Festival Internacional De Cine De Cartagena De Indias- FICCI (64)

Festival start: 01 April 2025      Festival end: 06 April 2025

The Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival is a cinematographic event socially and culturally minded and by choice, free for anyone to access. FICCI constantly reads the particular circumstances of our country and our world to produce every year a world class version of our festival, guided by the preservation of freedom and the amplification of the cultural conversation through films and academic events that are relevant, humane, subtle, sophisticated, and act as a vehicle to enhance human consciousness, expand democracy and help create free, progressive and inclusive societies.

The Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI) is the oldest and most permanent forum in the Americas for Colombian, Ibero-American and world cinema. Being an active part of the world cinema map since 1960, in the 64th edition, it will continue to provide spaces for memory, reflection, diverse voices, and as always, for the best cinephilia.

The Festival values the creative freedom of the world’s filmmakers and has space for films of any format, length, nationality, theme, genre or technique, that meet the highest standards of quality, take on narrative risks, and propose contents of great human and cinematic relevance, pertinence, and sustainability.

Cash Prizes: 100,000$

FICCI is part of the qualifying festivals for documentary films (Documentary Films Qualifying Festival List) at the Academy Awards (oscars.org/rules). Ibero-American documentary feature films participating in the respective sections will be voted on by a member of ALADOS (Corporación Colombiana de Documentalistas ALADOS), a member of the Curatorial Committee, and an external expert. Based on that vote, the Festival's Curatorial Committee will notify the Academy and the production company of the title of the selected project.

FICCI is also part of the qualifying festivals for short films (Short Films Qualifying Festival List) at the Academy Awards (oscars.org/rules). Ibero-American short films participating in any section will be voted on by members of the Festival's Curatorial Committee, and based on that vote, the Academy and the production company will be notified of the title of the selected short film.

The selected projects, regardless of their category, will be considered for thematic awards, evaluated by a national and international jury. During the festival, they will be eligible for cash prizes. The awards will be announced at the press conference in March 2025.


Work in Progress

The selected projects will compete for post-production support (including services such as conforming, color correction, sound mixing, DCP mastering, among others) and will be showcased in a private screening with national and international juries, sales agents, distributors, exhibitors, and other industry professionals during the festival days.


WIP Colombia - Feature Film
Colombian feature films (fiction, documentary form and/or essayistic form) with a final cut or in an advanced stage of editing. Post-production support for two projects.


WIP Colombia - Short Film
Colombian short films (fiction, documentary form and/or essayistic form), with a final cut or in an advanced stage of editing. Post-production support for one project.


WIP Ibero-America - Feature Film
Iberoamerican feature films ((fiction, documentary form and/or essayistic form), with a final cut or in an advanced stage of editing. Post-production support for one project.

OPEN CALL

64th FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE DE CARTAGENA DE INDIAS – FICCI

April 1 - 6 | 2025

DESCRIPTION

The Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival is a cinematographic event socially and culturally minded and by choice, free for anyone to access. FICCI constantly reads the particular circumstances of our country and our world to produce every year a world class version of our festival, guided by the preservation of freedom and the amplification of the cultural conversation through films and academic events that are relevant, humane, subtle, sophisticated, and act as a vehicle to enhance human consciousness, expand democracy and help create free, progressive and inclusive societies.

The Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI) is the oldest and most permanent forum in the Americas for Colombian, Ibero-American and world cinema. Being an active part of the world cinema map since 1960, in the 64th edition, it will continue to provide spaces for memory, reflection, diverse voices, and as always, for the best cinephilia.

The Festival values the creative freedom of the world’s filmmakers and has space for films of any format, length, nationality, theme, genre or technique, that meet the highest standards of quality, take on narrative risks, and propose contents of great human and cinematic relevance, pertinence, and sustainability.

Once selected to be part of one of our sections, all curated films will have access to screenings, contacts with sales agents, distributors, exhibitors, press, co-producers and all the advantages of being selected to be part of FICCI 64.

The dates to apply to our 11 Sections (10 Official Sections, 1 additional section (Work-in-Progress WIP)) through the www.festhome.com platform, are:

* Opening:
 Monday, September 9th, 2024

* Closing:
 Sunday, December 8th, 2024


* Selection notifications:
 March 2025


All Official Sections, as well as the Work in Progress (WIP) called on this platform will receive projects until 23 hours: 59 minutes: 59 seconds, Colombian time (BGT), on Sunday the Eighth (8th) of December 2024.

