ALMERIA WESTERN FILM FESTIVAL (15)

Festival start: 08 October 2025      Festival end: 12 October 2025

International Western Film Festival.

7.- PRIZES AND JURIES

Among all the feature films, short films and school practices selected for the official sections in competition, the prizes will be the following:

OFFICIAL COMPETITIVE SECTION FOR FEATURE FILM

JURY PRIZE FOR THE BEST FEATURE WESTERN

Awarded by the Jury of the Official Section for Feature Films to the best work of fiction or documentary of long length. The organization reserves the option of splitting this prize into two: “Prize for the best western” and “Special Jury Prize for the best neo-western”.

'CARLO SIMI' PRIZE FOR THE TECHNICAL-ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO THE WESTERN GENRE

Awarded by the Jury of the Official Section for Feature Films to a professional from either the technical or artistic team who has contributed to the dissemination and renewal of the international western genre.

BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD

Awarded by the Jury of the Official Feature Film Section to an actress or actor who plays a leading or supporting character in one of the films in competition.

The organization reserves the option of splitting this award into two: “Best Female Performance Award” and “Best Male Performance Award”.

AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM

Awarded by the audience of all screenings of the feature films scheduled in the Official Section and in the Outlaw Section.

OFFICIAL COMPETITIVE SHORT FILM SECTION

JURY AWARD FOR BEST WESTERN SHORT FILM

Awarded by the Jury of the Official Short Film Section to the best short fiction or documentary work.

PUBLIC AWARD FOR THE BEST SHORT FILM

Awarded by the public of all the screenings of the short films scheduled in the Official Section and in the Outlaw Section.

SPECIAL COMPETITIVE SECTIONS

YOUNG JURY AWARD FOR THE BEST WORK FROM FILM SCHOOLS OR UNIVERSITIES

Awarded by the Young Jury (18-25 years) to the best work of fiction or documentary attached to a School or University in which the director has studied audiovisual or film studies.

CANAL SUR RADIO Y TELEVISIÓN (RTVA) AWARD FOR ANDALUSIAN AUDIOVISUAL CREATION

An Andalusian filmmaker, director, scriptwriter or producer will be awarded the prize for the best audiovisual work in any of its categories (feature films, short films, documentaries and/or Outlaw Section). The works must be produced or created by Andalusians and framed in the western genre.

RCSERVICE AWARD FOR THE BEST CINEMATIC DIRECTION OF A SPANISH WORK

The RCservice Award for the best cinematography in a Spanish work (feature films, short films and documentaries) consists of a discount of 750 euros on digital film camera equipment, available at the time of filming, in favor of the production company of the work (unless it expressly gives the award to the Director of Photography). There is no minimum budget set for the application of the discount. The use of the material must be carried out within a maximum period of twelve months from the closing gala of AWFF (11/10/2025).

The prizes awarded in all competitive sections will consist of:

- A trophy designed with the official image of the Festival and the text of the award on the pedestal.

- Special prizes awarded by entities or organizations collaborating with the festival.

Cash prizes are not contemplated.

The jury's decision will be final.

Participation implies full acceptance of these Regulations. In the event of a conflict in the interpretation of any Article of these regulations or in those aspects not included in them, the interpretation and criteria of the Festival Management is decisive. The original of these regulations is in Spanish and is available and updated at the following link http://www.almeriawesternfilmfestival.es/es/bases

Personal data will be treated in accordance with the provisions of current legislation (Organic Law 3/2018).

6.- FORM OF PARTICIPATION

FILMS FOR VIEWING AND SELECTION

Long or short films will be entered by the producer, director or exhibitor of these. The registration period will be from March 15 to June 15, 2025.

The official means of registration is through the following platforms: FestHome and FilmFreeway.

https://filmmakers.festhome.com/festival/awff

https://filmfreeway.com/ALMERIAWESTERNFILMFESTIVAL

In any case, all participants must complete the registration form with all the necessary information.

