Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias- FICCI (66)

Festival start: 06 April 2027      Festival end: 11 April 2027

FICCI is a cinematographic event with a social and cultural vision and free entry for everyone. Each year, FICCI interprets the particular circumstances of Colombia, Ibero-America, and the world, offering a world-class edition guided by the preservation of freedom and the expansion of cultural conversation through relevant, human, subtle films, industry meetings, and academic events that are in constant dialogue with its audience and cultural agents. Our goal is for the festival to be a space for meeting and exchange, serving as an inclusive and diverse platform that strengthens the audiovisual ecosystem and empowers new ways of building critical, conscious, and free cultures and societies.

FICCI is Latin America's oldest and most permanent stage for Colombian, Ibero-American, and world cinema. Actively present on the global cinematographic map since 1960, its 66th edition will continue to offer spaces for memory, reflection, diversity of voices, and, as always, for the best cinephilia.

The FICCI values the creative freedom of filmmakers around the world, welcoming works of any format, duration, nationality, theme, genre, technique, and mode of production. The search is for films that meet the highest quality standards, dare to take narrative and material risks, and offer proposals of great human and cinematographic value, with relevance and a vision of sustainability.

Cash Prizes: 100,000$

For its 66th edition, FICCI will offer a total prize and benefits pool of up to one hundred thousand U.S. dollars (USD 100,000), to be distributed among the different competitions, sections, and Work in Progress (WIP) programs, as established in these Rules.

Below are the different sections of the festival and their categories, as well as the prizes and recognitions for which they participate. To know the detail and description of each category, we suggest visiting the "Official Sections" and "Work in Progress" sections of this document.

CENTRAL COMPETITION

In 2027, the Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI) maintains three competition sections, which will be evaluated during the festival days by panels of national and international juries, for careful review and discussion. The group of juries will define the awarding of the following prizes in each of the sections.

Colombia feature film section:

* Best Film
* Best Director
* Best Artistic Achievement
* Best Performance
* Grand Jury Prize
* Best First Feature
* Audience Award

Colombia short film section:

* Best Film
* Best Director
* Audience Award
* Best University Short Film
* Best Artistic Achievement

Ibero-America feature film section:

* Best Film
* Best Director
* Best Artistic Achievement
* Best Performance
* Grand Jury Prize

Ibero-America short film section:

* Best Film
* Best Director
* Best Artistic Achievement


Cine en los barrios Section:

* Best Film - feature film and/or short film
* Best Performance - feature film
* Official Selection:

Year after year, FICCI selects diverse works of Ibero-American and international cinematography, which are programmed in non-competitive official sections, and which respond to questions and explorations that gauge the pulse of the most recent production.

The official sections of FICCI 66th, other than the competitions, to which interested persons can submit their works are:

* (S)paces of Time
* De Indias
* Tierra Adentro
* University Short Films
* Cines Afros (Afro Cinemas)
* Cines Indigenas (Indigenous Cinemas)


The selected projects, regardless of their category, will be considered for other acknowledgments, which will transversely have a national and international jury and will compete for cash prizes during the festival days. These specific acknowledgments will be announced within the framework of the press conference in March 2027.

The projects selected in the De Indias category will receive an economic incentive for their participation, the amount of which will be informed later. This category specifically recognizes works with a direct link to Cartagena de Indias and/or the department of Bolívar, either by having been filmed mainly in the region or by being produced by production companies, filmmakers, schools, universities, or collectives established in Cartagena and/or Bolívar.

The Curatorial Committee shall have full freedom and autonomy to determine which cities, towns, and territories have limited access to film infrastructure, such that films or audiovisual works produced in those areas may be considered for participation in the Tierra Adentro section.

FICCI is part of the list of qualifying festivals for documentary feature films (Documentary Films Qualifying Festival List) for the Academy Awards (oscars.org/rules). Ibero-American documentary feature films participating in the corresponding sections will be evaluated by a jury designated by the artistic direction and the curatorial committee. Based on this evaluation, the Curatorial Committee will notify the Academy and the production company about the selected project.

Likewise, FICCI is part of the list of qualifying festivals for short films (Short Films Qualifying Festival List) for the Academy Awards (oscars.org/rules). Thus, the Ibero-American short films participating in the different sections of the festival will be evaluated by the members of the festival's Curatorial Committee. Based on this evaluation, the Curatorial Committee will notify the Academy and the production company about the selected project.

