Festival Internacional De Cine Invisible Film Sozialak De Bilbao (19)

International Unseen Film Festival Social Films from Bilbao



Deadlines

01 Dec 2026
Call for entries

01 May 2027
Final deadline

15 Aug 2027
Notification date

14 Oct 2027
21 Oct 2027

Address

Beurko Viejo, 3 Pabellón 38, Oficina 12,  48902, Barakaldo, Bizkaia, Spain


Festival description
Human Rights
Short film festival
Feature film festival


Festival requirements
 Film festival
 Fiction
 Documentary
 Animation
 Fantastic
 Terror
 Experimental
 Music Video
 Other
 Any Genre
 Any Theme
 Does NOT have submission fees
 International Festival
 Online and Physical Location
 January 2025
 Production countries: Any
 Shooting countries: Any
 Director nationalities: Any
 Debut Films 
 School projects 
 Short Films 
 Feature Films 
 AI Tools 
 Any language
 Subtitles 
Basque Spanish
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Photo of Festival Internacional De Cine Invisible Film Sozialak De Bilbao
Photo of Festival Internacional De Cine Invisible Film Sozialak De Bilbao

Photo of Festival Internacional De Cine Invisible Film Sozialak De Bilbao
Photo of Festival Internacional De Cine Invisible Film Sozialak De Bilbao

Spanish
English
Basque


Festival start: 14 October 2027      Festival end: 21 October 2027

Kultura Communication Desarrollo-KCD NGOD (hereinafter the holder or KCD NGOD, indistinctly) registered in the General Register of Associations of the Basque Country with Tax ID G-95550943, and address at Beurko Viejo 3, Pabellón 38, Oficina 12, BarakaldoBizkaia (Vizcaya) 48902, Spain, will hold a festival dedicated to screening diverse and
socially-committed films, films that are usually excluded from conventional screens.

KCD NGOD, organisers of the 19th International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak” of Bilbao (Basque Country) and commissioned to organise the International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak” is a non-profit organization whose aim, among others, is to promote Human, Intercultural, Equitable and Sustainable Development through
Communication and Culture.

The International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak” Bilbao is an annual celebration dedicated to screening diverse film content that is socially committed, films that are usually excluded from conventional screens.

With the continuous work that is being done, the festival has become an indispensable meeting place for all those interested in communication for social transformation and the defence of human rights. The Festival is also a space of recognition of all those people who, through their audio-visual work, reflect different realities of humanity.

The Festival has 4 main lines of action:
Sustainability, Gender Equity, Interculturality and
Human Rights.

Since 2009 the Festival embraces diversity and equality as an essential part of our core values. For the Festival, the participation of people belonging to ethnic, religious, gender identity, cultural and other minorities is of utmost importance, since their participation in public affairs and in all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life of their countries is essential to maintain their identity and fight against exclusion.

Since its beginning, the festival has applied parity quotas and positive actions for equality, both in the selection of the films, as well as in their dissemination, the presence of women filmmakers, and the selection of the people on the jury, as well as other actions.

The Festivaldistributes awards in 13 categories totaling 23,500 euros. This is a strategy, not so much to encourage competition, but to support social filmmakers.

The main venue of the festival is the Azkuna Zentroa Alhóndiga Bilbao and the Golem cinemas located there. The official dates are 14 to 21 October 2027, although promotional screenings will be held in August and September. These screenings will also enter the competition with the votes of the public. Films awarded at the festival will be
screened again at the end of October or the beginning of November. In total there will be
at least 30 screening venues of which 21 are mainstream education colleges in the Basque Country at secondary level and vocational training.

The Festival holds Cine Forum and for this purpose the organization invites filmmakers of Social Cinema from different parts of the world to come to Bilbao.

Since 2015, the Festival is also committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals proposed by the United Nations.

Cash Prizes: 23,500€

Awards

General

In any case, and depending on the circumstances, it is possible that the awards described below are not granted to any of the contestants and may be declared void.

Cash prizes are subject to the taxes and regulations established by Spanish law (VAT or
personal income tax).

Financial gift to award winners

There are a total of 13 awards at the International Unseen Film Festival "Film Sozialak" Bilbao, of which 9 will have an economic endowment of TWO THOUSAND EUROS (2.000 euros), although the organisation reserves the right to vary this amount depending on the contributions of the corresponding entities. And 4 more awards with an economic endowment to be specified that are focused to encourage the realization of Social Cinema by young university students and students of Vocational Training and high school in the Basque Country.

