28° Festival Universitario De Cine Y Audiovisuales Equinoxio (28)

Festival start: 18 September 2026      Festival end: 26 September 2026

Equinoxio University Film and Audiovisual Festival celebrates its 28th edition from September 18th to 26th, 2026, providing a space for encounter and reflection on student cinema and facilitating contact with the aesthetic vision of emerging talents, as well as with the artistic, social, and personal concerns of young filmmakers.

This year, the conceptual theme adopted, “I don’t accept the world as it is,” addresses uncertainty as an experience that particularly resonates with our generation: a youthful perspective that doubts both its present and its future, rejecting the world not from a certainty of knowing how it should be, but from the difficulty of inhabiting it as it is. Thus, uncertainty emerges as a collective symptom of our time, and in this sense, we have chosen to embrace it and find in it raw material for creation.

In this edition, the festival seeks to find common ground between academia and industry, strengthening the link between university education and exhibition spaces, without resorting to restrictive divisions. Therefore, the competition is organized according to the filmmakers' stage of development, allowing for a dialogue between works with varying degrees of experience and maturity, but with shared concerns, and recognizing the transformations and styles that emerge throughout audiovisual training.

For this reason, the best works in each category will be recognized through strategic alliances with national and international festivals and platforms, enabling them to be included in their programming and expanding their distribution and visibility.

RULES AND GUIDELINES FOR THE CALL FOR ENTRIES
28th EQUINOXIO UNIVERSITY FILM AND AUDIOVISUAL FESTIVAL

– CALL FOR ENTRIES SECTIONS
The call for entries is open to Colombian, Latin American, and international audiovisual works with a maximum duration of 30 minutes, without limitations on film genre or technique. Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and alumni of universities and alternative training programs are eligible to participate. Organized into:
National Short Film: In Training
National Short Film: National University of Colombia
National Short Film: Graduation Project
National: Graduates and Faculty (only category accepting feature films)
Latin American Short Film: Students
Latin American Short Film: Graduates and Faculty
International Short Film: Students
International Short Film: Graduates and Faculty

– ELIGIBILITY
The call for entries is open to both Colombian and international films in the respective categories. Short films with a production date prior to January 1, 2025, are not eligible. In all categories, applicants must be able to demonstrate their current (or past, in the case of graduates) affiliation with a higher education institution.

5 – REGISTRATION
Film submissions to the Festival are free for Colombian and Latin American works. For works originating outside of Latin America, there is a nominal fee of $1 USD. Registration is done through the Festhome platform. The call for entries opens on February 16, 2026. All submissions close on April 30 of the same year.

Registration must be completed by the film's director/producer and must include: a viewing file of the film, a short synopsis, technical specifications and details, cast and crew information, a photo and filmography of the director, a poster, high-quality stills, a document certifying the director/producer's affiliation with the academic institution, and social media information for the film and the filmmakers. If the film is not in Spanish, Spanish subtitles must also be included; if Spanish subtitles are unavailable, a list of English dialogues with timecodes and a high-quality digital file for adding subtitles will be required.

– SELECTION AND PARTICIPATION
After the selection notification date, no film may be withdrawn from the Festival. Participants whose works are selected in any category agree to provide any additional materials requested by the Festival.

If deemed necessary, the Festival may reassign selected works to a different category, as well as modify sections of the regulations and the call for entries.

The Festival is not responsible for covering travel, per diem, or accommodation expenses for participants. Participants must arrange their own expenses with their respective university or cover their own costs to participate in the Festival's scheduled activities. The Film and Television School of the National University of Colombia and the Equinoxio Festival may provide an invitation letter upon request.

Participants authorize the Equinoxio University Film and Audiovisual Festival to use a maximum of 3 minutes of visual material for promotional purposes. They also grant the Festival the right to screen their work during the Festival and in non-competitive screenings at national and international festivals affiliated with Equinoxio.

By registering, the participant declares that they own all rights to the submitted work, including its sound, music, and/or visual files, and releases the Festival Organization, the Film and Television School, and the National University of Colombia from any claims that third parties may make regarding the public exhibition, intellectual property, or patrimonial rights thereof. The participant releases the Festival Organization, the Film and Television School, and the National University of Colombia from any and all claims or demands.

Submitting a work to the Equinoxio University Film and Audiovisual Festival implies full acceptance of the competition rules and these regulations. By registering, the participant declares this acceptance.