FILMS SELECTED FOR COMPETITION

The films selected by the Evaluation Committee must be sent to the festival before July 15, 2025 at 11:59 p.m., along with the corresponding promotional material. All materials must be sent in digital format, including the pressbook, to the following addresses:

comunicacion@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es

Their online distribution will be carried out through the area reserved for the media on the official website of the festival:

www.almeriawesternfilmfestival.es

The Organization of the Almería Western Film Festival will establish the order and date of exhibition of each film. Once a film has been admitted for participation, it cannot be withdrawn from its screening during the Festival.

Registration implies acceptance of these rules, as well as the resolution by the Organization of any case not included in them.

The Organization of the Festival may cancel or postpone the competition in case of force majeure, with the participants assuming this risk. The in-person celebration will depend in all cases on the authorization by the health authorities and subject to the security protocols that are recommended and/or established.

FESTIVAL HEADQUARTERS AND CONTACT INFORMATION
The Festival headquarters are located in the municipality of Tabernas:

Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Tabernas
Calle Mirlo, 1
04200 Tabernas (Almería) Spain Tel. (+34) 950 36 50 02
Website: www.almeriawesternfilmfestival.es
Email: info@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. approx.

Regulatory bases 15 Edition Almería Western Film Festival

Registration period: March 15 to June 15, 2025

1.- OBJECTIVES OF THE FESTIVAL

The 15th edition of the ALMERIA WESTERN FILM FESTIVAL (AWFF), organized by the City Council of Tabernas, aims to disseminate and promote cinematographic works of the western genre, in its broadest sense, that contribute to the knowledge of world cinematography.

On the other hand, the territory in which it is located is valued: the Desert and the municipality of Tabernas, which have been the inspiration and protagonists of an important international production of films of different genres over the years, representing a valuable cinematographic heritage.

2.- DATE OF CELEBRATION

The 15th edition of the Almería Western Film Festival will be held from Wednesday 8 to Sunday 12 October 2025 in Tabernas and in the Oasys MiniHollywood and Fort Bravo Texas Hollywood villages.

3.- LOGLINE OF THE 15TH EDITION

The Almería Western Film Festival has a double commitment: on the one hand, to remember the great milestones of the western genre throughout history; on the other, to vindicate and put in contact the themes and traditional iconography of the genre with the current sociocultural and environmental reality.

In the 2025 edition, the focus will be on the landscape and the countryside as narrative and iconographic elements in the western genre: the territory as a space of sociocultural identity, the border as a line of confrontation, migration, transformation or no man's land, desertification and the horizon as visual motifs.

Likewise, the representation of societies, customs and lifestyles typical of these spaces will be taken into account: the conflict derived from colonization and the usurpation of the territory from the natives and autochthons, the transmutation of identity - language, culture, religion -, the aboriginal reservation, the extinction of natural resources, etc.

Therefore, works that propose a renewing, experimental and disruptive look at one or more of these elements will be especially valued.

4.- OFFICIAL SECTION

OFFICIAL SECTION FOR WESTERN FEATURE FILMS:
INTERNATIONAL CHARACTER.

Spanish or foreign fiction, documentary, live action or animation films of long duration (60 minutes or more), produced after January 1, 2024. The works must be of the western or neo-western genre, the latter being understood as an adaptation of the themes, plots, character archetypes and iconography of the genre to a contemporary setting.

They may have premiered at other national and international festivals held prior to the date of the AWFF, although the Selection Committee will positively value the status of premiere at the AWFF (world, European, national or regional).

The registration of work in progress works is accepted. This production status must be indicated at the time of registration on the platform, checking the appropriate box, or indicating it in parentheses after the title.

OFFICIAL SECTION FOR WESTERN SHORT FILMS:
INTERNATIONAL CHARACTER.

Short films of Spanish or foreign nationality with western or neo-western themes, fiction or documentary, with a maximum duration of 20 minutes (including credits) and with a release date after January 1, 2024.