The selected works will be eligible for the prize of the thematic category for which they are selected, plus the additional prizes mentioned above, which will be deposited with the directors, according to the data provided in the registration forms.

So, the awards for which participants are eligible are:

 Those corresponding to the thematic topic categories described in point 5:

 Award in the category of Sustainability.

 Award in the category of Gender Equality.

 Award in the category of Interculturality.

 Award in the category of Human Rights.

Likewise, there will be awards in the following categories:

 Award for Best Work by a Woman

 Award for the Best Social-content Work Made in Basque

 Unseen Film Award

 Education in Values Award

 Audience Award

Rules and regulations of the 19th International Unseen

Film Festival “Film Sozialak” Bilbao 2027.

The purpose of these rules is to regulate the participation in the International Invisible Film Festival "Film Sozialak" of Bilbao.

The written acceptance of these rules or the simple inscription or sending of the films in any of the formats required by the festival, be it platforms, direct sending, etc., is considered acceptance of these rules by the author or whoever has the rights over the works.

Please read these rules carefully so as not to cause any inconvenience to the festival or any problems for the people who send us their films.

Registration: 1 December 2026 to 1 May 2027

Presentation

Kultura Communication Desarrollo-KCD NGOD (hereinafter the holder or KCD NGOD, indistinctly) registered in the General Register of Associations of the Basque Country with Tax ID G-95550943, and address at Beurko Viejo 3, Pabellón 38, Oficina 12, BarakaldoBizkaia (Vizcaya) 48902, Spain, will hold a festival dedicated to screening diverse and
socially-committed films, films that are usually excluded from conventional screens.

KCD NGOD, organisers of the 19th International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak” of Bilbao (Basque Country) and commissioned to organise the International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak” is a non-profit organization whose aim, among others, is to promote Human, Intercultural, Equitable and Sustainable Development through
Communication and Culture.

The International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak” Bilbao is an annual celebration dedicated to screening diverse film content that is socially committed, films that are usually excluded from conventional screens.

With the continuous work that is being done, the festival has become an indispensable meeting place for all those interested in communication for social transformation and the defence of human rights. The Festival is also a space of recognition of all those people who, through their audio-visual work, reflect different realities of humanity.

The Festival has 4 main lines of action:
Sustainability, Gender Equity, Interculturality and
Human Rights.

Since 2009 the Festival embraces diversity and equality as an essential part of our core values. For the Festival, the participation of people belonging to ethnic, religious, gender identity, cultural and other minorities is of utmost importance, since their participation in public affairs and in all aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life of their countries is essential to maintain their identity and fight against exclusion.

Since its beginning, the festival has applied parity quotas and positive actions for equality, both in the selection of the films, as well as in their dissemination, the presence of women filmmakers, and the selection of the people on the jury, as well as other actions.

The Festivaldistributes awards in 13 categories totaling 23,500 euros. This is a strategy, not so much to encourage competition, but to support social filmmakers.

The main venue of the festival is the Azkuna Zentroa Alhóndiga Bilbao and the Golem cinemas located there. The official dates are 14 to 21 October 2027, although promotional screenings will be held in August and September. These screenings will also enter the competition with the votes of the public. Films awarded at the festival will be
screened again at the end of October or the beginning of November. In total there will be
at least 30 screening venues of which 21 are mainstream education colleges in the Basque Country at secondary level and vocational training.

The Festival holds Cine Forum and for this purpose the organization invites filmmakers of Social Cinema from different parts of the world to come to Bilbao.

Since 2015, the Festival is also committed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals proposed by the United Nations.

1. Who can benefit from the contest?

All persons or groups presenting works from any part of the world may participate in this contest, regardless of their origin or nationality. Minors must have the corresponding authorisation of a responsible adult (mother, father, legal guardian).

Each person or group may present one or various works, provided they possess the copyright or distribution rights. The festival is not responsible for any possible infringements arising in this respect.

In the same way, all films in digital format that fall into any of the categories described in these Rules and Regulations, as well as films that have already been screened at other festivals or venues, may participate.

Films that do not meet the above-mentioned conditions are not eligible to participate in
the competition.

The registration or submission of films in any of the formats required by the Festival implies the unreserved acceptance of all the terms contained in these terms and conditions.

