PROTESTA · Festival De Cinema Social i Pensament Cítric (13)

Festival start: 08 October 2026      Festival end: 16 October 2026

Discover Festival PROTESTA, where cinema ignites social change.

This international event celebrates films that challenge, question, and inspire. With a diverse lineup of documentaries, fiction, and animation in both feature and short film formats, Protesta is a crucible for filmmakers committed to questioning and challenging the status quo.

We embrace creativity, positive social impact and innovative storytelling. With more than 11 editions, PROTESTA is the primary social impact festival in Catalonia and a main player in social cinema in Spain. Join us next October in the culturally vibrant town Vic in a series of parallel activities designed to enrich, educate, and inspire.

Cash Prizes: 3,750€
Screening Fee Shorts: 250€
Screening Fee Features: 250€

ALL THE FILMS in the official selection will receive a CASH PRIZE.

We welcome an alternative model that doesn't endorse competition. PROTESTA 2026 will welcome a selection for a short film program in which every selection will receive a single "honorarium" upon screening in the festival.

This initiative seeks to echo the numerous voices in the audiovisual landscape and film industry claiming that the classic competitive model (imported from Hollywood) doesn’t make sense for 21st-century film festivals of these characteristics. We want this initiative to incentivize creation or help with the film distribution costs. It is our way to take action as we rethink more sustainable models adapted to an ever-changing audiovisual landscape.

· All the selected films will receive a physical trophy and a digital certificate.

· The jury and the organization reserve the right to name Special Mentions (with no cash prize)

SHORT FILMS COMPETITION RULES 2026

FESTIVAL PROTESTA

The 13th Edition of PROTESTA, International Film Festival for social change, held in Vic (in the province of Barcelona, Spain) from October 6 - 18, 2026.

With more than 10 editions, PROTESTA (the action of "protesting", in Catalan and in Spanish) is an international film festival that champions socially aware cinema. We welcome fiction, documentary, animation and of course hybrid filmmaking. The selection of the short films for the Official Section is based on artistic, technical and storytelling quality criteria.

GENERAL RULES

1. Any short film which has not been screened in previous editions either in the Official Selection nor the Non Competitive Section can be submitted.

2. You can submit any national or international short film (fiction, animated or documentary) that focuses on the criticism of social issues.

3. Each participant may submit more than one short film.

4. Films can be submitted in any language. However, those that are not in Catalan or Spanish must be subtitled in either one of these two languages.

5. The runtime of the short film should not exceed 30 minutes.

6. The films may not include any content that disrespects any person, group or entity or violates people’s rights to honor, privacy, and their own image or any other rights affecting third parties.

7. The organization of the Festival Protesta declines any legal responsibility regarding the short films submitted to the festival and their content.

8. The participants must guarantee that the short films are not violating any intellectual property, industrial or exploitation rights.

9. The authors of the short films submitted to the festival sign over the rights for the festival to show them publicly during the days of the festival, including previous and subsequent presentations, in order to promote the festival and the works submitted, always, for no commercial or lucrative purpose. In any case, the authors will always be informed in advance.

10. The organization keeps the right to publish a preview or a piece of maximum of 30 seconds of each short film in the Official Selection in the website and social media for the same purpose.

11. All submitted material will become part of the festival’s archive.

12. OPEN CALL: Short film registrations can be made from February 15 to May 15, 2026, both inclusive. The organization reserves the right to extend this period by up to 30 days. If that is the case, a "late deadline" or extension will be announced.

13. Films must be submitted online, as indicated at the end of these rules. The reception and proper submission of the materials will be confirmed to participants via email.

14. The organization will announce the selected films no later than July 31st, 2026.

15. The authors of the selected short films for the Official Selection must send a high-quality copy of the film (technical requirements specified at the end of this document), two stills, the poster in A3 size, and a teaser to be published in the official program. All of these must be sent to the email address provided by the festival's organization.

SELECTION PROCESS AND JURY

The organization of the festival will appoint a jury consisting of several professionals related to the world of communication, cinema, and activism. After watching all the short films submitted, the organization of the festival will select the films for the Official and the Non-Competitive Sections, which will be screened in several venues of the Protesta.

The jury will watch the finalists that make it to the Official Selection and decide the awards for best fiction short film and best documentary short film.

