Mecal Pro, 29º Festival Internacional De Cortometrajes Y Animación De Barcelona (29)

Festival start: 20 May 2027      Festival end: 30 May 2027

Mecal Pro has consolidated its long history as one of the most important short film festivals in Europe and the world. Backed by local, national, and international institutions, the festival maintains its strong commitment to the exhibition, promotion, and networking of audiovisual creations in the short format—connecting filmmakers, distributors, and audiences alike, with a special focus on fostering emerging talent. In 2026, we screened more than 300 short films across the 29 sections we program.

Cash Prizes: 1,000€

Short films selected for the competitive sections of the 29th edition will compete for the following awards, granted by the festival's official juries:


I. Fiction Jury

·Grand Prix for the Best Fiction Short Film

Endowment: 1,000 euros awarded to the winning short film.

*This jury will also designate a second and third prize to complete the podium in this category.

II. Oblique Jury (New Narratives and Industry)

·Oblique Filmin Award for the Best Short Film of the Oblique Competition

Endowment: Includes the online distribution of the short film in Spain (through the FILMIN community), valued at 500 euros for 90 days.

*This jury will also designate a second and third prize to complete the podium in this category.

·Videolab Award for the Best Spanish production

Awarded by the Oblique Jury.

·Higgins Award for the Best National Short Film

Awarded by the Oblique Jury.

·BCN PLAY Award for the Best Cinematography

Awarded by the Oblique Jury.


III. Animation Jury

·Animation Grand Prix for the Best Short Film of the Animation Competition

Endowment: 1,000 euros.

*This jury will also designate a second and third prize to complete the podium in this category.

IV. Documentary Jury

·Documentary Grand Prix for the Best Short Film of the Documentary Competition

Endowment: 1,000 euros.

*This jury will also designate a second and third prize to complete the podium in this category.

2. INDEPENDENT AND CO-OFFICIAL JURIES

·ALMA Award for the Best Spanish Script

*Awarded by a jury composed of members of ALMA (Spanish Screenwriters Guild).

·Prix de la Critique

*Awarded by the Critics' Jury.

Eligibility: For the best short film in the Fiction Competition.

·Young Jury Award for the Best Short Film of the Oblique Competition

*Awarded by the Young Jury.

3. TV CHANNEL AWARDS

·Shorts TV Award

*Awarded by the Shorts TV jury.

·Metrópolis-RTVE Award

*Awarded by the Metrópolis Jury.

4. AUDIENCE AWARDS

·Audience Award for the Best Short Film of the Animation Competition

*Awarded by the audience.

·El Periódico de Catalunya Audience award for the Best Short Film of the Documentary Competition

*Awarded by the audience.

·Avisual Pro Award for the most innovative short film of the Barcelona Film Schools

*Awarded by the audience.

·Plançó Award for the best short film of the Catalan Animation Schools

*Awarded by the audience.

5. LEGAL DISPOSITIONS AND GENERAL CLAUSES

The judges reserve the right to declare void any of the above-mentioned prizes. They can also award special mentions which are not specified in these entry conditions.

Cash awards will become effective in the figure of the owner of the short film’s rights.

The Organisation reserves the right to change the name of the awards and to increase their number and amount—anytime, up to a week before the beginning of the festival, in which case the participants will be informed. Award names may change due to new sponsors.

Submitting for competition implies the full acceptance of the entry requirements stated in this document.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Eligibility

1. The contestants can submit as many works as they wish, as long as they have been produced after 1st January 2025.

2. There are no restrictions regarding the topic or genre of the films, but they cannot exceed 30 min runtime.

3. Any works containing dialogue must be presented with English subtitles. Those works whose original version is in English do not require subtitles, but the dialogue list will be required in case they are selected.

Selection

The festival has four official competing sections (Fiction, Animation, Oblique and Documentary) and several non-competing parallel sections. The selection committee will decide in which section the selected works will be featured and will communicate this decision to their submitters.

Regulations

1.- The selected works will be screened in front of an audience during the festival according to a calendar that will be set beforehand by the festival board.

2-. The Festival will ensure proper screening conditions for all selected works. Therefore, the screening copies of the selected films must be in MP4 or .MOV with a 1920x1080 resolution H.264 codec, 20 mbps (minimum), STEREO (avoid 5.1) or DCP.

3- The screening copies should preferably be sent online, via an FTP server, or a file transfer service such as Filemail, WeTransfer, MyAirBridge, etc.

4. In the event of a regular shipment (only with the festival’s approval), the shipping costs will be covered by the participants, and the return costs will be paid by the Festival. The Festival will take due care of the works. In case of loss or damage, the organisation will only take responsibility for the cost of the copy.

5. The Festival is fully authorized to publish printed material of the selected works, as well as a short extract of the film (1 minute at the most) to promote the Festival on its website, social networks and the Media.

6. The Festival can hold in a copy of the selected works, always guaranteeing the author’s royalties and its intellectual property rights. Being selected for Mecal Pro implies being part of the Festival diffusion network, which promotes screenings of the films in different Cultural Circles such as Mecal Air.

7. The selected short films will participate, if they wish, in the online edition of Mecal Pro, through the online film streaming platform Filmin. The films will be available to stream on the aforementioned platform during the festival dates, exclusively within Spanish territory, and accessible only to festival and daily pass holders.

8. Remember, if you apply twice by mistake or wish to withdrawal, Mecal Pro will not issue refunds. The user will be responsible.