ANIMAL Film Fest (8)

Festival start: 07 October 2027      Festival end: 10 October 2027

OFFICIAL SELECTION 2027

We invite you to participate in the eighth edition of ANIMAL Film Fest, which will take place in person from October 7 to 10, 2027, in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.

We strongly recommend carefully reading the complete call for entries before submitting any short film.

CALL FOR ENTRIES
ROT Movie Makers invites the general public, as well as filmmakers, independent and professional directors, film, communication, animation, visual arts and multimedia students, and individuals from related fields to participate in the eighth edition of ANIMAL Film Fest, which will take place from October 7 to 10, 2027, in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.

ANIMAL Film Fest is a film festival exclusively dedicated to horror cinema and dark genres, including horror, suspense, thriller, and their various hybrid forms. Short films that fall outside this curatorial scope will not be accepted.

ANIMAL Film Fest is produced by ROT Movie Makers.

All selected short films will receive Official Selection laurels. Winning works will receive Winner laurels, as well as a trophy and certificate, in the following categories: Best Michoacán Short Film, Best Mexican Short Film, Best International Short Film, Best Animated Short Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Character, Best Editing, and Best Production Design.

There will be one winner per category. The jury may grant honorable mentions or declare any category void, at its discretion.

1. Registration and Submission
1.1. Short films must meet all the requirements established in this call for entries to be considered in any of the submission categories.

1.2. Submissions must be made exclusively online through the Festhome platform. Short films submitted through any other means will not be accepted.

1.3. Short films from all countries, made in any year and without restrictions regarding their original production format, are eligible. Works shot using mobile devices or any type of camera will be accepted.

1.4. There is no limit to the number of works that an individual, production company, or distributor may submit. However, each short film must be registered separately and in only one category.

1.5. Submissions for the eighth edition of ANIMAL Film Fest will be open from Friday, November 6, 2026, through Sunday, May 30, 2027.

Note: Submission platforms operate according to their own time zones. Participants are advised to review each platform's respective terms and conditions.

1.6. Participants may submit their works in one of the following categories: Michoacán Short Film, Mexican Short Film, Latin American Short Film, or International Short Film.

1.7. The submission category may be determined by either the location where the short film was made or the director's country of origin. If a work meets the eligibility criteria for more than one category, it must be registered in only one of them.

2. Film Requirements
2.1. Short films belonging to dark genres — horror, suspense, and/or thriller — including their variations, subgenres, and hybrid forms, will be accepted. Fiction, documentary, and animated works are eligible, as well as experimental and student projects.

2.2. Mexican premiere status is not required. Works previously screened at other national or international film festivals are eligible.

2.3. Works whose original language is not Spanish must include Spanish subtitles embedded in the submitted screening file for evaluation by the organizing committee during the selection process.

2.4. Short films must not exceed 30 minutes in length, including opening and closing credits. The organizing committee may grant exceptions in specific cases.

2.5. Unfinished projects, music videos, and works created for commercial, advertising, or propaganda purposes will not be accepted.

2.6. Short films previously submitted to ANIMAL Film Fest and not selected in past editions are not eligible for resubmission.

2.7. Works may contain explicit themes or imagery characteristic of the festival's genres and will be screened at the discretion of ANIMAL Film Fest's curatorial team. Due to the nature of its programming, the festival is primarily intended for adult audiences and is not considered an event for children. Some screenings may contain material unsuitable for minors.

2.8. The festival reserves the right to disqualify, at any stage of the process, works that do not clearly align with its curatorial focus on horror cinema and dark genres, even if they have previously been submitted and accepted through the registration platforms.

2.9. Submission of a work does not guarantee its selection or screening at the festival.

3. Official Selection
3.1. The Official Selection will be determined by the organizing committee.

3.2. Representatives of selected works will be contacted through the email address provided during registration. Participants are advised to check their inboxes regularly, including their spam or junk mail folders.

3.3. The official list of selected works will be announced on Monday, August 23, 2027, on the official website, animalfilmfest.com, and on the festival's social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and X).

3.4. Once notified of their selection, participants will have the deadline specified in the notification email to verify and confirm the information provided. Failure to respond within the established period may affect the work's participation in the festival.

3.5. The organizing committee's decisions are final and not subject to appeal. Individual feedback or specific explanations will not be provided for works that are not selected.

4. Obligations of Selected Films
4.1. Representatives of selected works must sign an agreement authorizing ANIMAL Film Fest to screen their short films in person during the festival.

