Cardós Film Festival (2)

Festival start: 25 September 2026      Festival end: 27 September 2026

International Folk-Themed Short Film Competition
CARDÓS FILM FESTIVAL 2026

The Vall de Cardós City Council, in collaboration with the Cultural, Civic, and Sports Association of the Valls de Cardós, is once again committed to cinema, literature, and popular culture by organizing the second edition of the CARDÓS FILM FESTIVAL. The event will take place from September 25th to 27th, 2026, in Vall de Cardós (Pallars Sobirà region). The heart of the festival will be the historic "Espai Sociocultural La Boïga" in Ribera de Cardós, with additional activities held throughout the municipality.

As part of the Cardós Film Festival, we announce this year's International Folk-Themed Short Film Competition with the following RULES:

Cash Prizes: 1,600€

Cardós Award (Best Short Film): €800 + Trophy.

Pirene Award (Best Pyrenees-related Short Film): €400 + Trophy.

"Què farem? Què direm?" Award (Best Research or Memory-themed work): €200 + Trophy.

Manxiula Award (Best Short Film by youth up to 35 years old): €200 + Trophy.

Encantades Audience Award: Trophy.

Only the Audience Award is cumulative. Winners agree to include the festival award reference and logo in all future copies and promotional materials.

1. OBJECTIVES
The Cardós Film Festival evolves under the symbol of the thistle (el card) to serve as a meeting point between cinema and living memory. The objectives are:

To recover and disseminate popular and ancestral culture.

To foster and promote audiovisual projects in general, with special focus on Pyrenean works, research projects, and emerging talent.

To culturally and socially energize the valley through audiovisuals and other arts, with events that are rooted, sustainable, viable, responsible, plural, and participatory.

2. THEMES
Short films covering aspects of folklore and popular culture from any part of the world, from either a contemporary or traditional perspective, will be accepted:

Popular beliefs and superstitions.

Oral memory, folk knowledge, stories, and tales.
Trades, rituals, or customs.

History and tangible/intangible cultural heritage of a place.

Local legendary beings and creatures.

Popular dances, songs, and festivals.

Figures of popular folklore.

3. PARTICIPATION AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
Participants: Open to any natural or legal person, professional or amateur, individual or collective, from anywhere in the world.

duration: Maximum of 30 minutes (including credits).

Screening Format: Any format with HD resolution.

Genres: Fiction, documentary, or animation.

language: Any language or dialectal version. If the work is not in Catalan or Spanish, subtitles in one of these two languages must be included.

Production Date: Produced on or after January 1st, 2020.

4. REGISTRATION AND deadlineS
Registrations can be made through the platform Festhome.

Registration and Delivery deadline: June 30th.

Cost: Free of charge.

For postal or courier delivery: Ajuntament de Vall de Cardós, Camí del Comunidor, 25570 Ribera de Cardós (Pallars Sobirà), Spain.

Before September 1st, if not already provided via platforms, the following must be sent to concurscardosfilmfest@gmail.com:

Technical and artistic sheet of the production.
Promotional materials (photos, official trailer, press kit, posters, etc.).

HD projection file in the highest quality possible, with integrated Catalan or Spanish subtitles.

Shipping costs, if any, are the responsibility of the entrant.

Participants commit to ensuring that passwords for private links (Vimeo, YouTube, etc.) do not expire or change until the end of the Festival.

5. SELECTION
The organizing committee will make a preliminary selection. Works that lack the necessary technical quality, those generated entirely by Artificial Intelligence, those previously submitted to past editions, or those of a promotional/advertising nature will not be admitted.

Selected productions will form the Official Selection and will be screened publicly during the Festival.

Authors/producers authorize the screening without the payment of screening fees. Selection results will be communicated by August 15th.

6. JURY AND EVALUATION CRITERIA
The jury will consist of film industry professionals and experts in popular culture. Criteria include cultural roots, the ability to connect with the spirit of a community or territory, technical/artistic quality, and originality.

The Award for Best Production Related to the Pyrenees will consider:

Production/direction team from the Pyrenees.

Filmed entirely or partially in the Pyrenees.

Inclusion of local dialectal or indigenous traits.

7. SECTIONS AND awards
There will be a single section with the following awards:

Cardós Award (Best Short Film): €800 + Trophy.

Pirene Award (Best Pyrenees-related Short Film): €400 + Trophy.

"Què farem? Què direm?" Award (Best Research or Memory-themed work): €200 + Trophy.

Manxiula Award (Best Short Film by youth up to 35 years old): €200 + Trophy.

Encantades Audience Award: Trophy.

Only the Audience Award is cumulative. Winners agree to include the festival award reference and logo in all future copies and promotional materials.

8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND RIGHTS
Authors must ensure their work does not infringe on third-party rights. Submitted works will join the Festival's archive and may be screened for free for study or non-profit cultural activities for 1 year following the festival, with prior notice to the owners.

9. ACCEPTANCE OF RULES
The rules are published in Catalan, Spanish, and english. In case of any interpretation dispute, the Catalan version shall prevail. Participation implies full acceptance of these rules.