Visceral Festival Internacional de Cine de Terror (2)

Festival start: 27 October 2026      Festival end: 31 October 2026

Visceral, International Horror Film Festival, emerges as a project to showcase, disseminate, and promote genre cinema in the Biobío region. It provides an opportunity to bring cinematic works from around the world to the local audience, structured around a program that includes short film screenings, talks with filmmakers, and audiovisual workshops, with a cultural, artistic, and entertainment focus on horror and its various subgenres.

Among our objectives, we aim to position ourselves as a local, regional, national, and international reference within the genre festival circuit, offering a unique thematic experience for filmmakers who submit their films through the recognition of their work via selection and subsequent awards for the most outstanding pieces of each edition. We also seek to enhance the experience for our attendees, who will have the chance to watch, discuss, and share in a space dedicated to genre cinema, as well as participate as jurors through public voting.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

The jury, which will be announced prior to the start of the festival and composed of representatives from the local, national, and, if applicable, international audiovisual, artistic, and/or creative fields, will determine the winners of the following categories: PENUMBRA – National Short Film Competition and ULTRATUMBA – International Short Film Competition.

A Audience Award will also be presented to a short film from either of the two competition categories. This award may be granted even to a film that has already won in its category. The Audience Award will be determined based on the average score of votes cast by attendees at the in-person screenings held on October 28, 29, and 30, 2026, at the end of each day’s program.

The winners of the competition categories will receive the “Visceral Torso” trophy, along with a digital diploma and official laurels. Any honorable mentions, if granted, will receive a digital diploma and official laurels.

02. AWARD PRESENTATION

If any of the required criteria are not met, the jury and/or the festival organization may declare a prize or recognition void.

All awards and recognitions will be presented in person to the winners of the PENUMBRA – National Short Film Competition and the ULTRATUMBA – International Short Film Competition who attend the festival’s closing ceremony.
The festival will not cover shipping costs for those unable to attend. Any expenses related to the shipment of trophies or awards must be covered by the representative of the film.

All participants in the competition categories — PENUMBRA – National Short Film Competition and ULTRATUMBA – International Short Film Competition — will receive the festival’s official selection laurels and a certificate of participation, which will be sent via email.

01. IMPORTANT DATES

The 2nd edition of Visceral International Horror Film Festival will take place from October 27 to 31, 2026, in the commune of Concepción, Biobío Region, Chile.

The submission period opens upon publication of these official rules on Monday, November 3, 2025, and closes for all competition categories on Thursday, April 30, 2026, following three submission stages:

EARLY CALL
From November 3, 2025, to December 31, 2025

REGULAR CALL
From January 1, 2026, to February 28, 2026

EXTENDED CALL
From March 1, 2026, to April 30, 2026

02. COMPETITION CATEGORIES

The official competition of the festival’s 2nd edition will be divided into two categories:

PENUMBRA – NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

In this category, Chilean filmmakers residing in Chile may submit up to two works, either fiction or animation. Eligible participants include students of audiovisual programs, graduates, professionals in the field, and horror film enthusiasts who have produced a short film between 2021 and 2026, inclusive. Submissions must fall within the horror genre or any of its subgenres, with no minimum runtime and a maximum duration of 15 minutes, including credits.

ULTRATUMBA – INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

In this category, filmmakers residing anywhere in the world, except Chile, may submit up to two works, either fiction or animation. Eligible participants include students of audiovisual programs, graduates, professionals in the field, and horror film enthusiasts who have produced a short film between 2021 and 2026, inclusive. Submissions must fall within the horror genre or any of its subgenres, with no minimum runtime and a maximum duration of 15 minutes, including credits.

03. SUBMISSIONS

The organizing committee of the 2nd edition of the festival will receive submissions for all competition categories exclusively through the FESTHOME
platform, which will be open from Monday, November 3, 2025, until Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Please note that the closing time of the call will follow each platform’s local time. Participants must review the terms and conditions of use of each platform accordingly.

Direct links to the platforms may be requested through our social media channels via direct message or by email.

Incomplete works, submissions sent by other means, late entries, or works not aligned with the theme of the festival will not be accepted. Submissions without Spanish subtitles at the time of registration will be automatically disqualified.

Works submitted to the previous edition may be resubmitted only if they were not selected for the official competition.