4.2. They must provide all materials required for the promotion and screening of their works, including: the digital file of the short film, synopsis, technical information, directors' photographs, poster, and film stills.

The synopsis and technical information must be submitted in both Spanish and english.

4.3. Technical specifications for the screening file will be communicated once each work's participation has been confirmed.

4.4. All selected short films must include Spanish subtitles permanently embedded in the image (burned-in subtitles), regardless of their original language. This requirement also applies to works originally produced in Spanish or featuring dubbing.

Responsibility for the proper synchronization, spelling, legibility, and overall quality of the subtitles lies with the person who submitted the work.

Failure to meet this requirement will prevent the short film from being screened during the festival.

4.5. The materials provided may be used for festival promotion and publicity purposes. If no trailer is available, an excerpt of the short film of up to 20% of its total running time may be used.

4.6. Selected short films will become part of the ANIMAL Film Fest historical archive, which is for internal, non-public use and intended for documentation, reference, and preservation of the festival's history. Inclusion in this archive does not imply any transfer of copyright or screening, reproduction, or distribution rights, which shall remain at all times with their respective owners.

Any request for authorization to use a work in activities, screenings, or events organized by ANIMAL Film Fest other than its participation in the festival will be addressed in advance with the respective rights holders.

4.7. The organizing committee will establish the screening dates, times, and venues for each selected work. This information will be announced through the festival's official website and social media accounts.

4.8. No work may be withdrawn from the program once its Official Selection has been confirmed.

4.9. ANIMAL Film Fest will not pay screening fees for submitted works.

5. LIMBO Traveling Showcase
5.1. Selected short films may be included in the LIMBO traveling showcase, organized by ANIMAL Film Fest throughout 2027 and 2028, prior to the festival's ninth edition.

This showcase will be cultural and non-profit in nature. Each work's participation will be subject to prior authorization from its respective rights holders for every screening.

5.2. ANIMAL Film Fest will not charge participating venues any fees. However, in some cases, screening venues may request a contribution from the audience, intended exclusively to cover their operating expenses.

6. Rights and Responsibilities
6.1. Each short film must be registered by a rights holder, preferably the film's producer or director, as any award the work may receive will be granted in their name.

6.2. The person submitting the work is responsible for ensuring that they hold all legal rights to it. All elements comprising the work, including its soundtrack, screenplay, characters, and other content, must be original or properly licensed. Any case of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

6.3. By submitting a work, the participant declares that they have full legal authority to enter it and guarantees that all necessary consents, licenses, and authorizations for its submission and screening have been obtained.

6.4. The person responsible for the submission must address any third-party claims concerning the ownership, authorship, or usage rights of any elements comprising the work. They also agree to hold the organizers of ANIMAL Film Fest harmless and indemnify them against any damages, costs, or expenses arising from such claims when attributable to a breach of the obligations or warranties established herein.

7. awards and Recognition
7.1. All selected short films will receive Official Selection laurels and a certificate of participation.

7.2. Winning works will receive Winner laurels, as well as a trophy and certificate in the following categories:
- Best Michoacán Short Film.
- Best Mexican Short Film.
- Best Latin American Short Film.
- Best International Short Film.
- Best Animated Short Film.

The Best Animated Short Film category is cross-sectional across all submission categories and does not constitute a separate submission category.

7.3. There will be only one winner per category. The jury may grant honorable mentions or declare a category vacant, at its discretion.

7.4. The jury will be composed of members of the film community and will be responsible for evaluating the selected works and determining the winners.

7.5. The jury's decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

7.6. awards will be presented during the festival's closing ceremony. If representatives of winning works are unable to attend, they may collect their awards at a later date in Morelia, Michoacán, within one month following the festival. Collection details will be provided by email.

7.7. If an award needs to be shipped, all associated shipping costs will be covered by the person responsible for the submission.

7.8. The list of winning projects from the eighth edition of ANIMAL Film Fest will be published on October 10, 2027, on the official website and the festival's social media accounts.

8. Final Provisions
8.1. In the event of force majeure, ANIMAL Film Fest reserves the right to modify screening dates, venues, or times without incurring any liability.

8.2. Submission and participation in the eighth edition of ANIMAL Film Fest imply full acceptance of these rules and regulations.

8.3. Any matter not covered by this call for entries will be resolved by the organizing committee.

For further information: animalfilmfest@gmail.com