WORK IN PROGRESS (WIP)

The projects selected in this section will receive benefits and support in the form of post-production services, which may include conforming, color grading, sound mixing, DCP mastering, among others, according to the needs of each project and in coordination with the Festival’s partner. As part of the Festival, the projects will be exhibited in a private screening with national and international juries, sales agents, distributors, exhibitors, and other industry agents during the festival days.

In this section, films by Ibero-American or Colombian directors may participate, whose main production company is based in an Ibero-American country or in Colombia. Each project selected in the Work in Progress (WIP) categories must have a production or direction representative, who must attend FICCI in person during the festival days and participate in the programmed industry activities.

The categories considered in this section are:

* WIP Colombia - Feature Film
* WIP Colombia - Short Film
* WIP Ibero-America - Feature Film

Each of the Work in Progress categories previously presented will be evaluated by a panel of national and international juries, who, based on various criteria, will define the winners of each section, who will be beneficiaries of the post-production services described above.

The projects that obtain this incentive commit to including in their initial credits, promotional, and press material, a mention of the support received, as well as the logos of the Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI). Furthermore, this support has the following conditions:

- It must be claimed within one year of its granting, is not transferable, and does not constitute a patrimonial right other than that expressly stipulated.

- To execute the granted post-production services, all winning films must have completed the final stages of editing, sound design, pre-mixing, credits, VFX, and any graphic element that goes into the film's final cut.

- Post-production services will be coordinated directly between the beneficiary project and the Festival’s partner, according to the project’s technical needs and stage of completion. The scope of the services will be subject to the terms, conditions, and capabilities of the partner providing the services.

- The benefit consists exclusively of the post-production services determined for each project and may not be substituted for cash or any other benefit, nor transferred to third parties.

OPEN CALL

66TH EDITION | CARTAGENA DE INDIAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – FICCI


The Cartagena De Indias International Film Festival (FICCI), which will celebrate its 66th edition between April 6 and 11, 2027, in the city of Cartagena, Colombia, opens its call for submissions of films, which will be viewed, discussed, and selected by an expert curatorial committee. This committee, based on a diversity of criteria and aiming for a plural view of Colombian, Ibero-American, and international cinema, will put together a program of titles with free access for all interested parties and attendees.

FICCI, committed to being a window of regional relevance for cinema, expects this new call for submissions to receive works of diverse formats, techniques, modes of production, genres, nationalities, and themes, which may be submitted by their production team, sales agent, or distributor to the different categories and sections offered this year.

The submission process, will include the active and careful viewing of each submission, as well as its discussion, for the subsequent definition of the selected works that will be part of the FICCI 2027 program, in response to criteria defined by the curatorial committee itself and the artistic direction of the festival.

Submissions for our 11 sections (10 Official Sections and 1 additional Work-in-Progress – WIP section) can be made through the platform www.festhome.com.
Once selected to be part of any of our sections, all curated films will have access to screenings, contacts with sales agents, distributors, exhibitors, press, co-producers, and all the benefits of being selected to be part of FICCI 66 and its academic, industry, and cinephilia offerings.

It is necessary to inform the projects participating in this call that their submission does not imply acceptance or benefits until they are selected by the Festival's Curatorial Committee under the final decision of the Artistic Direction.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS TIMELINE

The submission schedule for the 66th edition of FICCI will be as follows:

- Submissions Open:

Tuesday, September 01, 2026

- Early Bird Submissions:

Saturday, October 31, 2026

- Final Submission Deadline:

Sunday, November 29, 2026

- Results Notifications via Email:

March 14 of 2027

All Official Sections, as well as the Work in Progress (WIP) section announced on this platform, will receive projects until 23 hours: 59 minutes: 59 seconds, Colombia time (COT - Colombia Time, UTC−05:00), on Sunday, November twenty-ninth (29), 2026.

REGISTRATION FEES

Submissions to the film call for the 66th edition of FICCI have the following registration costs, whose fee changes according to the format and mode of production of the work, as well as the submission date.

- Short Films

Early Bird Submissions: USD 30

Deadline Registration: USD 35

- Feature Films

Early Bird Submissions: USD 60

Deadline Registration: USD 70

- Work in progress feature films

Early Bird Submissions: USD 10

Deadline Registration: USD 15


- Sections without registration fee

Due to the nature and mode of production of the works expected in the following categories, their submissions will not have a registration cost, beyond the platform's sending fee.

