Disturbia Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 14 May 2027      Festival end: 16 May 2027

Disturbia: Beyond Realities
Step into the Unknown. Break the Rules of Reality.

Are you a creator who refuses to be bound by the laws of physics, time, or ordinary human experience? Do you build worlds from ink, pixels, and pure imagination? Welcome to DISTURBIA: Beyond Realities, the ultimate playground for the next generation of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Comic-inspired cinema.

Disturbia is not just another film festival; it is a high-energy launchpad for bold visual storytellers. We are looking for commercial-grade thrillers, mind-bending cyberpunk, epic high-fantasy, and visual narratives heavily influenced by comic book culture and graphic novels. If your film challenges the status quo, features cutting-edge visuals, or grips audiences with untamed imagination, our screen belongs to you!

We bridge the gap between independent visionaries and mainstream, hype-fueled audiences of young adults and genre enthusiasts. Show us what lies Beyond Realities.

Why Submit to Disturbia?
Massive Cult and Exposure: Screen your film before an energetic, packed audience of young adults, pop-culture fans, and professionals scouting for the next big thing.

The Ultimate Award: Winners will take home The Disturbia Prism, The Vortex, or The Portal.

A Marketing Machine: Selected filmmakers get heavy promotion across our digital networks, including trailer features, director spotlights, and social media hype tailored to maximize your film’s footprint.

Cash Prizes: 18,000$

The Disturbia Prism (Mejor Película del Festival): Un premio que simboliza las múltiples dimensiones, géneros y realidades alternativas representadas en el festival. Este máximo galardón incluye un premio en metálico de 10.000 MXN.

The Vortex Award: Dedicado a la innovación cinematográfica y a la excelencia visual. Los ganadores recibirán el premio oficial del festival, junto con un premio en metálico de 5.000 MXN.

The Portal: Un premio que celebra la excelencia en la narrativa dentro del cine de género. Este premio está dotado con 3.000 MXN en metálico.

1. A brand new film festival is coming to Mexico City dedicated to Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comic Book, and Fan-Made Films. We want to explore MULTIPLE REALITIES in a geek festivity!

2. The Festival is open to all international short films and feature films, regardless of their year of production, in the categories of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comic Book, and Fan-Made Films. For this first edition, we do not restrict by the year of production, so you can submit your work NO MATTER WHEN YOU IMAGINED AND MADE YOUR FILM!

3. The short film category accepts films with a duration from 1 up to 29:59 minutes, including credits. If the work lasts 30 minutes or more, the Festival will consider it in the feature film category and it must be submitted as such. If any film is submitted in the incorrect category according to its duration, it will be disqualified.

4. EACH SUBMISSION MUST CONTAIN ONE FILM ONLY. WE DO NOT ACCEPT COMPILATIONS OF SEVERAL WORKS INTEGRATED INTO ONE PIECE. THESE COMPILATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

5. Works can be shot on any format (16mm, 35mm, digital, cell phone, etc.) to encourage experimentation with the nature of cinema, but their final projection copy must be in FULL HD or 2K DIGITAL FORMAT, .mov or .mp4 extension, and H.264 compression.

6. The genre and technique are free (it can be animation, live-action, a mixture of both, etc.), encouraging free experimentation with fantastic films.

7. To participate, you must register your material for viewing through the Festival's official microsite on the Festhome platform. WE DO NOT ACCEPT FILMS FOR REVIEW SENT TO US VIA EMAIL, YOUTUBE LINKS, VIMEO LINKS, OR ANY OTHER METHOD. IF YOU SEND YOUR FILM THIS WAY, IT WILL NOT BE VIEWED BY THE SELECTION COMMITTEE. (If you are a student from any country, send an email to disturbia.filmfestival@gmail.com to receive a discount on the registration for one work in our professional categories in competition. You will be asked to verify that you are enrolled at an academic institution or that you made the film during your studies. This discount applies during the regular and extended submission periods only).

8. Each director can submit a maximum of three works regardless of the year of production. You must hold the rights for any image, music, text, or footage shown in your films; if not, any legal infringement of copyright laws will be assumed entirely by you, releasing the Festival totally from any legal responsibility or action.

9. For consideration in the selection process, if the works are in a language other than Spanish or english, they must be subtitled in either of these two languages.

10. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOUR WORK IS SELECTED, YOU MUST PROVIDE A COPY WITH SPANISH subtitleS INTEGRATED INTO THE VIDEO (WE DO NOT ACCEPT .SRT, .VTT, OR ANY OTHER EXTERNAL subtitle FILES) on the date requested by the Festival, so it can be included in the final programming shown at the Mexico City venues. OTHERWISE, YOUR FILM WILL BE SHOWN ONLY ON OUR WEBSITE. THIS IS MANDATORY.

