Festival start: 03 December 2025
Festival end: 07 December 2025
The Xilitla Film Fest aims to promote national and international cinema in its various expressions and genres.
Mexico's most surreal site proudly presents the third edition of its International Film Festival, also known as Xilitla Film Fest.
Located in the magical town of the Sierra Madre Occidental, with its lush tropical forest, this place captivated Edward James, who built his surreal garden here—a monument to an overflowing imagination.
In 2025, this festival will once again take place, celebrating cinematic diversity through a wide range of genres and styles, including documentary, fantasy, horror, magical realism, science fiction, erotic, porn, musical and many other innovative proposals.
The festival is organized by Centro James, Cervecería James, and the Edward James Museum, with the support of the Centro de las Artes S.L.P, the Municipality of Xilitla, and the State Tourism Department of San Luis Potosí, in partnership with the Ibero-American Network of Festivals. During the festival, there will be competitive screenings, showcases, tributes, professional training workshops, and holistic activities.
The call for entries will be open from March 30 to August 1, 2025.
The festival will take place from December 3 to 7, 2025, featuring two sections: showcase and competition, as well as workshops, conferences, and tributes aimed at promoting the film industry.
The Xilitla Film Fest will award the "James" prize in various categories, along with some gifts provided by sponsors.
The awarded categories will be:
- Best Fiction Feature Film
- Best Fiction Short Film
- Best Documentary Feature Film
- Best Documentary Short Film
- Best Horror Feature Film
- Best Horror Short Film
- Best Animated Short Film
- Best Erotic Feature Film
- Best Erotic Short Film
- Best Rainbow Short Film
- Best Local Project (documentary, fiction, experimental)
- Best Music Video
- Press Award (awarded to outstanding projects registered in other categories)
- Audience Award (awarded to outstanding projects registered in other categories)
- Best Screenplay (awarded to outstanding projects registered in other categories)
- The duration of the works must be between 2 and 40 minutes for short films and between 60 and 120 minutes for feature films.
- The technical sheet and the movie trailer must be submitted.
- The final exhibition formats will be exclusively in digital format, with Spanish subtitles (if available). Once selected, technical guidelines for exhibition will be provided.
- Works in any language will be accepted, as long as they are subtitled in Spanish.
Materials presented in Spanish must send the work with subtitles in Spanish (only if they have them), this with the objective of supporting the community of deaf people.
- The official selection will be communicated via email to the selected participants.
- Selected films cannot be publicly available online at any time before the festival.
- Works participating in the competition categories must have been produced between January 1, 2021, and the present year.
- Awards will be presented during the festival.
Films and short films will be selected by a jury composed of film and culture professionals, whose decision will be final. Any situation not covered will be resolved by the jury.
- Works must be submitted by their directors, producers, and/or distributors and will be subject to a fee.
- Accommodation and meals will be provided during the event for selected feature films premiering at the festival.
Works cannot be withdrawn from the competition once accepted.
- Selected films and short films may be included in other festival venues throughout the year, as well as online platforms, upon signing an authorization for this purpose.
- The festival may use trailers or excerpts from the works for promotional purposes on social media and online platforms.
- Once selected, participants must send a signed letter accepting the terms and conditions and an authorization letter for the screening of the work.
Best fiction feature film
Short and Feature Films >40' 140'<
Standard Fee15$ -8% 13.8$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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1.2$
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Dedicated to fiction feature films with a minimum duration of 45 minutes. This category celebrates narrative cinema in all its forms, from intimate stories to cinematic epics, highlighting works with a strong artistic identity and a unique voice.
Best fiction short film
Short Films >2' 35'<
Standard Fee10$ -8% 9.2$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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0.8$
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An expert film jury will award a prize to the best fiction short film that lasts between 2 and 35 minutes.
