Festival Infantil Y Juvenil Chulpicine (25)

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

Chulpicine began its work in 2002 with the first ever Itinerant Children & Youth Film Festival in Quito. The warm welcome that the project received allowed the festival to become an annual event during the months of July to September, bringing an educational and entertaining event at no cost, to sectors with few cultural activities.

Thanks to the positive reaction, Chulpicine became a cultural and educational non-profit foundation in June 2004. After more than 10 years of experience, Chulpicine have reach a stable proposal and working methodology that has spread at national level. The Festival has promoted the creation of coaching staff; cultural managers working in different communities; and a large group of followers.

Chulpicine has designed a set of activities and workshops for institutions, community organizations or outreach workers to educate and train in different areas related to cinema, audiovisual, communication and Internet used as social intervention tools. These activities and workshops have been the beginning of a formation of learning communities by harnessing the capabilities of young people, as well as the setting up of an active and engaged network of social facilitators through the film and audiovisual work.

The Foundation carries out the following program lines: training; intervention; appropriation of public spaces; diffusion and production. This line of work is an alternative to foster community networks to develop communication skills, analysis and reflection in the various stakeholders of the community, thereby strengthening its organizational and self-development skills.

The foundation has a multidisciplinary team currently working on the projects. These people are responsible for different areas: there is a psychologist, a producer, a programmer, a communicator and an accountant.

In addition, every year about 12 people are hired to assist in the implementation of activities. This group is made up of people who have worked in the past in the festival and some new young people that wish to join the group. Also, each year we have the support of volunteers from different organizations.

The aim of this initiative is to generate the active participation of children and adolescents, taking into account their opinion regarding audiovisual material that is produced, aimed at their age range as a target audience. To promote spaces for reflection and decision-making that increase the real participation of children and youth and, on the other hand, to encourage audiovisual production aimed at children and adolescents.
The members of the children's jury meet at the end of the festival to deliberate on the best films in each category. There are 3 intensive deliberation sessions. During these sessions, children and young people discuss and analyse the previous selection made by the public's votes. (After each screening, the public receives a voting ballot where they can rate the films. From here comes the selection of films that goes to the jury.) The jury is led by a trained adult who helps produce and evaluate the debate on each film.
First Phase
Four categories are defined for the selection of short films based on age:
From 0 to 6 years
From 7 to 14 years
From 15 to 18 years
Family
A category is defined that includes all the feature films presented at the festival.
Second Phase:
During the screenings held in the months of July, August and September, the short films presented are put to a public vote. After each screening, a ballot will be given out containing the names of the short films viewed so that each attendee can vote for the two most liked.
At screenings in cultural centers and the House of Culture, each spectator will be provided with two faces which can be placed at the end of the screening on a panel with the photographs of each short film, choosing their favorites.
For the feature films, a ballot was designed so that attendees can determine whether the film, according to their criteria, is good, average or bad.
This information will be counted and, through a statistical method, the material that the public liked the most will be selected to establish the programming that the children's and youth jury will view.
Third Phase:
Select a children's and youth jury according to age categories. These children and youth will be called because they have been close to previous editions of the Festival, have been an audience at its functions or have been part of the workshops given by the Foundation, or they will be representatives of the schools and colleges that participate in the festival.
Three viewing meetings will be held. During these sessions, the jurors will be able to observe, evaluate and discuss the programming of the short films preselected.

The process of viewing and selecting the winners will have a representative of the National Council of Children and Adolescents who will participate as an observer, viewing all the audiovisual material and accompanying the voting processes.

For the past 24 years, Chulpicine has designed a series of activities and workshops for communities, institutions (schools, colleges, public and private entities), social organizations, youth groups, women, educators, community leaders, and children of all ages, with the aim of training and empowering them in different areas of filmmaking (production, acting, and screening). In all the activities implemented to date, the Foundation operates on the premise that audiovisual media, communication, and new technologies such as the internet are tools that contribute to social development, cultural enrichment, and organizational and social strengthening in the participating communities. The target audience for this Festival is children, young people, and families from diverse sectors of the Metropolitan District of Quito and seven provinces in the coastal, highland, and Amazonian regions, prioritizing areas with the least access to cultural activities and the greatest social challenges.

The population benefiting from the Chulpicine Children's and Youth Film Festival is a diverse group of children whose backgrounds vary according to their circumstances, geographic location, and origins. In the coastal, highland, and Amazonian provinces, the audience comprises groups of different nationalities and diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds. Work with indigenous communities has been promoted, which has been considered an opportunity for growth.

In places where daily life is marked by conflict (typical of border areas), young people have been challenged by this cinematic approach, which, in addition to introducing them to the arts, entertainment, and cultural processes, has sparked curiosity and new interests among them.

Since 2008, the festival has expanded its reach, empowering young promoters from the eastern and central regions of Ecuador. These promoters are called “Chulpimonitores” and are responsible for fostering audiovisual discussions and organizing spaces, screenings, and workshops.

Free Activities

We believe that the Chulpicine Festival should be an event that helps democratize culture and allows for the participation of all economic, social, and cultural sectors. For this reason, as in previous years, all activities within the festival framework will be free of charge.

This will only be possible if the state and private institutions that have sponsored the festival in previous years maintain their financial support.

Municipal and public schools, and occasionally private schools, are invited to the screenings. Screenings for the whole family are also organized during the Festival, with special programs and after-parties.

Another important group targeted by the festival is children with disabilities. Special screenings are organized for deaf children or children with learning difficulties.

Film Selection Criteria

Festival production begins in July; however, the search and selection of films begins in February. This lengthy selection process is necessary to offer viewers films that, in addition to being entertaining, provide a cultural and educational experience. It also aims to break down stereotypes instilled by television and to positively value what cinematic technique offers as a source of storytelling, entertainment, art, and fantasy. In this way, the public discovers film and audiovisual media as a form of language, enabling them to become more sensitive and reflective through these mediums.

Based on the festival's characteristics and objectives, the selection criteria are:

• Aesthetic value
• Variety of countries represented
• Variety of techniques
• Variety of genres
• Educational content
• Exposure to other realities and cultures
• Significance of a film

Format, year of production, and duration are not selection criteria.

Estimated number of viewers for this edition: 8,000 / Total audience reached throughout the festival's history: 196,998 children and teenagers.

All original short films, animation, live-action, documentaries, fiction, series, and television programs aimed at children and young people can be submitted to the Festival in the following categories:

Ages 0-6
Ages 7-14
Ages 15-18
Family

LANGUAGE

AN IMPORTANT REQUIREMENT IS LANGUAGE:

• ORIGINAL LANGUAGE: SPANISH

• Films DUBBED INTO SPANISH

• Films WITHOUT DIALOGUE

• Only a few films in other languages, with Spanish subtitles, will be selected for special screenings designed for schools and groups over 14 years old. (Unfortunately, audiences in most rural areas are not able to read subtitles).

• No limit