ANIMAL Film Fest (7)

Festival start: 01 October 2026      Festival end: 04 October 2026

We invite you to participate in the sixth edition of ANIMAL Film Fest, which will take place on October 2, 3, and 4, 2025, with a hybrid format (in-person and online) in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.

We recommend reading the complete call for submissions before registering your short films.
Registration and participation in the 6th edition of ANIMAL Film Fest imply full acceptance of these regulations.


CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

ROT Movie Makers invites general public, as well as independent and professional filmmakers, film students, communication, animation, visual arts, multimedia and careers related, to participate in the sixth edition of ANIMAL Film Fest, to be held on October 2, 3, and 4, 2025, in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.

AFF is a ROT Movie Makers’ production.We invite you to participate in the seventh edition of ANIMAL Film Fest, which will take place in person from October 1 to 4, 2026, in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.

It is strongly recommended to carefully read the complete call for entries before registering any short film.

Registration and participation in the 7th edition of ANIMAL Film Fest imply full acceptance of these regulations.


CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

ROT Movie Makers invites the general public, as well as filmmakers, independent and professional creators, students of film, communication, animation, visual arts, multimedia, and related fields, to participate in the seventh edition of ANIMAL Film Fest, to be held from October 1 to 4, 2026, in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.

ANIMAL Film Fest is a festival exclusively dedicated to horror cinema and dark genres, including horror, terror, suspense, thriller, and their hybrid forms. Short films from genres outside this curatorial line will not be accepted.

ANIMAL Film Fest is a production of ROT Movie Makers.

All selected short films will receive Official Selection laurels. Winning works will receive Winner laurels, as well as a trophy and certificate, in the following categories: Best Michoacán Short Film, Best Mexican Short Film, Best International Short Film, Best Animated Short Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Character, Best Editing, and Best Production Design.

There will be one winner per category. The jury may grant honorable mentions or declare any category void, at its discretion.

1. Short films must comply with all the requirements established in this call in order to be considered in any of the categories.

2. By registering a work, participants agree that, if selected, their participation will be limited exclusively to in-person screenings.

3. Registration is carried out exclusively online through the Festhome platform. Short films submitted by any other means will not be accepted.

4. Short films from all countries are eligible.

5. There are no restrictions regarding the original production format; works produced using mobile devices as well as any type of camera will be accepted.

6. There is no limit to the number of works submitted by a director, producer, or distributor; however, each short film must be registered individually and in only one category.

7. Submissions for the 7th edition of ANIMAL Film Fest will be open from Friday, January 9, 2026, to Friday, July 31, 2026.

Note: Submission platforms operate under their own time zones. Participants are advised to consult the corresponding terms and conditions of use.

8. Participants may submit works in the following categories: Michoacán Short Film, Mexican Short Film, and International Short Film.

9. Short films belonging to dark genres—horror, terror, suspense, and/or thriller—are accepted, including their branches, subgenres, and hybrid forms. Fiction, documentary, animation, as well as experimental and student projects may be submitted.

10. The festival reserves the right to disqualify, at any stage of the process, works that do not clearly correspond to ANIMAL Film Fest’s curatorial line of horror and dark genres, even if they have been previously submitted and accepted on the platforms.

11. Works may contain explicit themes or imagery inherent to the festival’s genres, which will be screened according to ANIMAL Film Fest’s curatorial criteria.

12. The maximum running time is 30 minutes, including opening and end credits. The selection committee may authorize exceptions in specific cases.

13. Incomplete projects will not be accepted.

14. Productions from any year are eligible.

15. Short films that were submitted and not selected in previous editions of ANIMAL Film Fest may not be entered again.

16. Music videos and works intended for commercial, advertising, or propagandistic purposes will not be accepted.

17. Registration of a work does not guarantee its selection or exhibition at the festival.

18. Mexican premieres are not required; works previously screened at other national or international festivals are eligible.

19. The representatives of selected short films will be contacted via the email address provided on the submission platforms. Participants are advised to regularly check their inbox as well as spam or junk folders.

20. The official selection list will be published on Monday, August 24, 2026, on the official website animalfilmfest.com and on the festival’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and X).

21. The official selection will be made by the organizing committee.

22. The awards committee (jury) will consist of three specialists in the field.

23. The decisions of both the organizing committee and the jury are final and not subject to appeal; no explanations will be provided to filmmakers or producers of non-selected works.

24. Once the selection is notified, the representatives of the short films will have a deadline, specified by email, to verify and confirm their information. Failure to respond within the established period may affect participation.

25. Representatives of selected works must sign an agreement authorizing ANIMAL Film Fest to conduct in-person screenings of the short films during the festival dates.

26. Selected works must submit mandatory materials, such as a digital file of the short film, synopsis, technical sheet, poster, and still frames.

27. Submission materials, including the synopsis and technical sheet, must be provided in Spanish or English.

28. Technical specifications for the screening file will be communicated to selected works once their participation is confirmed.

29. Submitted materials may be used for festival promotion and dissemination. If no trailer is available, an excerpt of up to 20% of the total running time of the short film may be used.

30. All selected works must mandatory include Spanish subtitles embedded in the file, regardless of the original language. This requirement is essential and no exceptions will be made.

31. Correct synchronization, spelling, and overall subtitle quality are the responsibility of the registrant.

32. Selected short films may be included in the LIMBO traveling showcase, organized by ANIMAL Film Fest during 2026 and 2027, prior to the eighth edition of the festival. This showcase will be non-profit and free of charge for venues and audiences.

33. The organizing committee will determine the dates, times, and venues for each selected work, which will be announced on the official website and social media channels.

34. All selected short films will become part of the ANIMAL Film Fest film archive.

35. No work may be withdrawn from the festival program once its official selection has been confirmed.

36. ANIMAL Film Fest does not pay screening fees for participating works.

37. Each short film must be registered by a single rights holder, preferably the producer or director, as any award will be granted in their name.

38. The registrant is responsible for holding all legal rights to the work.

39. All elements of the short film—such as soundtrack, screenplay, characters, and other content—must be original or properly licensed. Any case of plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.

40. By submitting a work, the registrant declares having full legal authority to do so and guarantees that all necessary consents, licenses, and approvals have been obtained. The registrant also authorizes ANIMAL Film Fest to use the material for non-commercial promotional purposes.

41. The registrant agrees to indemnify the organizers of ANIMAL Film Fest against any claim, lawsuit, cost, or damage arising from the exhibition of the work or from third-party claims.

42. All selected short films will receive Official Selection laurels. Winning works will receive Winner laurels, as well as a trophy and certificate, in the following categories: Best Michoacán Short Film, Best Mexican Short Film, Best International Short Film, Best Animated Short Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Character, Best Editing, and Best Production Design.

43. There will be one winner per category. The jury may grant honorable mentions or declare any category void, at its discretion.

44. The list of winning projects from the 7th edition of ANIMAL Film Fest will be published on October 4, 2026, on the official website and social media channels.

45. Awards not collected during the closing ceremony may be claimed at the ANIMAL Film Fest offices in Morelia, Michoacán, within one month after the festival. Details will be provided by email.

46. If shipping is required, all costs will be borne by the registrant.

47. In cases of force majeure, ANIMAL Film Fest reserves the right to modify screening dates, venues, or schedules without incurring any liability.

48. Registration and participation in the 7th edition of ANIMAL Film Fest imply full acceptance of these regulations.

49. Any situation not covered by this call will be resolved by the organizing committee.

For more information: animalfilmfest@gmail.com