Festival start: 07 February 2026
Festival end: 08 February 2026
The Pijao Film Showcase is a space for film exhibition and cinematic exchange held in the municipality of Pijao, in the southern part of the department of Quindío, with the aim of strengthening access to cinema and audiovisual culture in a region that, for more than twenty years, lacked a functioning movie theater and a permanent film program.
With two years of continuous activity, the Showcase has become a point of convergence for Colombian short and feature films, as well as for filmmakers, producers, and professionals from the audiovisual industry, who actively participate through screenings, open discussions, and spaces for the exchange of cinematic experiences and knowledge with the local community.
The event’s main venue is the Teatro Román, currently undergoing a restoration process. This heritage space symbolizes the recovery of the municipality’s cultural and cinematic life. The Showcase is organized by Fundación del Toro, in collaboration with public and private institutions that support the project, as well as with regional audiovisual production companies that act as strategic partners in its development and projection.
For its current edition, the Pijao Film Showcase aims to expand its catalog of Colombian cinema and, for the first time, incorporate international films, enriching the dialogue between local and global perspectives. Additionally, the Showcase adopts an itinerant format, complementing the central event with periodic screenings in different venues, extending its reach beyond the official dates of the festival.
The Showcase is structured around non-competitive sections, prioritizing circulation, encounter, and audience development, with the goal of bringing cinema to southern Quindío and contributing in a sustained manner to the reconstruction of an active cultural ecosystem around audiovisual practices.
The Pijao Film Showcase is a non-competitive event and does not award cash prizes.
Selected works will receive:
– An official screening certificate, issued by Fundación del Toro, the organizing entity of the Showcase.
– Certification of attendance numbers for the screenings in which the work is exhibited.
– Promotion of the selected films through the official channels of the Pijao Film Showcase (social media, graphic materials, and program listings).
In the case of national premieres, the Showcase may support the in-person participation of the producer or director in the municipality of Pijao for the presentation of the film and dialogue with the audience. Such support may partially or fully cover transportation, accommodation, and/or meals, depending on the conditions of each edition.
This support will be granted on an exceptional basis, subject to budget availability, and does not constitute an acquired commitment or an automatic obligation resulting from the selection of the work.
The Showcase does not generally provide screening fees. However, in the case of works that require a screening fee, this may be evaluated and exceptionally covered, subject to the budget availability of each edition and prior communication with the person responsible for the work.
The Pijao Film Showcase is a non-competitive, non-commercial cultural event whose purpose is to promote the circulation of cinema, foster encounters between filmmakers and audiences, and build an alternative space of cultural convergence in the municipality of Pijao (Quindío), Colombia.
1. Eligibility of Works
The call is open to:
Colombian short films and feature films.
International short films, in any genre or format, provided they comply with these rules and terms.
2. Ineligible Content
Works containing content that undermines coexistence and respect for the host community will not be considered, including but not limited to:
Explicit pornography.
Extreme violence or snuff-related content.
Illegal content or material that violates fundamental rights.
The Showcase reserves the right not to program works whose content is incompatible with the cultural, community-oriented, and public nature of the event.
3. Copyright and Authorizations
By submitting a work, the applicant declares and guarantees that:
They hold the economic (copyright) rights to the work or have obtained the necessary authorizations for its exhibition.
They hold the corresponding rights to all images, music, archival materials, and any other elements included in the work.
They authorize the public, non-commercial exhibition of the work within Colombian territory, in physical and/or digital formats.
The Pijao Film Showcase shall not be held responsible for any claims arising from failure to comply with these requirements.
4. Exhibition and Use of the Works
Selected works may be exhibited as part of the Showcase’s main event and/or its itinerant screenings, always on a non-commercial basis.
The Showcase may also use excerpts, still images, and basic information from the selected works exclusively for dissemination, promotional, and archival purposes, always crediting the corresponding authors and rights holders.
5. Selection and Programming
The selection of works will be carried out by the curatorial team of the Pijao Film Showcase. All selection and programming decisions are final and not subject to appeal.
The organization reserves the right to define screening dates, times, and venues, as well as to invite filmmakers or members of the creative teams to participate in on-site activities, subject to logistical and budgetary availability.
6. Acceptance of the Terms
Submitting a work implies full acceptance of these rules and terms.
Colombia Feature film
Feature Films >60' 300'<
No Fee
Submissions deadline
20 Jan 26
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This category is aimed at Colombian feature films with free themes.
Eligible works include those that:
Have been made and/or filmed within Colombian territory
Have been directed by Colombian filmmakers, regardless of the place of production
Feature films may be submitted in the following formats and approaches:
Fiction
Documentary
Animation
Experimental / hybrid
The selected works will be part of the non-competitive programming of the Pijao Film Showcase and will be screened exclusively in non-commercial, non-profit exhibitions.