They may have premiered at other national and international festivals held prior to the date of the AWFF, although the Selection Committee will positively value the premiere or exclusive premiere at the AWFF.

Among the selection criteria, the suitability of the work to the logline of this edition will also be taken into account: the landscape and the country people.

5.- PARALLEL SECTIONS

FILM SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES SECTION:
INTERNATIONAL CHARACTER.

Short films of Spanish or foreign nationality with western or neo-western themes, fiction, documentary or experimental in nature, with a maximum duration of 15 minutes (including credits) and with a release date after January 1, 2023.

It is essential that the director of the work has turned 18 years old on the date of registration, and that the works have been made and produced in the academic context of an audiovisual or cinematographic training center. Therefore, the director's ID and a certificate issued by the educational center or university must be attached to the registration.

Among the selection criteria, the suitability of the work to one (or several) of the three themes that will be the focus in the current edition will also be taken into account: the landscape and the countryside in the western genre.

A Young Jury will be formed, made up of people between 18 and 25 years old, who will evaluate and decide the winning work.

OUTLAW SPECIAL SECTION

Parallel section that includes those national and international works of a more independent nature that navigate the margins of the western. It does not participate in the Jury Awards but it does participate in the Public Award and the RTVA Award for Andalusian Creation, if applicable. The maximum duration is 15 minutes (including credits) and the release date after January 1, 2024.

Among the selection criteria, the suitability of the work to one (or several) of the three themes that will be the focus in the current edition will also be taken into account: the landscape and the country people in the western genre.

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AWFF 2025, as it has done in its previous editions, will take special care in the selection of films for both the Feature Film and Short Film Sections and Film Schools, the participation of Spanish, Community and Ibero-American films, as well as national and international premieres.

A Committee will evaluate all the submitted works and select the finalists between June 15 and June 30, 2025. The decision of the Selection Committee will be final.

The festival's organizing team will communicate the selection of the finalist works to the producers and/or their representatives as soon as possible. The representatives undertake to maintain confidentiality regarding the selection until the Festival makes all the Official Sections public through the website and other media.

In the event that the work is selected, the festival's programming will decide the section in which the work will be included (Official, Film Schools, Outlaw).

6.- OTHER REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF WORKS

In addition to all the above, films registered to participate in the AWFF 2025 must comply with the following conditions:

The formats of the copies must comply with the technical requirements of each section of the festival, preferably in digital .mov or .mp4 files. Works that do not have the necessary technical guarantees for public screening may be rejected.

Participants agree not to withdraw the works from the Official Section once they have been selected and the producers and/or representatives of these have been notified.

Once the selection in any of the competitive sections has been notified, participants will have 15 calendar days, from July 1 to 15, 2025, to send the screening copies through a download link to the following email addresses:

comunicacion@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es

Participants may also send the screening copies by regular mail to the following postal address:

Excmo. Ayuntamiento de Tabernas Calle Mirlo, 1
04200 Tabernas (Almería) Spain

The festival reserves the right to eliminate from the competition those works that do not arrive within the established period.

The copies may be screened in their original version with subtitles in Spanish or English - in the case of Spanish-language films - or exceptionally dubbed into Spanish. Participants must provide the subtitles for the works, integrating them into the image when sending the screening copies. Failure to comply with this condition may exclude a work from final participation in the Festival.

Participants will also send the promotional materials for the selected work as soon as they have confirmation of their selection: poster of the film, three high-resolution promotional photographs, technical and artistic information, synopsis in Spanish and English (maximum 3 lines), age rating, photograph of the director and written biofilmography of the director (maximum 5 lines). This material (in the most convenient way, ZIP, Wetransfer, etc.) will be sent by email to the following address:

comunicacion@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es

The communication of each film selected by the Festival is strictly confidential between the organization (Tabernas City Council), the team assigned to manage the Festival and the producers or representatives of the invited film, until the Festival decides to announce it officially.