Socialmed 26: L’altra Meitat De La Pantalla. Festival de Cine sobre los Derechos Humanos de la Mujer. (6)

Festival start: 10 November 2026      Festival end: 13 November 2026

Starting in 2026, SOCIALMED will focus on films made by and about women, highlighting in particular the situation regarding women's human rights as well as the fact that women remain a minority in the audiovisual sector in every corner of the world.

SOCIALMED VALÈNCIA was founded as the first Human Rights Festival of the Mediterranean, with a special focus on cinema and artistic creation related to social issues geographically and culturally linked to the Mediterranean Sea. The festival is based in València and holds its main event once a year in November.

Festival organizers: VSRIGHTS (Valencian Agency for Human Rights).
Festival sponsors and funders: Diputación de Valencia Provincial Council of Valencia.

This call for entries pertains to the festival’s competitive sections.

Cash Prizes: 300€

- Best International Short Film: €300

- Honourable Mention from the Audience.

- Madiba-VLC Award: An honourable mention awarded by the inmates of the Picassent Correctional Facility.

1. Purpose of the Call

SOCIALMED26 L'ALTRA MEITAT DE LA PANTALLA festival celebrates its sixth edition by focusing on short films that highlight inequalities, discrimination, injustice, and human rights violations affecting women on the basis of gender, as well as situations in which these inequalities are compounded by other factors of vulnerability.

2. Eligibility Requirements for the International Official Competition

Short films meeting the following requirements may participate:

Be directed by a woman and feature a woman or a group of women as the main protagonist(s).

Address issues related to women's human rights, portraying situations of inequality, discrimination, violence, exclusion, injustice, or any other violation of rights experienced because they are women, as well as realities where these inequalities intersect with other factors of vulnerability.

Have a maximum running time of 30 minutes, including credits.

Be produced in Spanish or Catalan, or include subtitles in either of these two languages.

Payment of a €3 submission fee.

3. Eligibility Requirements for the Valencian Section

Short films meeting all of the following requirements may participate:

Be produced with at least 33% participation from a production company based in the Valencian Community.

Be directed by a woman.

Have a maximum running time of 30 minutes, including credits.

Be produced in Spanish or Catalan, or include subtitles in either of these two languages.
Submission is free of charge by sending an email to: samuelsocialrebel@gmail.com.

The festival reserves the right to include selected Valencian short films in the International Official Competition.

4. Submission Period

The submission period will be open from 10 August to 16 October, both dates inclusive. Entries received after the deadline will not be considered.

The festival organization reserves the right to invite additional works to participate in the festival.

5. Selection Process and Jury

A selection committee appointed by the festival organization will evaluate all submitted works, taking into account, among other aspects:

Artistic and technical quality.

Social relevance of the subject matter.

Human rights perspective.

Originality of the narrative approach.

Contribution to raising awareness of the inequalities affecting women.

An independent jury will determine the winner of the International Official Competition. The award may not be shared (ex aequo). The jury's decision shall be final.

6. Screenings
The selected films in the International Official Competition will form part of the official programme of the SOCIALMED Human Rights Festival and may be screened during the festival dates.

7. awards
The following awards are established:
Best International Short Film Award, endowed with a prize of €300.

Madiba Award, an honorary award for the Best Valencian Short Film, presented by inmates of Picassent Penitentiary Centre (Valencia).
Audience Honorary Award.

8. Rights

The person submitting the film declares that they hold all necessary rights for its public exhibition and authorizes the SOCIALMED26 Festival to screen the work during the festival without generating any additional financial compensation.

9. Acceptance of the Rules

Submitting a film implies full acceptance of these rules and of any decisions made by the festival organization regarding their interpretation and application.