Colombian Short Film
Short Films 20'<
No Fee
Submissions deadline
20 Jan 26
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0$
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This category is aimed at Colombian short films with free themes, with a maximum duration of 20 minutes.
Eligible works include those that:
Have been filmed within Colombian territory
Have been created abroad by Colombian directors
Short films may be submitted in the following formats and approaches:
Fiction
Documentary
Animation
Experimental / hybrid
The selected works will be part of the non-competitive programming of the Pijao Film Showcase and will be screened exclusively in non-commercial, non-profit exhibitions.
Any short film that does not comply with the deadlines and technical requirements established in the general regulations will be excluded from the selection process.
International short film
Short Films 20'<
No Fee
Submissions deadline
20 Jan 26
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This category is aimed at international short films with free themes, with a maximum duration of 20 minutes.
Eligible works include:
Made by non-Colombian directors
Produced and/or filmed outside Colombian territory
Short films may be submitted in the following formats and approaches:
Fiction
Documentary
Animation
Experimental / hybrid
The selected works will be part of the non-competitive programming of the Pijao Film Showcase and will be screened exclusively in non-commercial, non-profit exhibitions.
Films whose original language is not Spanish must include Spanish subtitles for exhibition.
Colombian Short Film (Children & Youth)
Short Films 20'<
No Fee
Submissions deadline
20 Jan 26
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This category is aimed at Colombian short films conceived mainly for children and young audiences, with a maximum duration of 20 minutes.
Eligible works include those that:
have been made and/or filmed within Colombian territory
have been created abroad by Colombian directors
Short films with free themes are accepted, as long as they are specifically intended for children or youth audiences, in the following formats and approaches:
Fiction
Documentary
Animation
Experimental / hybrid
The Showcase will give priority to animation projects and to works that propose a sensitive, creative, and respectful relationship with children and young people.
The selected works will be part of an Official Selection with a children and youth focus and will be screened to younger audiences in collaboration with educational institutions in the municipality of Pijao, always in non-commercial, non-profit exhibitions.
Colombian feature film (Children and young)
Short and Feature Films >40' 500'<
No Fee
Submissions deadline
20 Jan 26
Save up
0$
Submit
This category is aimed at Colombian feature films conceived mainly for children and young audiences.
Eligible works include those that:
Have been made and/or filmed within Colombian territory
Have been directed by Colombian filmmakers, regardless of the place of production
Films with free themes are accepted, as long as they are specifically intended for children or youth audiences, in the following formats and approaches:
Fiction
Documentary
Animation
Experimental / hybrid
The Showcase will give priority to animation projects and to works that propose a sensitive, creative, and respectful relationship with children and young people.
The selected works will be part of an Official Selection with a children and youth focus, designed for screening to younger audiences in collaboration with educational institutions in the municipality of Pijao, always in non-commercial, non-profit exhibitions.
International short film (Children and young)
Short Films 20'<
No Fee
Submissions deadline
20 Jan 26
Save up
0$
Submit
This category is aimed at international short films conceived primarily for children and young audiences, with a maximum duration of 20 minutes.
Eligible works include those:
Made by non-Colombian directors
Produced and/or filmed outside Colombian territory
Short films with free themes are accepted, as long as they are specifically intended for children or youth audiences, in the following formats and approaches:
Fiction
Documentary
Animation
Experimental / hybrid
The selected works will be part of an Official Selection with a children and youth focus, designed for screening to younger audiences in collaboration with educational institutions in the municipality of Pijao, always in non-commercial, non-profit exhibitions.
Films whose original language is not Spanish must include Spanish subtitles for exhibition.
Rural Lives and Older Adults
Short and Feature Films 500'<
No Fee
Submissions deadline
20 Jan 26
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0$
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This category brings together Colombian and international short and feature films that address, with a sensitive and respectful perspective, rural life, farming communities, the realities of elderly people, and the cultural experiences connected to rural territories.
Priority will be given to works that propose:
A non-stereotypical and non-sensationalist representation of rural life and aging
Narratives that recognize the cultural, historical, and human value of farming communities and elderly people
Approaches that engage in dialogue with territory, memory, roots, social transformation, and the passage of time
The selected works will be part of a non-competitive thematic selection within the Pijao Film Showcase and may be screened both during the main event and in itinerant exhibitions, always in non-commercial, non-profit cultural screenings.
Films whose original language is not Spanish must include Spanish subtitles for exhibition.
Any film that does not comply with the deadlines and technical requirements established in the general regulations will be excluded from the selection process.