2. Registration and submission of films

To participate in the Festival it is necessary to register online using the form available in the festival organiser’s website: https://www.kcd-ongd.org.

The screening file must be submitted in MP4 format, in the highest resolution possible (1080p and higher).

The films can be sent in digital or physical format. Postage and return expenses will be paid by the participants.

The Festival will not accept physical DCPs of the works for screening.

All works that do not comply with submission of documentation within the deadline indicated by the organisation will be discarded.

a) Submission by internet
Submissions made by Internet must be done so by one of the following methods:

 The portal Festhome (support HD quality).

https://festhome.com/festival/festival-internacional-de-cine-invisible-film-sozialak-de-bilbao

 Vimeo or YouTube with permission to download without expiry date, sending the link to cineinvisible@kcd-ongd.org

 Download link via platforms such as Dropbox, MyAirBridge, Mega, WeTransfer, and similar, sending the link to cineinvisible@kcd-ongd.org

b) Physical shipping (DCP are not allowed)

By post to:

Office of the International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak”
KCD NGOD – Kultura, Communication y Desarrollo
Edificio Innobak – Inguralde. Beurko Viejo 3, pabellón 38, oficina 12
48902, Barakaldo - Bizkaia, Spain

Important: For international shipping, write on the packet “CONTENTS HAVE NO COMMERCIAL VALUE, FOR CULTURAL EXHIBITION ONLY”

Other forms which KCD NGOD considers relevant and which will be notified publicly.

Films submitted after 1 May 2027 and/or do not meet the above-mentioned requirements and/or do not have the necessary documentation, may only be included in the contest at the Festival’s own criteria.

The festival does not grant any economic consideration in favor of the person who registers, or has rights over the participating work, only for the mere fact of registration or selection of the work for the competition.

3. Documentation to be presented

The persons participating must provide the following documentation:

a) Photograph of the director(s)
b) CV and Filmography of the director(s)
c) Poster of the film
d) 3 photograms or photographs related to the work in the best possible quality. The best photographs received will be candidates for:

 the central image of the festival’s poster.

 part of the exhibition of the 19th International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak” Bilbao 2027 which will be displayed in Bilbao metro stations.

e) Extended data sheet following the format provided by the Festival.
f) Screening version of the film (best available quality and without watermark).

4. Requirements of the films

Admission of films will be subject to compliance with the Rules and Regulations as well as the following requirements:

 The films must address at least one of the festival’s four categories of thematic focus.

 Fiction, documentary and animation works can participate, whether short, medium or full-length films.

 Films entered must be presented in their original language and if this is not Spanish and/or Basque, they must be subtitled in one of these two languages (Spanish or Basque).

 The films in the competition must have been produced after 1 January 2025.

5. Categories of the Festival

The festival has four thematic lines into which the works selected are divided.

 Sustainability: this encompasses audio-visual works that deal with the social, political, economic and environmental impacts of different development models as well as alternative proposals that contribute to human well-being and sustainability.

 Gender Equality: contributes to the construction of an egalitarian culture and generates tools for pro-gender equality change in society. The films in this section stimulate reflection and critical thinking in relation to the prevailing reality of inequality between women and men and/or propose alternative models to the patriarchal system.

 Interculturality: reflects both the diversity and wealth of existing cultures in the world and issues related to human migrations, coexistence between people from different cultures, as well as denunciations of any form of racism, segregation, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination.

 Human Rights: includes audio-visual works on the promotion and guarantee of individual and collective human rights, as well as the struggle for respect and fundamental freedoms. Also included are all those works that promote opposition to authoritarian, elitist, racist, xenophobic and LGBTI-phobic political currents and any form of discrimination, or that denounce the causes that give rise to poverty and social exclusion.

6. Selection criteria

The Selection Committee of the Unseen Film festival will be composed equally of women and men and will be commissioned with selecting the Festival films.

Films will be selected based on the following criteria:

 Adaptation to the thematic foci of the festival.

 Technical quality.

 Adaptation to the public objectives of the festival.

Without neglecting the above-mentioned criteria, positive actions will be taken to include:

 Films made by directors from countries in the southern hemisphere

 Films made by women

 Films in Basque

 Films with subtitles for the hearing impaired and/or audio description.

Regardless of the category in which the works are entered, the Festival's Selection Committee will finally decide the category into which the films will be included and their decisions will be final.

All participants will be informed by the end of July 2027 whether their work has been selected or not.