If your film is not in english, a copy with simultaneous Spanish/english subtitles is required.

11.The REGULAR deadline is Thursday, December 31, 2026.

12. A Selection Committee comprised of national and international specialists will review the submitted works and select those that, due to their quality, proposal, experimentation with cinematographic language, and exploration of audiovisual narratives, will be part of the Festival. We look for edgy, bold, and fantastic films!

13. The Official Selection will be announced on the Festival's official Instagram account. The selected directors will be contacted personally via email to request their works with the best projection quality in Full HD or 2K digital format, along with their Press Kit. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to periodically check your email (including the SPAM or promotions folders) to receive notifications and instructions for delivering your projection materials on the agreed dates and with the required specifications to guarantee inclusion in the final programming. IF WE DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU ONCE THE OFFICIAL SELECTION IS ANNOUNCED, OR IF YOU DO NOT SEND YOUR MATERIALS BY THE deadline AND THROUGH THE OFFICIAL FESTIVAL FORM, YOUR FILM WILL NOT BE PART OF THE FINAL PROGRAMMING.

14. Selected directors residing in Mexico City commit to attending their screening at the indicated venue to participate in a Q&A and engage in dialogue with the audience about their work. Those residing outside of Mexico City or the country may participate with a pre-recorded video presentation that will be requested in advance.

15. The Festival is a hybrid event so that our national and international audiences can enjoy it through online programs and talks. IF YOUR FILM IS PART OF THE FESTIVAL, YOU COMMIT TO THIS RULE AND NOT TO SHOW YOUR FILM online ON ANY OTHER FREE PUBLIC WEBSITE ONE WEEK PRIOR TO AND DURING THE FESTIVAL DATES.

16. The Disturbia venues in Mexico City where the screenings will take place will be revealed in advance. Selected directors will be invited to all screenings, special events, networking sessions, and a cocktail reception after the Closing Ceremony.

17. A Jury comprised of national and international specialists will award the DISTURBIA PRISM (Best of the Festival) to a work voted by the majority of the judges, consisting of a cash prize of MXN 10,000.00 (or its equivalent in US dollars). Likewise, the Jury will award the VORTEX AWARD endowed with MXN 5,000.00 (or its equivalent in US dollars), and THE PORTAL AWARD to an emerging filmmaker who surprises the Jury, endowed with MXN 3,000.00 (or its equivalent in US dollars).

18. All submitters will be granted discounted access to the online Festival.

19. Once the Festival is over, and when Disturbia deems it appropriate, all selected works will be uploaded to our web platform, DISTURBIA CHANNEL, a digital historical archive that preserves, integrates, and promotes the selected works and their directors over time. The Festival does not hold any ownership rights to the works. Directors, producers, and distributors reserve the right to accept or decline this option.

20. As part of the DISTURBIA FESTIVAL's mission to provide a constant exhibition space for filmmakers worldwide, the selected works may be part of itinerant exhibitions throughout the year. This aims to expand the screening of these films to low-income communities and other national and international cultural spaces as part of our promotional and social commitment. The promotion of the works will depend on agreements the Festival secures with other institutions in the months following the official dates of DISTURBIA. Directors will be notified and invited to these potential exhibitions.

21. By submitting your material, you accept the rules and regulations hereby described.

23. Any unforeseen situation in these regulations will be resolved by the DISTURBIA Festival Organization at its sole discretion.

DISCOVER WHAT LIES BEYOND REALITIES!

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SPECIAL RULES FOR FAN-MADE FILMS:

1. Non-Commercial and Non-Profit Status: All submissions to the Rogue Cinema Showcase category must be strictly non-commercial and non-profit projects. The filmmaker must not have generated revenue from the exhibition, distribution, or creation of the film.

2. Copyright Disclaimer: It is mandatory that the film includes a clear, visible disclaimer in the opening or closing credits stating that the project is an unofficial fan production, not endorsed by, associated with, or affiliated with the original copyright holders (e.g., Disney, Warner Bros., etc.).

3. Original Assets: While the characters and universes belong to existing IPs, all footage, visual effects, and sound design must be original or properly licensed for non-profit use. The use of copyrighted theatrical music scores is highly discouraged; filmmakers are urged to use original or royalty-free music.

4. Exhibition Rights: By submitting, the filmmaker guarantees they have the right to showcase this tribute project for educational and festival screening purposes without violating local fair use policies.