04. SUBMISSION FEES

Submission fees for the 2nd edition of the festival depend on the date of submission and do not include platform service fees. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars (USD):

EARLY CALL
From November 3, 2025, to December 31, 2025
FREE ENTRY for ALL CATEGORIES – PENUMBRA and ULTRATUMBA

REGULAR CALL
From January 1, 2026, to February 28, 2026
PENUMBRA CATEGORY: Free
ULTRATUMBA CATEGORY: $12 USD

EXTENDED CALL
From March 1, 2026, to April 30, 2026
PENUMBRA CATEGORY: $12 USD
ULTRATUMBA CATEGORY: $15 USD

Submission fees are non-refundable under any circumstances.

05. REQUIRED MATERIALS

Each applicant must correctly complete all information requested on the submission platform, including:

The audiovisual work, available for online viewing by the selection committee via a video platform such as YouTube (unlisted), Vimeo, or the internal screening service of the submission platform.

Spanish subtitles embedded or available at the time of submission (applies only to works not spoken in Spanish).

A minimum of three high-quality still frames from the film.

The official poster of the short film.

A high-quality photo of the director(s).

A complete technical sheet attached as a PDF document.

For student submissions, a certificate or document verifying student status from the corresponding educational institution.

A teaser or trailer available for download in high quality.

During the curation process, the festival may request the download link of the film. This request does not guarantee selection, so applicants are encouraged to keep the option enabled on the submission platform.

The festival assumes no responsibility for the availability, visibility, accessibility, or expiration of any link to the short film or associated materials. Failure to ensure these conditions will result in immediate disqualification.

Any submission missing one or more of the required materials listed above will be disqualified without appeal.

06. COPYRIGHT

By submitting a work, the applicant declares ownership of all image and sound rights. The festival’s organization will not be held responsible for copyright infringements or any related legal consequences arising from submitted works.

Each representative of a selected work must sign a non-commercial exhibition rights agreement, authorizing free screenings during the festival and potential future events. Without this signed document, the film will not be eligible for competition and will be disqualified without appeal.

Submission to the festival automatically grants the organizers non-exclusive, non-commercial rights to use up to three minutes of excerpts from the work for promotional purposes, in any media or communication channel, before, during, and after the festival, as well as for future showcases or events related to it.

07. SELECTION

Film selection will be carried out by a committee appointed by the festival. Its decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

The results of the official selection will be communicated through FESTHOME for all applicants, and additionally via email and the festival’s social media for selected participants, on Monday, August 31, 2026.

If selected, applicants must submit a digital copy of their short film and all requested materials by the date specified in the official email, meeting the following technical requirements:

a. Format: .mp4
b. Video codec: H.264
c. Resolution: 1920x1080p
d. Audio: Stereo
e. Maximum file size: 5 GB
f. Spanish subtitles embedded in the video (for works not in Spanish). External subtitle files such as SRT will not be accepted.

Failure to comply will be considered a withdrawal from the competition, and the film will be removed from the festival lineup without the possibility of appeal.

08. RECEPTION & SCREENING

Selected works for the official competition must be submitted via WeTransfer, Google Drive, Dropbox, SendGB, or a similar file transfer service. Physical submissions will not be accepted.

Selected short films will be screened during the festival, from October 27 to 31, 2026, in Concepción, Chile. The number of screenings and any changes to the exhibition format will be announced in the official festival program.

Once a film has been selected and received, it cannot be withdrawn from the festival lineup. The only films that may be excluded after selection are those that violate any of the terms stated in these rules or fail to comply with the information requested by the organization.

The festival does not pay screening fees to the representatives of the participating works.

09. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Participation in the festival implies full knowledge and acceptance of all terms and conditions stated in this document, as well as of any subsequent information issued by the festival’s organizing committee.

The festival reserves the right to modify, amend, expand, reduce, add, or remove any section of these rules as deemed necessary for the proper execution of the selection, curation, programming, awards, or overall organization of the event.

Decisions made by the selection committee, the jury, and the festival organization are final and not subject to appeal, under any circumstance.

Any exception, inquiry, conflict, or discrepancy will be evaluated and resolved solely by the festival’s organization.

10. CONTACT

For inquiries, questions, or requests related to participation in the official competition of the current edition, please contact:
visceralfilmfestival@gmail.com

For sponsorships, partnerships, collaborations, or commercial inquiries, please contact:
makinariaudiovisual@gmail.com

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