Once the selection has been communicated, the work cannot be withdrawn from the Festival.

Subsequently, when the festival programme has been determined (mid-september 2027), the directors of the films selected will be notified of the venues and days of screening.

Insofar as the festival considers it appropriate or has the necessary funds to cover the respective expenses, the festival will promote and support the attendance of the directors of the selected works, and may cover the expenses of transport, accommodation and/or per diem of these persons.

7. Jury

In order to carry out positive actions for gender equality, 66% of the Jury will be women. Jury members will be linked to the cinema, to development cooperation and solidarity, or to other social, cultural and/or artistic disciplines. The jury will decide the winning films in all categories except the Education in Values Award, the Audience Award and the Unseen Film Award. Their decisions in all categories will be final.

8. Awards

8.1. General

In any case, and depending on the circumstances, it is possible that the awards described below are not granted to any of the contestants and may be declared void.

Cash prizes are subject to the taxes and regulations established by Spanish law (VAT or
personal income tax).

8.2 Financial gift to award winners

There are a total of 13 awards at the International Unseen Film Festival "Film Sozialak" Bilbao, of which 9 will have an economic endowment of TWO THOUSAND EUROS (2.000 euros), although the organisation reserves the right to vary this amount depending on the contributions of the corresponding entities. And 4 more awards with an economic endowment to be specified that are focused to encourage the realization of Social Cinema by young university students and students of Vocational Training and high school in the Basque Country.

The selected works will be eligible for the prize of the thematic category for which they are selected, plus the additional prizes mentioned above, which will be deposited with the directors, according to the data provided in the registration forms.

So, the awards for which participants are eligible are:

 Those corresponding to the thematic topic categories described in point 5:

 Award in the category of Sustainability.

 Award in the category of Gender Equality.

 Award in the category of Interculturality.

 Award in the category of Human Rights.

 Likewise, there will be awards in the following categories:

 Award for Best Work by a Woman: this award makes women filmmakers visible and encourages the participation of women in audio-visual communication beyond the subject matter of the different works. All films directed or co-directed by women participating in the festival in any of its thematic categories will be eligible for this award.

 Award for the Best Social-content Work Made in Basque: this prize includes all the participating works in any of the thematic categories that are made in Basque and/or subtitled in Basque. Works made in Spanish and subtitled in Basque are not included in this category. In the event of a film made in various languages in addition to Basque, the festival reserves the right to decide if it enters this category or not.

 Unseen Film Award: this category includes all the works participating in any of the thematic categories, in Basque or Spanish, the aim being to support the work of a director according to the festival's criteria.

 Education in Values Award includes works in any of the thematic categories that are screened in secondary and vocational training schools that are venues for the festival. Only short films will be screened in these centres. Its aim is to promote social cinema and critical thinking among students. The most outstanding film will be decided on a vote cast by the students themselves.

 Audience Award: this category encourages audience participation, giving festival attendees or spectators the opportunity to evaluate the works they see and support the work of the filmmakers by using their votes. The Audience Award includes all the works in the competition that are screened in noneducational venues, as educational venues have their own award.

9. Data protection and confidentiality

The information provided will be treated solely and exclusively within the framework of these Rules and Regulations, guaranteeing as far as possible the strict confidentiality of all information provided for the dissemination and participation of the projects in the competition. The personal data provided to participate in the competition will be processed by KCD NGOD, in order to manage the participation of contestants and, where appropriate, the subsequent allocation of prizes.

The personal data provided will be kept for the duration of the competition and up to 6 years thereafter to cover possible legal liabilities.

At any time, the person concerned may exercise their rights of access, rectification, suppression, limitation of processing, opposition and portability by writing to the address indicated at the beginning of these Rules and Regulations or to info@kcd-ongd.org, by calling 94 602 46 68 or by contacting KULTURA, COMMUNICATION Y DESARROLLO "KCD", Beurko Viejo, 3 - Pabellón 38, Oficina 12 CP:48902 – Barakaldo.

Occasionally, a copy of the corresponding identity document may be requested in order to guarantee the security of the data. You may at any time assert your rights before the competent data protection supervisory authority.

10. Intellectual and industrial property and image rights

The persons participating expressly declare that they are the original authors of the films submitted to the competition, of the images, scripts or music contained therein. It is forbidden to submit works made by third parties, which are already published or others over which a third party holds any rights whatsoever. Likewise, it is forbidden to submit any film that totally or partially contains content protected by intellectual or industrial property of third parties. KCD NGOD declines any responsibility in the event that the works submitted do not meet these conditions.