* University Short Films
* Tierra Adentro (Inland)
* De Indias
* Work in progress short films

RULES AND LEGALITIES

These Rules establish the terms and conditions for participation in FICCI 66. By registering a film in any of the sections or calls for entries proposed by FICCI 66, the participant acknowledges and accepts these Rules, which constitute a binding participation agreement between the Organizer and the participant with respect to the rights and obligations expressly set forth herein. Participation shall also be subject to the applicable laws and regulations governing cinematographic activities in Colombia, including Law 397 of 1997, Law 814 of 2003, Decree 1080 of 2015, and Resolution 1021 of 2016, as applicable.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

All submissions, without exception, must be subject to the following general rules:

- Comply with the condition of being feature films or short films, fiction, essay, documentary, experimental, or (if applicable) animation or audiovisual pieces in accordance with the requirements of the call.

- Submit to the consideration of the curatorial committee for the definition of feature films or short films, fiction, essay, documentary, animation, or experimental works, audiovisual exercises, or pieces in accordance with the requirements of the specific call, according to considerations that the committee deems relevant and accept the committee's decision.

- Submit to all decisions adopted by the curatorial committee, whether to include feature films or short films, fiction, essay, documentary, animation, or experimental works, audiovisual exercises, or pieces in the section that the committee considers most convenient, or not to include them in any section of the 66th edition of FICCI, taking into account the curatorial committee's authority to redefine the category in which they may or may not participate, also considering the possibility of redefining or adding sections.

- Being part of a FICCI 66 section will grant all productions opportunities for press, public exposure, contact with the industry, producers, sales agents, exhibitors, distributors, academia, and cinephiles and filmmakers in general.

- Productions submitted for selection by the curatorial committee must not have had previous exhibitions in Colombia under any form of public communication, analog or digital.
All productions, audiovisual exercises, or pieces must have a screening copy in one of the following formats: DCP, Apple ProRes 4444, Bluray, or H264 Full HD or higher.

- Only productions, audiovisual exercises, or pieces produced and/or premiered worldwide in the years 2026 and 2027 will be considered. As an exception, the Curatorial Committee and Artistic Director may directly invite works made or premiered before 2026 when it considers that their artistic or curatorial relevance justifies their inclusion in any of the official sections or programs of the Festival’s 66th edition.

- The cultural nationality of the productions, audiovisual exercises, or pieces will be decided by the curatorial committee according to the criteria it deems relevant.
Decisions to include, exclude, reclassify, program a film in several sections, or not include it in any section will be made by the curatorial committee, under the guidance of the artistic direction.

- The curatorial committee is composed of a group of filmmakers and experts, who share criteria with the artistic direction of the organization, in charge of viewing and deliberating on which productions, audiovisual exercises, or pieces will or will not be part of the sections.

- The Curatorial Committee and Artistic Director shall exercise their functions independently with respect to the assessment, selection, classification, and programming of films, audiovisual projects, exercises, or works. These decisions shall be made in accordance with the Festival’s artistic and curatorial criteria and objectives, these Rules and Regulations, and applicable law.

- Regarding language and subtitling, all productions spoken in Spanish must have English subtitles; those spoken in English must have Spanish subtitles; and those spoken in languages other than Spanish or English must have Spanish and English subtitles. This requirement applies only if they are selected. During the evaluation stage, all films must be subtitled in English for consideration.

- All productions, audiovisual exercises, or pieces must be registered through Festhome (www.festhome.com). The programming and curatorial area of the Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI) in its 66th edition will be in charge of reviewing, selecting, and inviting the films, audiovisual exercises, or pieces that have been registered on the Festhome platform, to be part of the different sections as decided by the curatorial committee.

- If the curatorial committee considers that the titles registered through the Festhome platform do not meet its expectations, it may invite, at its sole discretion, any production, audiovisual exercise, or piece to be part of the festival sections and special programs, even if they have not registered through the Festhome platform. Likewise, the committee may declare a section void if it considers that the films presented do not meet the quality sufficient to form it.

- The productions selected for the different sections of FICCI 66 will be informed about the Festival's policies and conditions related to the coverage and validity of the insurance policies that cover possible damage and/or loss of the material sent.

- Projects that have been part of past submissions will not be considered. However, if the project has undergone substantial changes, you can contact us explaining the new circumstances, and the Curatorial Committee will evaluate and decide its potential inclusion.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY

The Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI) is committed to zero tolerance for acts of harassment, discrimination, and violence among or directed at accredited individuals, organizers, or participants in the event, including acts that may generate hostility, discomfort, or hinder the proper development of our activities.

Therefore, to register for this or any of our calls for entries, you must accept our policy, which aims to make the Festival a safe space free from all forms of violence.

