Ibaff, Festival Internacional de Cine de Murcia (16)

Festival start: 09 October 2026      Festival end: 17 October 2026

IBAFF, 16th Murcia International Film Festival

Cash Prizes: 16,000€

Best Feature Film Award in the Official Section: €10,000

Best Short Film Award in the Official Section: €6,000

RULES GOVERNING THE 16TH EDITION OF IBAFF – MURCIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
ARTICLE 1. Festival Presentation, Editorial Line and Purpose of the Call

The Murcia International Film Festival – Ibn Arabi International Film Festival (hereinafter referred to as IBAFF Festival) is an initiative of the Murcia City Council, established in 2010. Its name is inspired by the great Sufi thinker Ibn Arabi, philosopher, poet and traveller, who was born in Murcia in the 12th century.

These Rules and Regulations govern the call for entries for the IBAFF Festival and the awards to be granted.

ARTICLE 2. Awards

The awards to be granted at the 16th edition of the IBAFF Festival are as follows:

Official Competition

Only films selected for the Official Competition are eligible for the Festival's cash awards, which are as follows:

Best Feature Film in the Official Competition: €10,000.
Best Short Film in the Official Competition: €6,000.

Cash prizes may not be awarded ex aequo or shared.

Prize money will be paid by bank transfer after deduction of any applicable taxes and withholdings, in accordance with current legislation.

Special Mentions

The Jury may award one Special Mention per category.

2. Other Sections

In addition to the Official Competition, the IBAFF Festival may organise one or more non-competitive parallel sections, intended to broaden the Festival's programme and promote works that reflect its editorial philosophy. These sections shall not carry any cash awards and shall not be eligible for prizes, unless expressly established in their respective regulations or calls for entries.

In addition, IBAFF may grant the following non-monetary awards:

Audience Award, presented to a film selected for the Official Competition. Productions from the Region of Murcia, or predominantly Murcian productions participating in the Official Competition, shall not be eligible for this award.
IBAFF Young Award, presented by a Jury composed of secondary school and university students from the Region of Murcia.
Honorary Award, presented to an individual or institution of outstanding significance within the field of cinema and culture.
Arrebato Award, presented (where appropriate) to a filmmaker, film, professional or institution whose work is closely aligned with the editorial philosophy of the IBAFF Festival.
Murcia 1200 Panorama Award, presented to Murcian short films selected for that section.
ARTICLE 3. Eligibility Requirements

Films may be submitted in the following categories according to their running time:

Feature Film (running time exceeding 60 minutes).
Short Film (running time under 30 minutes).

Films with a running time between 30 and 60 minutes may also be submitted. They will be assigned to one category or another at the discretion of the Selection and Programming Committee, which will inform the applicants accordingly.

All submitted works will be evaluated by the Selection and Programming Committee, which may select a film either for the Official Competition or for any of the Festival's parallel sections, based exclusively on programming criteria and consistency with the editorial philosophy of the IBAFF Festival. Submission of a film implies acceptance of this prerogative by the Festival.

There are no thematic restrictions.

Films of all genres may be submitted, with the exception of advertising and corporate productions.

Only films completed after 1 January 2025 are eligible.

Films may be produced in any language. Regardless of the original language, all films must include Spanish subtitles.

ARTICLE 4. Grant of Exhibition Rights

Applicants grant the Festival the non-exclusive right to publicly screen each selected work during the IBAFF Festival and, where applicable, at promotional screenings held prior to the Festival.

Films selected for the Official Competition may also be included in the IBAFF Young section, a programme aimed at secondary school students with the purpose of promoting independent and alternative cinema among new audiences. To this end, applicants grant the Festival the right to make a single online streaming screening through the platform designated by the Festival.

For promotional purposes, the IBAFF Festival reserves the right to use excerpts of selected works of up to three (3) minutes in length in any media.

A copy of each selected film shall be deposited in the audiovisual archive of the IBAFF Festival.

In addition, the Festival reserves the right to use award-winning films, on a non-commercial basis, for promotional events, showcases, forums, festivals and other cultural activities, subject to prior notice being given to the producers.

ARTICLE 5. Submission of Entries
Submission Period

The submission period shall run from 31 July 2026 until 9 September 2026 at 2:00 p.m. (CET).

Submission Procedure

Applicants must complete the online submission form available through Festhome.

The submission fee is:

€30 for feature films.
€20 for short films.

Films produced in the Region of Murcia may be submitted free of charge, provided that eligibility is demonstrated by means of the corresponding form.

All submission fees collected will be donated in full to organisations dedicated to the promotion and development of the film sector in the city of Murcia.

ARTICLE 6. Selection

The Selection and Programming Committee shall determine the works to be included in the programme of the IBAFF Festival, whether in the Official Competition or in any of its parallel sections.

The Committee may request additional information, require applicants to remedy deficiencies in the documentation submitted, or request a copy of the film in its original format in order to verify that its technical quality meets the Festival's screening requirements.

Selected Films

The Selection and Programming Committee shall determine the works to be included in the programme of the 16th edition of the IBAFF Festival, to be held from 9 to 17 October 2026, assigning them either to the Official Competition or to one of the Festival's parallel sections, according to artistic, editorial and programming criteria.

Particular consideration will be given to works distinguished by their artistic boldness, formal rigour and exploration of cinematic language beyond conventional narrative forms.

Works not selected for the Official Competition may, at the discretion of the Selection and Programming Committee, be included in one of the Festival's parallel sections, including educational, social or outreach programmes intended for specific audiences, such as schools, youth detention centres or correctional facilities.

The list of films selected for the 16th Edition will be announced at a press conference together with the Festival programme and parallel activities and/or published on the official IBAFF Festival website.

Once selected, films may not be withdrawn from the Festival programme and may not be publicly exhibited within the Region of Murcia prior to their official screening at the IBAFF Festival.

Selected participants shall provide the Festival with all promotional materials required for the presentation and promotion of their works, including still photographs, synopsis, director's statement, excerpts and promotional poster. They shall also provide a screening copy of the film in DCP, Blu-ray or digital file format.

ARTICLE 7. Evaluation Criteria

Feature films and short films selected for the Official Competition shall be evaluated by the Jury on a scale of 1 to 10, taking into account the following criteria:

Original Idea
Screenplay
Direction
Production Quality
Acting
Style
Editing
Cinematography
Artistic Merit
Subject Matter

The artistic objectives of the IBAFF Festival are:

Creative risk.
Innovation in cinematic language.
Commitment to experimentation.

Prize winners whose tax residence is outside Spain (director, producer or production company) must submit:

A tax residence certificate issued by the competent authorities of their country of residence.
A bank account ownership certificate.
A sworn declaration confirming that, where applicable, they are up to date with any tax and social security obligations owed to the Spanish authorities.

In all cases, the legally applicable tax withholdings shall be applied.

For Spanish productions, applicants must submit a sworn declaration stating that they are not subject to any of the circumstances set out in Article 60 of Royal Legislative Decree 3/2011 of 14 November, approving the revised text of the Spanish Public Sector Contracts Act (TRLCSP), and that they are up to date with their tax obligations before the Spanish Tax Agency, the Spanish Social Security Administration and the Murcia City Council.

ARTICLE 8. Acceptance of the Rules

Participation in the IBAFF Festival implies full acceptance of these Rules and Regulations in all their terms and conditions.