The Audience Award will be decided by the votes of the audiences attending the screenings. The Festival’s organization will grant a Special Mention if so it deems.


SCREENINGS

During the festival dates, around several Protesta venues spread around the city of Vic.

"LET'S CELEBRATE CINEMA, NOT COMPETITION!" - OUR AWARD POLICY

We welcome an alternative model that doesn't endorse competition. PROTESTA 2024 will welcome a selection of no more than 15 short films.

· All the films in the official selection will receive a cash prize of 250€ (subject to taxes).

· All the selected films will receive a physical trophy and a digital certificate.

· Within the selection, the jury and the organization reserve the right to name Special Mentions (with no extra cash prize).

SUBMISSION AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Films must be submitted online via the platform Festhome. The entries made after that date will be excluded of the contest. Festival Protesta reserves the right to extend the participation dates.

2. The submission of each short film costs 5€. There's a student discount as well as discounts for students who will have to prove current enrollment or for recent graduates.

3. Films must be submitted through the submission form at the Festival Protesta website or the platform Festhome.

4. If a film is selected for the Official Selection, the organization will require a high-quality copy from the person of contact specified on the submission form.

5. The organization reserves the right to recode the original films in order to adapt them to the requirements of the screening, keeping their quality as far as possible.

6. The organization holds the authority to address any unforeseen issues not covered by these rules. Should there be any disputes regarding the interpretation of the participation rules for the Protesta Festival 2026, the organization will make a decision on the matter within a week. This decision will be final and binding for all participants.


TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE

Each participant declares, guarantees, and confirms the following to the Associació Festival Protesta:

1. They are of legal age.

2. They are responsible for adhering to the terms and conditions and shall not hold the Associació Festival Protesta accountable for breach of said terms.

3. The participant expressly agrees to comply with each and every one of the terms and conditions of this contest, which can be inquired about at any moment by each participant. Failure to comply with any of the terms may lead to the disqualification of the contest participant.

4. It is understood that the participant, when participating in the contest, accepts these terms and conditions, and, therefore, gives the Festival Protesta the authorization to publish its name and image on the festival website, as well as any type of promotion or publication for informational and non-commercial purposes.


PRIVACY POLICY AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS

1. Participation in the festival contest implies acceptance and authorization of the total or partial reproduction of the winning short films for promotion, publicity and broadcasting of the Protesta Festival 2026.

2. The participants authorize for their personal data provided to be incorporated into the file “subscribers, partners, and participants” (“subscriptors, socis i participants”) that is registered in the Spanish Data Protection Agency, the responsible party being the Associació Festival Protesta with the purpose of carrying out the festival, the current contest, and the publicity and diffusion of it. The data will be handled with confidentiality and in accordance with the provisions of the Organic Law of Protection of Personal Data (LOPD) and the regulations that develop it.

3. As indicated, the party responsible for the said file is the Associació Festival Protesta with address C / Verdaguer nº 19 3-1 and email contact info@festivalprotesta.cat. At the address above, interested parties may exercise the right of access, opposition, rectification and deletion of their personal data.


CONTROL AND SAFETY RULES

1. The Associació Festival Protesta reserves the right to take appropriate measures to avoid any conduct that the association suspects has the purpose or effect of acting in fraud in regards to this contest, or supposes a breach of its rules or a cause of harm to other participants.
The first consequence will be the disqualification of the participant and the loss of any right to the prize that would have been obtained.

2. Also, the Associació Festival Protesta reserves the right to exclude participants if they contribute material containing viruses or any computer code directed or capable of damaging, interfering, intercepting or violating the security of any system, information or data.


LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

1. The Associació Festival Protesta shall not accept any liability for damages of any nature that, despite the security measures taken, may be caused by the improper use of the services or contents by the users or participants, and especially, but not exclusively, for damages and losses that may arise from the impersonation of a third party by a user.

2. The Associació Festival Protesta denies liability in any case in which the participant has not previously requested consent or authorization for personal data of which they were subject to treatment.


INTERPRETATION OF TERMS AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION

The interpretation and the fulfillment of the present terms will be governed by the Spanish legislation. Any controversy that results from the interpretation or compliance of the present terms will be submitted to the courts of Vic (Jutjats de 1ª instància de Vic).