It is necessary to inform the projects participating in this call, that their application does not imply acceptance nor *benefits until they are selected by the Curator Committee of the Festival under the guidance of the Artistic Direction.


CONTACT AND FURTHER INFORMATION
coord.programacion@ficcifestival.com
coord.programacion1@ficcifestival.com

10 OFFICIAL SECTIONS:
All sections will be curated by a Committee integrated by Colombian and foreign film experts and filmmakers, under the guidance of the Artistic Direction. The Curatorial Committee will be free to invite any film to participate in sections different from the one it has applied to, if they deem it relevant.
In the same way, this Curatorial Committee will have the freedom to place the work of the participant in the category that most closely resembles the content of its proposal, so that no film is exempt from category changes, regardless of its initial postulation of preference.


0. (S)paces of Time
(S)paces of Time sets out in search of cinematic expressions without limits (also without limits of the length of film). Muestra Cero 2025 is a platform for innovative and ambitious forms of expression in film that explore temporal possibilities from a narrative, conceptual, aesthetic and/or acoustic point of view.


1. Colombia
Section for feature length and short films from Colombia: fiction, documentary form, essayistic form or animation.

FICCI is part of the festivals that qualify for documentary form films (Documentary Films Qualifying Festival List) at the Academy Oscar awards (oscars.org/rules). The Ibero-American documentary form features participating in the respective sections will be put to a vote among a member of ALADOS (Colombian Corporation of Documentalists ALADOS), a member of the Curator Committee and one external expert, and taking into account that vote, the Curator Committee of the festival will notify the Academy and the production house of the title of the documentary form that has been chosen.


2. Iberoamérica
Section for feature length and short films with Ibero-American legal and cultural nationality (feature films from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal): fiction, documentary form, essayistic form or animation.

FICCI is part of the festivals that qualify for short films (Short Films Qualifying Festival List) at the Academy Oscar awards (oscars.org/rules). The Ibero-American short films that participate in any section, will be submitted to a vote among the members of the Curator Committee of the Festival, and taking into account that vote, the Academy and the production company will be notified of the title of the short film that has been chosen.




3. Internacional
Section for feature length and short films with legal and cultural nationality from countries other than Colombia and Ibero-America (feature length films from the United States, Canada, Non-Iberian Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania): fiction, documentary form, essayistic form or animation.


4. Cortos Universitarios
Section for short documentary form, animation, essayistic or fiction films made by students with Colombian nationality from any university, school, or academic context in Colombia or the world.


5. De Indias
Section for short and/or feature films, documentary form, animation, essayistic or fiction, with Colombian legal and cultural nationality, that have been shot in Cartagena as a main location, or by production houses or filmmakers established in Cartagena. Exercises and audiovisual searches developed in schools, universities or groups of Cartagena considered relevant for the future of the city’s cinema will be considered. 


6. Inland (Tierra Adentro)
Section for short and/or feature film, documentary form, animation, essayistic or fiction, with Colombian legal and cultural nationality, that have been shot in Colombian cities, towns or territories with great shortages of cinematographic infrastructure and that, according to the criteria of the Curator Committee, should be included in this section, designed to promote contact between the Festival audiences and the cinema of the territories that seeks opportunities to be exhibited.


7. Afro Cinema (Cine Afro)
Section for short and/or feature-length documentary form, animation, essayistic or fiction films, with any legal and cultural nationality and whose central theme revolves around the Afro-descendant Communities, their cultures, realities, representations and claims.


8. Indigenous Cinema (Cine Indígena)
Section for short and/or feature-length documentary form, animation, essayistic or fiction films and whose central theme revolves around the Indigenous Communities of our America, their cultures, realities, representations and claims.


9. Cine en los Barrios
Section for short and/or feature films, documentary form, animation, essayistic or fiction, with any legal and cultural nationality, and that according to the criteria of the Curator Committee, should be included in this section, designed to promote the encounter and dialogue among audiences in the neighborhoods of Cartagena through films of any genre or nationality that stimulate human, cultural, and social dialogue for all ages. 



