Festival Internacional de Cine Gala del quetzal (2)

Festival start: 20 September 2027      Festival end: 25 September 2027

The Gala del Quetzal International Film Festival celebrates filmmaking talent from Mexico and around the world. It brings together fiction, documentary and animated short and feature films, with dedicated spaces for film schools and for women directors. Each edition culminates in an awards gala attended by industry figures; our previous edition welcomed Ana Ochoa, Vanessa Bauche and Fidel Arizmendi. The next Gala del Quetzal will take place on September 25, 2027, in Mexico.

QUETZAL DE ORO (GOLDEN QUETZAL)

The festival's highest honor, awarded to the Best Short Film, national or international.

- 1st place: Special Quetzal de Oro Award and a cash prize of $10,000.00 MXN (ten thousand Mexican pesos). The prize is not paid in cash at the ceremony: the winner will receive a redeemable voucher, and payment will be made by electronic transfer via PayPal once the recipient's information has been validated. The voucher may be redeemed within 2 months of the winners' announcement.

- 2nd place: In-kind co-production through film equipment sponsorship by EMC Rentails. Covers 1 to 5 days of weekend use, valid only in the State of Mexico and Mexico City; travel and per diem expenses are not included. The equipment will remain in the custody of one to three people designated by the rental house throughout the period of use. Subject to equipment and schedule availability; must be booked directly with EMC Rentails, which will provide the delivery terms and conditions when the prize is redeemed. Valid for 4 months from the official winners' announcement.

- 3rd place: Honorable Mention.


FILM SCHOOL SHORT

- 1st place: Quetzal Award and a 50% scholarship for the Diploma Program at the Escuela Mexicana de Cinematografía.

- 2nd place: Honorable Mention and a 40% scholarship for the Diploma Program at the Escuela Mexicana de Cinematografía.

- 3rd place: 35% scholarship for the Diploma Program at the Escuela Mexicana de Cinematografía.


QUETZAL AWARD BY CATEGORY

- National Fiction Short: Quetzal Award for Best National Fiction Short.

- National Documentary Short: Quetzal Award for Best National Documentary Short.

- International Documentary Short: Quetzal Award for Best International Documentary Short.

- National Feature Film: Quetzal Award for Best National Feature Film.

- International Feature Film: Quetzal Award for Best
International Feature Film.

- Animation: Quetzal Award for Best Animated Short, national or international, any technique.

- Women in Film: Quetzal Award for Best Film in the Women in
Film category.

- EMC Award: Quetzal Award for Best Short Film from the Escuela Mexicana de Cinematografía.

NOTES

- The Quetzal de Oro is an honorary award. The name refers to the distinction, not to the material: the statuette is not made of gold and contains no precious metals.

- Scholarships apply to the academic programs of the Escuela Mexicana de Cinematografía, are personal and non-transferable, and must be used within the period stated in the call for entries.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

- Films completed in 2022 or later are eligible.

- Films in a language other than Spanish must include Spanish subtitles.

- Submissions are made through the platform with a screener link or file.

- The selection committee will choose the finalists; its decision is final.

- Selected films may be screened during the festival without screening fees.

- Submitting a film implies full acceptance of these rules.


CATEGORIES

1. EMC AWARD
Exclusively for students of the Escuela Mexicana de Cinematografía. Students from other schools must enter other categories.

2. INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Features produced outside Mexico, directed by non-Mexican nationals. Running time 60 to 120 minutes, including credits. Spanish subtitles required.

3. NATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Features directed by Mexican nationals or residents of Mexico. Mexican production or majority-Mexican co-production. Running time 60 to 120 minutes, including credits.

4. INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Documentaries produced outside Mexico, directed by non-Mexican nationals.

5. NATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Documentaries directed by Mexican nationals or residents of Mexico. Mexican production or majority-Mexican co-production.

6. ANIMATED SHORT
Open to national and international films, any technique, any nationality.

7. NATIONAL FICTION SHORT
Fiction films directed by Mexican nationals or residents of Mexico. Mexican production or majority-Mexican co-production.

8. FILM SCHOOL SHORT
Films made within the academic program of a film school, university or audiovisual training center, national or international. The director must have been enrolled as a student when the film was made. A letter or certificate from the institution is required. Graduate works made outside the academic program are not eligible.

9. WOMEN IN FILM
Short films directed by women, any nationality and any genre (fiction, documentary or animation). For co-directed films, the direction must be led by a woman.