Read the protocol here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VUnsXelRep6ZI7iiTe0WfoGizeHRSUky/view?usp=drivesdk

These Rules and Terms of the Call for Entries shall be interpreted and applied in accordance with applicable Colombian law governing cinematographic activities, in particular Law 397 of 1997, Law 814 of 2003, Decree 1080 of 2015, and any other regulations that amend, supplement, or replace them.

PARTICIPANT INDEMNIFICATION AND LIABILITY

The participant declares and warrants that they have all necessary authorizations, licenses, and rights required for the submission, exhibition, and use of the work and the materials provided to the Festival. Accordingly, the participant shall indemnify and hold harmless the Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI), its organizer, officers, collaborators, and representatives against any claim, action, lawsuit, sanction, damage, cost, or expense arising from the infringement of, or claims concerning, third-party rights attributable to the participant, including, among others, copyright, related rights, image rights, and any other rights associated with the work or the materials provided.

This obligation shall be limited to acts or circumstances attributable to the participant and shall not affect any rights legally belonging to the parties.

PERSONAL DATA PROCESSING

By submitting the work, the participant authorizes the Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI) and its organizer, acting as data controllers, to collect, store, access, use, and, when necessary, transmit or transfer the personal data provided for the purpose of managing the call for submissions, evaluating and communicating the results, carrying out Festival activities, sending communications related to its programming, and complying with applicable legal obligations.

The processing of personal data shall be carried out in accordance with applicable Colombian legislation and the organizer’s Personal Data Processing Policy. The data subject may exercise the rights granted under applicable law, including the right to access, update, rectify, and request the deletion of their personal data where legally applicable.

COPYRIGHT, PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS, AND AUTHORIZATIONS FOR USE

The participant declares and warrants that they have all necessary authorizations and rights over the work and the materials provided to the Festival for the purposes set forth in these Regulations. The submission and potential selection of a work shall not, under any circumstances, entail the assignment or transfer of the economic rights of copyright over the work.

The participant authorizes the Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI) and its organizer, on a non-exclusive basis and for the period necessary for the development and promotion of the Festival, to use the title, synopsis, technical information, photographs, posters, trailers, excerpts, and other promotional materials provided, exclusively for purposes of promotion, public communication, dissemination, outreach, information, documentation, and archiving related to FICCI 66 and its activities.
This authorization includes the use of such materials in physical and digital media, websites, social media, communication materials, press, catalogs, publications, and other official channels or channels associated with the dissemination of the Festival, without implying the independent commercial exploitation of the work or the transfer of its copyright.

The public exhibition of selected works shall take place exclusively within the framework of the programming and activities authorized by the Festival, in accordance with the participation conditions established in these Regulations.

CONTACT AND MORE INFORMATION

coord.programacion@ficcifestival.com
coord.programacion1@ficcifestival.com

GLOSSARY

- Apertura (Opening): Date on which the public call is opened for interested producers to register their projects in the different sections of the festival.

- Beneficios (Benefits): Opportunities for press, public exposure, contact with the industry, producers, sales agents, exhibitors, distributors, academia, and cinephiles and filmmakers in general.

- Cierre (Closing): Date until which producers can register their projects through the www.festhome.com platform.

- Comité Curatorial (Curatorial Committee): The Curatorial Committee is composed of a group of cinephiles and experts, who share criteria with the artistic direction of the organization, in charge of viewing and deliberating on which productions, audiovisual exercises, or pieces will or will not be part of the sections.

- Competencia (Competition): Section of the festival in which selected films compete with each other for prizes awarded by a specialized jury.

- Cortometraje (Short Film): Works of fiction, essay, documentary, animation, or experimental, audiovisual exercises, or pieces, made from real images or through any form of animation, with absolute freedom regarding theme, content, aesthetics, point of view, and form, with a duration of 1 to 69 minutes. They cannot be part of a series or serialized content broadcast on platforms or television.

- Largometraje (Feature Film): Works of fiction, essay, documentary, animation, or experimental, audiovisual exercises, or pieces, made from real images or through any form of animation, with absolute freedom regarding theme, content, aesthetics, point of view, and form, with a duration exceeding 70 minutes. They cannot be part of a series or serialized content broadcast on platforms or television.

- Notificación de selección (Selection Notification): Date on which the organization will communicate the decision to select the projects that will participate in one of the festival sections.

- Reconocimiento (Recognition): Distinction or special mention awarded by the festival to highlight the artistic, technical, or thematic quality of a work or career.

- Visualización (Viewing): The exercise of reviewing a production in its entirety and evaluating the possibilities of including it or not in a festival section.