WORK IN PROGRESS (WIP)

In addition to the open call, we are also launching a call for Work-in-Progress projects (the selected projects will be part of the Industry section). This is aimed at Colombian fiction feature films, Colombian documentary form feature films, and/or Colombian essayistic form feature films; Colombian fiction short films, Colombian documentary form short films, and/or Colombian essayistic form short films; and Ibero-American documentary form, fiction feature, and/or essayistic feature films that are in an advanced editing stage and ready to move on to the next stage of post-production.

The selected projects will compete for post-production support (including services such as conforming, color correction, sound mixing, DCP mastering, among others) and will be showcased in a private screening with national and international juries, sales agents, distributors, exhibitors, and other industry professionals during the festival days.


WIP Colombia - Feature Film
Colombian feature films (fiction, documentary form and/or essayistic form) with a final cut or in an advanced stage of editing. Post-production support for two projects.


WIP Colombia - Short Film
Colombian short films (fiction, documentary form and/or essayistic form), with a final cut or in an advanced stage of editing. Post-production support for one project.


WIP Ibero-America - Feature Film
Iberoamerican feature films ((fiction, documentary form and/or essayistic form), with a final cut or in an advanced stage of editing. Post-production support for one project.



THE FESTIVAL.
RULES and LEGALITIES


A call is an Association Contract and whoever registers a film in any of the proposed sections by the FICCI 64 on this platform, signs that contract in the terms that are published here. It is understood that the contract is law for the parties, in accordance with article 1602 and S.S. of the Colombian Civil Code, so when registering your film you are bound by the conditions established in this call and in those provided by the regulations governing cinematographic activity, Law 397 of 1997, Law 814 of 2003, Decree 1080 of 2015 and Resolution 1021 of 2016.


GENERAL CONDITIONS

All sections, without exception, must be subject to the following general rules:

A. Comply with the condition of being feature films or short films, fiction, essay, documentary form, experimental, or (if applicable) animation exercises or audiovisual pieces in accordance with what is required in the call.

B. Submit to whether or not the Curating Committee considers them feature films or short films, fiction, essay, documentary form, animation or experimental, exercises or audiovisual pieces in accordance with what is required in the particular call, according to considerations that they find relevant and to accept the decision of the Committee.

C. Submit to all the decisions that the Curator Committee adopts, be them to include feature films or short films, fiction, essay, documentary form, animation or experimental, exercises or audiovisual pieces in the section that the committee finds most convenient, or not to include it in any section of the edition 64 of the FICCI, this, taking into account the faculty of the Curator Committee to redefine the category in which it can or cannot participate, also taking into account the possibility of redefining or adding sections.

D. Being part of a section will give all productions press opportunities, public exposure, contact with the industry, producers, sales agents, exhibitors, distributors, academia and moviegoers and filmmakers in general. Some sections listed under the heading "exceptions" at the end of these general conditions, could include special incentives for one or more of their productions.

E. The productions that are registered for selection by the Curator Committee cannot have had previous exhibitions in Colombia under any form of public communication. Exceptions may apply to films exhibited in Cine en los Barrios.

F. All productions, exercises or audiovisual pieces must have a projection copy in one of the following formats: DCP, Apple ProRes 4444, Bluray or H264 Full HD or higher.

G. Only productions, exercises or audiovisual pieces produced and/or released worldwide in the years 2024 and 2025 will be considered.

H. The cultural nationality of the productions, exercises or audiovisual pieces will be decided by the Curator Committee in accordance with the criteria it deems relevant.

I. The decisions to include, exclude, reclassify, schedule a film in several sections or not to include it in any section made by the Curating Committee, under the guidance of the Artistic Direction, will be final.

J. The Curator Committee is made up of a group of filmmakers and experts, who share criteria with the Artistic Direction of the organization who is in charge of visualizing and deliberating on which productions, exercises or audiovisual pieces will or will not be part of the sections.

K. language and subtitling: Productions spoken in Spanish must have english subtitles; those spoken in english must have Spanish subtitles; and those spoken in languages other than Spanish or english, must have subtitles in Spanish and english. This requirement applies only if selected. During the evaluation stage, the curatorial committee may consider films as long as they are subtitled in english.

L. All productions, exercises or audiovisual pieces must register through Festhome (www.festhome.com). The programming area of the International Film Festival of Cartagena de Indias FICCI edition 64, will be in charge of reviewing, selecting and inviting the films, exercises or audiovisual pieces that have been registered on the Festhome platform, to be part of the different sections as decided by the Curator Committee.

