1er Festival Internacional De Cortometrajes Arte Encuentro (FICAE) (1)

Festival start: 03 September 2026      Festival end: 06 September 2026

Festival Description (Edition 1)

Festival Start: September 3, 2026 Festival End: September 6, 2026

Our call for entries is open to individuals, collectives, agencies, showcases, or production companies holding the rights to short-form audiovisual works—including documentaries, fiction, experimental films, music videos, and video art—produced in film, video, or animation formats.

For its inaugural 2026 edition, FICAE will take place in Aguachica, a municipality in the southern part of the Cesar department, Colombia.

Awards and Distinctions
Cash Prizes: $1,000,000 (National Award)
$500,000 (Local Award)
A curatorial committee will select the works to be screened. From this selection, some will compete in the following categories:

Best Local Short Film: For works produced in Aguachica, Cesar, and the surrounding region (such as Southern Bolívar and Southern Cesar) by filmmakers born in or residing in that area.

Best National Short Film: For works produced by Colombians anywhere in the country.

Best International Short Film (certificate awarded)


Nominated works will compete for the “Pájaro Chau Chau” statuette.

Awards and Distinctions

Cash Prizes:

$1,000,000 (National Award)

$500,000 (Local Award)

A curatorial committee will select the works to be exhibited. From these, some will compete in the following categories:

Best Local Short Film: For works produced in Aguachica, Cesar, and the surrounding region—such as Southern Bolívar and Southern Cesar—by filmmakers born in or residing in that area.

Best National Short Film: For works produced by Colombians anywhere in the country.

Best International Short Film (certificate awarded)

Nominated works will compete for the “Pájaro Chau Chau” statuette.

Guidelines

1. Verify that your short film meets the requirements:

The minimum duration is 5 minutes, and the maximum is 20 minutes (including credits). However, the curatorial team may invite specific short films they deem appropriate; these will be screened out of competition.

The theme is open.

Short films in languages ​​other than Spanish must include Spanish subtitles, either embedded or in an attached SRT file. The translation must be professional, accurate, and coherent. Subtitles must be of a legible size and an appropriate color for clear viewing.

Only short films produced between 2024 and 2026 (prior to the call for entries closing) will be accepted.

You may submit a maximum of two short films, provided they all fall within the established production timeframe.

Short films must have excellent image and sound quality.

2. Submit your short film:

Send a link to your short film—set to private/unlisted viewing on Google Drive or another platform—to the email address arteencuentro1@gmail.com for free viewing.
Alternatively, go to www.festhome.com; please note that there is an entry fee, in addition to any fees charged by the platform itself:

Colombian productions or co-productions: USD 2

International productions: USD 5

The platform and call for entries will be open from July 10 to August 8, 2026, at 11:00 PM (Colombia time).
Attach the following information:

Short film poster
2 high-resolution photographs
Technical specifications (credits/crew list)
Synopsis in Spanish and English
Trailer
Spanish subtitle file (if not embedded).

3. Results
The list of selected short films will be published on August 21, 2026, on the Arte Encuentro Instagram account (@arteencuentro1). Participants are required to follow this profile by the time the call for entries closes. Submitting your short film does not guarantee its selection.

4. Notification
If your short film is selected, we will contact you at the registered email address via arteencuentro1@gmail.com. All official communication will take place through these channels. We recommend checking both your inbox and spam folder.

5. Official Selection and Competition
A curatorial committee will select the works to be exhibited. Among these, some will compete in the following categories:

Best Local Short Film: For works produced in Aguachica and its surrounding areas (such as Southern Bolívar and Southern Cesar) by filmmakers born in or residing in the municipality. The short film’s representative (director or producer) must be of legal age (18 years or older).

Best National Short Film: For participants born in Colombia. The short film’s representative (director or producer) must be of legal age (18 years or older).

Best International Short Film (Certificate): The short film’s representative (director or producer) must be of legal age (18 years or older).

Youth Short Film (Ages 12 to 17) (Certificate; non-competitive category).

Nominated works will compete for the “Pájaro Chau Chau” statuette, a certificate, and a prize of $500,000 for Best Local Short Film; a statuette, a certificate, and $1,000,000 for Best National Short Film; and a special certificate for Best International Short Film and Best Youth Short Film.

6. Awards
Winners will be announced during the closing ceremony on September 6, 2026, and via social media (Instagram and Facebook).
Winners will subsequently be contacted via email to arrange the awarding of the prize.

Please note: Rights holders authorize the festival to screen selected short films in person and/or virtually (subject to prior authorization).

Works may become part of the festival’s video library and be screened later during cultural and educational activities, solely with the prior authorization of the rights holders. Contact
arteencuentro1@gmail.com

Follow us on social media:
Instagram: @arteencuentro1
Facebook: Arte Encuentro Fundación Cultural


The Arte Encuentro International Short Film Festival (FICAE) is a project of the Arte Encuentro Cultural Foundation—a non-profit cultural organization established in 2023—which promotes audiovisual development with a social focus, as well as the intersection of the arts, culture, and heritage.