FEMcine 16 Festival Cine De Mujeres (16)

Festival start: 05 May 2026      Festival end: 10 May 2026

FEMCINE was created to discover and support the work done by female filmmakers and to share films with gender-based subjects with a broader audience. FEMCINE invites female directors from Chile and the rest of the world to participate in one of its three competition categories: International Feature Length Competition, International Short Film Competition, and the Chilean Film School Short Film Competition.

Awards will be granted to the rights holder within Chilean territory.

a. INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

First Prize: Official FEMCINE Award
Special Mention: Certificate of Honor

b. INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

First Prize: Official FEMCINE Award
Special Mention: Certificate of Honor

c. CHILEAN FILM SCHOOL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

First Prize: Official FEMCINE Award
Special Mention: Certificate of Honor

REGULATIONS 2026

Festival Cine de Mujeres – FEMCINE 16

FEMCINE, the Women’s Film Festival, opens its call for submissions for its three official competition categories: International Feature Film Competition, International Short Film Competition, and Chilean Film School Short Film Competition. Submissions are accepted until 11:50 p.m. (Chilean time) on Friday, January 2, 2026.

1. FESTIVAL DATES

FEMCINE 16 will take place in the city of Santiago, Chile, from May 5 to 10, 2026, in various cultural venues throughout the city.

2. OBJECTIVES

FEMCINE was created with the purpose of highlighting and supporting the work of women filmmakers and bringing films related to gender issues to a broad audience.

3. COMPETITION CATEGORIES

a. INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
Minimum duration of 60 minutes and maximum duration of 120 minutes, including credits.

Only films directed exclusively by women are accepted, including co-directed works.

b. INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Maximum duration of 30 minutes, including credits.
Only films directed exclusively by women are accepted, including co-directed works.

c. CHILEAN FILM SCHOOL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Maximum duration of 30 minutes, including credits.

Only films directed exclusively by women are accepted, including co-directed works.

Eligible participants are students who, at the time of the festival, are currently enrolled or graduated in 2025 from film schools or audiovisual-related institutes in Chile, with works produced during their time as students.

4. GENERAL SUBMISSION CONDITIONS

All completed works of fiction, documentary, animation, and/or experimental genres produced on or after January 1, 2024, may participate. Films previously submitted to a FEMCINE competition are not eligible, except for works that participated in FEMCINE WIP.

Preference will be given to films in competition that have not previously premiered in Santiago, Chile.

All films in competition must be directed exclusively by women, including co-directed films.

Any film not originally in Spanish must be properly subtitled in Spanish or english for the selection period. If selected, the applicant must provide Spanish subtitles; any associated subtitling expenses are the responsibility of the applicant.

Films will be accepted only electronically in H.264 format, with .mp4 or .mov extensions, spoken or subtitled in Spanish. Preferred platforms for viewing or downloading include Festhome. Any costs associated with sending the material must be covered by the applicant.

Submissions are free of charge and must be completed exclusively through the form available on the festival’s official website and the Festhome platform.

5. GENERAL SELECTION AND PARTICIPATION CONDITIONS

All works received for the competition, in all categories, will undergo a selection process carried out by a committee of curators composed of the festival’s programming and organizing team.

The decision of the curatorial committee is final.

The filmmakers and/or producers of the selected works commit to including the phrase “Official Selection FEMCINE, Women’s Film Festival” or “Official Selection FEMCINE” in their promotional and press materials, using the festival’s logo.

The festival reserves the right to use extracts from the selected works for the purpose of promoting the event, without commercial intent, and without affecting the copyright, which remains with the film’s owners.

Once selected, a work may not be withdrawn from FEMCINE’s programming.

All complementary material (trailer, film stills, photos and biography/biographies of the director(s)) must be submitted for inclusion in the catalog no later than March 29, 2026.

Screening copies of selected films, with Spanish subtitles if in another language, must arrive for official festival exhibition no later than April 3, 2026.

6. JURY

The jury will consist of professionals from the audiovisual field, the arts, industry, and national and international culture, selected for their background and invited by the festival organizers.

Individuals directly connected to films in competition are not eligible to serve as jurors.

There will be three official juries, one for each competition category.

The jury’s decision is final.

7. awards

awards will be granted to the rights holder within Chilean territory.

a. INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION

First Prize: Official FEMCINE Award

Special Mention: Certificate of Honor

b. INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

First Prize: Official FEMCINE Award

Special Mention: Certificate of Honor

c. CHILEAN FILM SCHOOL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

First Prize: Official FEMCINE Award

Special Mention: Certificate of Honor

8. ACCEPTANCE OF THE REGULATIONS

Submitting a film implies acceptance of these regulations.

For questions or inquiries, please contact Cynthia García Calvo: cynthia@femcine.cl