Best horror short film
Short Films >2' 35'<
Standard Fee10$ -8% 9.2$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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0.8$
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Films designed to provoke fear, tension, or unease through intense narratives, unsettling atmospheres, or supernatural situations. This category encompasses everything from psychological horror and gore to stories of monsters, ghosts, and urban legends. Innovative proposals that push the boundaries of the genre and explore new ways to terrify the audience—whether viscerally, emotionally, or conceptually—are highly valued.
Best animated short film
Short Films >1' 130'<
Standard Fee10$ -8% 9.2$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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This category is open to animated short and feature films in any technique, from traditional animation and stop motion to 3D and experimental styles. We seek stories that stand out for their visual originality, narrative creativity, and innovative use of the animated language.
Musical Vídeo
Short Films >1' 15'<
Standard Fee6$ -8% 5.52$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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0.48$
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This category is dedicated to music videos that creatively merge music and visual storytelling. We accept videos from any musical genre that stand out for their originality, aesthetic proposal, and innovation in audiovisual language. We seek works that transform music into a unique cinematic experience.
Best documentary project
Short and Feature Films >45' 140'<
Standard Fee15$ -8% 13.8$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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1.2$
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Dedicated to documentary feature films with a minimum duration of 60 minutes. We seek films that provide a deep and authentic perspective on diverse subjects, ranging from intimate portraits to social and cultural explorations, prioritizing narrative approaches that inspire reflection and dialogue.
Best local project
Short and Feature Films >1' 129'<
Standard Fee8$ -8% 7.36$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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0.64$
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This category is dedicated to projects created by filmmakers from San Luis Potosí or productions filmed in the region, including the Huasteca Potosina and Xilitla. We seek short and feature films that reflect the identity, culture, and landscapes of this territory, as well as works that promote local cinematic talent.
Porn Short Film
Short and Feature Films 150'<
Standard Fee10$ -8% 9.2$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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Cinematic works that explore sexuality in all its expressions, from artistic, cultural, or social perspectives. This category includes films that delve into eroticism, the representation of desire, sexual identity, sex work, power dynamics, intimacy, and sexual activism. Proposals that challenge stereotypes, defy conventions, or offer new perspectives on human sexuality are highly valued.
Porn
Short and Feature Films >45' 130'<
Standard Fee15$ -8% 13.8$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
Save up
1.2$
Submit
Cinematic works that explore sexuality in all its expressions, from artistic, cultural, or social perspectives. This category includes films that delve into eroticism, the representation of desire, sexual identity, sex work, power dynamics, intimacy, and sexual activism. Proposals that challenge stereotypes, defy conventions, or offer new perspectives on human sexuality are highly valued.
Rainbow
Short Films >1' 46'<
Standard Fee15$ -8% 13.8$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
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1.2$
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This category is dedicated to short films that explore LGBTQ+ narratives, whether through fiction, documentary, or animation. We seek stories that highlight diversity, love, identity, and the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community, promoting authentic voices and meaningful representations in cinema.
(Best Horror feature film)
Short and Feature Films >45' 140'<
Standard Fee15$ -8% 13.8$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
Save up
1.2$
Submit
Films designed to provoke fear, tension, or unease through intense narratives, unsettling atmospheres, or supernatural situations. This category encompasses everything from psychological horror and gore to stories of monsters, ghosts, and urban legends. Innovative proposals that push the boundaries of the genre and explore new ways to terrify the audience—whether viscerally, emotionally, or conceptually—are highly valued.
Documentary Short Film
Short Films >1' 40'<
Standard Fee10$ -8% 9.2$
Submissions deadline
20 Jun 25
Save up
0.8$
Submit
Dedicated to documentary feature films. We seek films that provide a deep and authentic perspective on diverse subjects, ranging from intimate portraits to social and cultural explorations, prioritizing narrative approaches that inspire reflection and dialogue.
Festhome holds accountable fees festivals by holding the payment of the fees of most newer festivals until they have viewed the submissions, held their festivals and other methods.
-8%
13.8$
Festhome holds accountable fees festivals by holding the payment of the fees of most newer festivals until they have viewed the submissions, held their festivals and other methods. 