature Films: 80 minutes or longer, including end credits.
• Short Films: 12 minutes or less, including end credits.

Films with a running time between 13 and 79 minutes are not eligible for this edition.

Previous Screenings and Public Availability

No world, international, national, regional, or local premiere status is required. Films previously selected or screened at festivals, showcases, cinematheques, cultural venues, or academic events are eligible.

Films that are publicly available in their entirety in Mexico through open-access platforms or commercial streaming services at the time the submission period closes will not be eligible. Private or password-protected links, including those hosted on Vimeo or YouTube, shall not be considered public screenings.

Should a film’s distribution or public availability status change during the selection process, the responsible representative must notify the festival. The organization will evaluate the situation on a case-by-case basis, without implying automatic disqualification.

Submission Fees

Submission is subject to the fee published on Festhome or FilmFreeway for the relevant category and submission period. The fee covers receipt, administration, and evaluation of the film and does not guarantee selection, exhibition, or awards.

Selected films shall not be required to pay any additional fees to participate in the official program.

Submission fees are non-refundable, except in cases where the category or call for entries is canceled by the festival.

Selection and Withdrawal

The submitting representative may request the withdrawal of a film before the announcement of the Official Selection.

Once selection has been formally accepted, a film may only be withdrawn for justified reasons through written communication addressed to the festival.

If a withdrawal occurs after publication of the program, the festival may retain a historical reference to the work as part of the Official Selection and indicate that its screening was canceled.

The decisions of the Selection Committee are final. The festival is not required to provide individual evaluations or explanations regarding non-selection.

Official Selection Notification

The Official Selection will be communicated through the email address registered on the submission platform and announced through the festival’s official channels.

The responsible representative must confirm participation and deliver all requested materials within the deadlines indicated in the notification.

Failure to respond, confirm participation, or provide a screening-ready copy may be interpreted as a withdrawal.

Materials Required for Selected Films

Selected films must provide, according to the specifications and deadlines communicated by the festival:

• Official poster.
• Trailer or teaser.
• Short and extended synopsis.
• Biography, filmography, and photograph of the director.
• Film stills.
• Technical information and principal credits.
• Official links and social media accounts, where applicable.
• Final screening copy and subtitle files, when required.

The festival may invite selected films to submit a brief greeting or presentation video. Participation is voluntary and will not affect selection or exhibition.

Language and Technical Requirements

Films spoken in a language other than Spanish must include Spanish subtitles.

Evaluation links and passwords must remain active throughout the entire selection process.

Technical specifications regarding screening formats, resolution, compression, audio, subtitles, and delivery methods will be communicated to selected films.

The responsible representative must ensure that all files are complete and free of technical errors. The festival may remove from the program any screening copy that fails to meet the required technical conditions within the established deadline.

Promotion and Communications

By submitting a film, the representative grants the festival a non-exclusive authorization, solely for promotional, archival, communication, and institutional purposes, to use the film’s title, poster, trailer, stills, photographs, synopsis, technical information, interviews, and any other promotional materials provided.

These materials may appear on the festival website, social media channels, official video channels, catalog, digital magazine, and printed or digital promotional materials.

This authorization does not include the online publication of the complete film, nor the transfer of distribution, licensing, or commercial exploitation rights.

Professional and Editorial Activities

Selected films may be included, at no additional cost, in the festival catalog, digital magazine, and professional or industry activities organized by Pantalla Bajío.

The festival will inform participants in advance of the scope and conditions of each activity.

Personal contact information will not be published without authorization.

Participation in such activities does not imply the transfer of distribution, sales, representation, or commercial exploitation rights.

Exhibition

Acceptance into the Official Selection authorizes the festival to exhibit the film in person as part of the official 2027 program, at venues, dates, and times determined by the organization, without additional screening fees.

Screenings, venues, dates, and schedules may be modified due to technical, operational, or force majeure circumstances.

Any exhibition beyond the 2027 edition will require new authorization from the responsible representative.

The festival will not conduct public online screenings of complete films.

Private digital screeners may be used solely for selection, technical testing, and jury deliberation purposes.

Jury

The Festival Directorate shall appoint national and international juries for the official competitions.

Jurors will be professionals connected to cinema, audiovisual arts, culture, or related disciplines.

No juror may evaluate a film with which they maintain a professional, financial, or personal relationship that could compromise impartiality. In such cases, the juror must recuse themselves, and the festival will determine the appropriate procedure.

According to the nature of each film, jurors may evaluate narrative coherence, artistic vision, originality, direction, performance, cinematography, sound design, editing, aesthetic proposal, formal innovation, emotional or social impact, and overall contribution to independent cinema.

Jury decisions are final.

Awards and Recognition

Films selected for the Official Selection will receive a digital certificate of selection and may use the festival laurels provided by Pantalla Bajío.

Additional acknowledgments related to participation, promotion, or editorial inclusion will depend on each film’s programming activities.

Award-winning films will receive an official award certificate and the Pantalla Bajío Official Trophy.

The festival will communicate the delivery procedure. International shipping costs, if applicable, will be communicated in advance.

Travel and Attendance

Selection does not imply that the festival will cover transportation, accommodation, or meals for directors, producers, cast members, or representatives.

The organization may facilitate information regarding accreditations, discounts, or partnerships without guaranteeing availability.

Rights and Responsibility

The submitting representative declares and warrants that they hold all necessary rights and authorizations regarding scripts, music, images, performances, and any other materials incorporated into the work, and possess sufficient authority to authorize the film’s participation and exhibition.

The responsible representative shall be solely liable for any third-party claims arising from a breach of these declarations.

Pantalla Bajío and its organizers shall not assume responsibility for disputes resulting from a lack of permissions, licenses, or ownership rights, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Data Protection

Personal data provided during submission will be used exclusively for the administration, evaluation, selection, accreditation, exhibition, and communication activities related to the festival.

Personal contact information will not be published without authorization.

All personal data will be processed in accordance with the Privacy Notice published through the festival’s official channels.

Amendments and Force Majeure

For reasons related to safety, governmental measures, force majeure, or circumstances beyond the organization’s control, the festival may modify dates, venues, schedules, formats, postpone activities, or cancel them.

Any changes will be communicated through official channels.

The organization may make non-substantive amendments to these regulations to clarify their application.

Any modification significantly affecting already submitted films will be communicated directly to their representatives.

Acceptance of the Regulations

Submission of a film constitutes full acceptance of these regulations.

Any matters not expressly addressed herein shall be resolved by the Directorate of the Pantalla Bajío International Independent Film Festival.

For inquiries, participants should use the contact information published on the submission platforms and through the festival’s official channels.