Biencortos | Festival Internacional de Cine Corto de Maracaibo (4)

Festival start: 21 August 2026      Festival end: 23 August 2026

Biencortos: Festival Internacional de Cine Corto de Maracaibo is an annual event that serves as a global stage for independent cinema. Beyond a simple competition, the festival stands as a vibrant ecosystem where filmmakers from all over the world converge to celebrate the short film as a vital medium for cultural dialogue and artistic innovation. By integrating high-quality programming with community-driven growth and professional networking, the festival fuels the local industry while championing its core conviction that Shorts = Cinema, a definitive cinematic form capable of reflecting complex realities and sparking global conversations.

The festival will grant the following main awards: Puentes Award for Best International Short Film, Lagos Award for Best National Short Film, and the Relámpagos Award. The following categories will also be awarded: Best Screenplay, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Music.

Biencortos: Festival Internacional de Cine Corto de Maracaibo is organized by the audiovisual collective Proyecto Gaveta and establishes the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela, as the epicenter of its 2026 edition.

1. The theme for participation is open to any subject or topic. Once the call for entries closes, the organizing committee will determine the thematic and expressive curation that will define the narrative line of this edition.

2. The festival will consist of three competitive sections formed by the official selection: "Puentes" (International), "Lagos" (National), and "Relámpagos" (Mixed).

3. The festival may include a non-competitive showcase for productions not included in the official competitive selections.

4. In the Puentes and Lagos competitive sections, the accepted formats are Fiction and Non-fiction. In the Relámpagos competitive section, the accepted format is Experimental Video.

5. Short films must have a maximum duration of 25 minutes for the Puentes and Lagos sections, and a maximum duration of 15 minutes for the Relámpagos section.

6. Short films may be submitted in any language. If the original language is not Spanish, the film must include Spanish or English subtitles.

7. All filmmakers may participate regardless of nationality, age, gender, or previous experience. There is no limit to the number of projects a filmmaker may submit.

8. National productions have a registration fee of $2. International productions have a registration fee of $6 for the Puentes section and $4 for the Relámpagos section.

9. All entries must be submitted through the FilmFreeway and Festhome platforms from Saturday, April 4, through Saturday, June 6, 2026.

10. Venezuelan productions are defined as those filmed totally or partially in Venezuela by Venezuelan directors and screenwriters (residents or non-residents), or those filmed entirely abroad by Venezuelan directors and screenwriters.

11. Short films will be pre-selected by the festival's organizing committee, composed of audiovisual professionals. Selected films will be screened in the competitive sections (Puentes: International, Lagos: National, and Relámpagos: International/National).

12. The jury will be composed of recognized professionals from the national and international film industry.

13. The festival will grant the following main awards: Puentes Award for Best International Short Film, Lagos Award for Best National Short Film, and the Relámpagos Award. The following categories will also be awarded: Best Screenplay, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Music.

14. The calendar for the 2026 edition is as follows: Call for entries: April 4, 2026. Closing deadline: June 6, 2026. Notification date: July 4, 2026. Festival dates: August 21 – 23, 2026.

PARTICIPATION IN THE FESTIVAL IMPLIES FULL ACCEPTANCE OF THESE RULES AND REGULATIONS.