Therefore, participants who affirm compliance in all these matters, authorise KCD NGOD to reproduce, use and disseminate the works received in full or in part, being able to
modify and adapt them as it sees fit; as well as the names, surnames, image and voice of the participants, in any advertising and/or marketing activity related to this competition
or to KCD NGOD, and in any media, including the Internet, without these activities conferring the right to any remuneration or benefit with the exception of the prize-giving in accordance with these Rules and Regulations.

Specifically, the person(s) or entity(entities) holding rights over the works selected for the
competition expressly authorise(s) KCD NGOD to carry out the following actions:

 Reproduce, view and project the work and photos or moving images provided in exhibitions open to the public as many times as necessary during their participation in the Festival, including promotional screenings prior to the official
dates of the festival and the festival screenings that will take place immediately after the festival has ended.

 Adapt the work to the necessary formats for its viewing and exhibition during the Festival.

 Dub and/or subtitle the work in languages other than the original.

 Use images and/or fragments from the work for inclusion in the audio-visual promotion of the festival, press kits, informative posters and/or on the official website of the Festival for promotional purposes.

 Use material corresponding to the works selected for the competition to promote and disseminate audio-visual and printed materials (catalogue, promotional spot, website, exhibitions) related to the Festival itself.

The works submitted to the competition will be incorporated into the Kultura, Communication y Desarrollo KCD NGOD archive. In the event that any of the selected works are used by KCD NGOD for cultural or educational purposes beyond their participation in the festival, prior express authorisation will be requested from their
director by signing the corresponding contract.

11. Viewing the works

The International Unseen Film Festival “Film Sozialak” of Bilbao intends to continue with the in-person nature of their programme in the official sections. However, if it is not possible to have the screenings in person, they will be conducted in ONLINE format.

The screenings of the winning films will be ONLINE regardless of the situation and through the online streaming platform "Film Sozialak" of the organization.

Any online screening will be carried out through registration access and for a limited period of time.

12. Fraudulent participation and other causes for disqualification

In the event that we detect any anomaly or suspect that a participant is impeding the normal development of the competition, illegitimately altering participation by means of
any technical or computer procedure or fails to comply with these Rules and Regulations in any other way, we may unilaterally exclude them from participating in the competition, and this decision shall be final.

In other words, KCD NGOD reserves the right to disqualify any participant who evidences or is suspected of irregular behaviour, in the sense described above.

Works with violent or denigrating content, or that may offend the sensibilities of the average person, or that incite illegal conduct, will not be accepted. KCD NGOD reserves the right to refuse participation of those persons whose images show inappropriate content, or do not fall within the realms of aesthetics, ethics and good taste.

13. Exclusion of liabilities

KCD NGOD will not be responsible for interruptions or errors during the application process for participation in the competition.

KCD NGOD will not be responsible for the exclusion of a participant from the competition as a result of a delay in celebrating the competition which results in it taking place outside the corresponding competition period.

Nor will KCD NGOD be held responsible for any liability derived from the non-compliance of the participants with the legal regulations and with these Rules and Regulations.

Furthermore, the waiver of the prize will not entitle the winner(s) to any indemnity or compensation whatsoever.

14. General conditions

Participation in the competition implies full acceptance of the Rules and Regulations, and the criteria of KCD NGOD regarding the interpretation of the Rules and Regulations and the resolution of any incident that may arise. KCD NGOD reserves the right to modify, if necessary, these Rules and Regulations for other similar ones.

The Rules and Regulations shall apply to applications submitted from the date of their
approval and during the period for the submission of applications. This period may be extended by agreement of KCD NGOD.

These Rules and Regulations and the competition are governed by Spanish law. Any cause of litigation that may arise in relation to this competition shall be submitted by the participant and KCD NGOD, expressly waiving any other jurisdiction that may correspond, to the Courts and Tribunals of the City of Bilbao, unless another jurisdiction is imperatively determined by law. Bilbao, 4 November 2026.

COMMUNICATION.

The festival uses the following dissemination tools:

Web page: https://www.kcd-ongd.org
Twitter: @KCDONGD

Facebook: @CineInvisibleBilbao

Instagram @kcdongd

Tel. +34 946024668

Email: cineinvisible@kcd-ongd.org



  

 
  

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