M. If the Curator Committee considers that the titles registered through the Festhome platform do not meet their expectations, they can freely invite and at their discretion, any productions, exercises or audiovisual pieces to be part of the sections of the festival and special programs, even if they have not been entered by the Festhome platform.

N. In exceptional cases, given the pertinence or relevance of the films, the Curator Committee may include, if they choose to, titles made prior to 2024 and 2025, in any sections as they find it suitable.

O. The productions selected for the different sections of FICCI 64 will be informed of the policies and conditions of the Festival related to the coverage and validity of the policies that cover possible damages and/or losses of the material sent.


SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

In all the sections proposed on this platform, for FICCI 64, all feature films or short films, fiction, essay, documentary form, animation or experimental, exercises or audiovisual pieces, may be made from real images or any form of animation and will have absolute freedom in terms of theme, content, aesthetics, point of view and form.


4. Cortos Universitarios
Fiction, essay, animation and documentary form short films made by Colombian students from any university or academy in Colombia or the world. The works registered in this section will not pay the registration fees on the Festhome platform (www.festhome.com), comply with the condition of being a fiction, essayistic, animation or documentary form short film with Colombian cultural nationality made by Colombian students from any university in Colombia and the world.

6. Inland (Tierra Adentro)
Section of short and feature films, documentary form, essayistic, animation or fiction, with Colombian legal and cultural nationality, that have been shot in Colombian cities, towns or territories with great shortages of cinematographic infrastructure and that, according to the criteria of the Curator Committee, should be included in this section designed to promote contact between the Festival's audiences and the cinema of the territories that are looking for opportunities to be exhibited. The works registered in this section will not pay the registration fees on the Festhome platform (www.festhome.com).

This call is adjusted and in force of Law 814 of 2013 and other regulations consistent with the subject. The Curator Committee will have total freedom and autonomy to establish which cities, towns and territories have shortages of cinematographic infrastructure, which merit that the films or audiovisual pieces produced in those geographies be considered for participation in this section.


EXCEPTIONS TO GENERAL CONDITIONS

For all Ibero-American documentary form films that participate in any section of FICCI 64:

FICCI is part of the festivals that qualify for documentaries (Documentary Films Qualifying Festival List) at the Academy awards (oscars.org/rules). The Ibero-American documentary form features participating in the respective sections will be put to a vote among a member of ALADOS (Colombian Corporation of Documentalists ALADOS), a member of the Curator Committee and one external expert, and taking into account that vote, the Curator Committee of the festival will notify the Academy and the production house of the title of the documentary form that has been chosen.


For any Ibero-American short film that participates in any section of the FICCI 64: FICCI is part of the festivals that qualify for short films (Short Films Qualifying Festival List) at the Academy awards (oscars.org/rules). The Ibero-American short films that participate in the respective sections will be submitted to a vote among the members of the Festival's Curator Committee, and taking that vote into account, the Academy and the production company will be notified of the title of the short film that has been chosen.



Work in Progress

All films selected to receive support as Work-in-Progress (WIP), WIP Colombia - Feature Film, WIP Colombia - Short Film, and WIP Ibero-America - Feature Film, upon receiving the award, commit to including a mention of the support received and the logos of the Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI) in their opening credits, promotional materials, and press kits.

- All support expires one year after the official announcement made by the Festival.

- To utilize the post-production services awarded, all winning films must have completed the final stages of editing, sound design, pre-mix, credits, VFX, and any graphic elements included in the final cut of the film.

WIP Colombia - Feature Film

Post-production services for two Colombian feature films (fiction, documentary, and/or essay).

WIP Colombia - Short Film

Post-production services for one Colombian short film (fiction, documentary, and/or essay).

WIP Ibero-America - Feature Film

Post-production services for one Ibero-American feature film (fiction, documentary, and/or essay).

- Films directed by Ibero-American filmmakers whose main production company is based in an Ibero-American country are eligible to participate.

- Projects that have been part of past submissions won´t be considered. However, if the project has undergone substantial changes you can contact us explaining the new circumstances and the Curator Committee will evaluate and decide.

- The Producer or Director of each one of the project selected in WIP sections commits to be present in Cartagena to represent the film before the Curator Committee and other members of the industry, sales agents, distributors, festival programmers, funds and postproduction companies.

- The projects that are selected for WIP sections must send to FICCI all required materials.

- Productions spoken in Spanish must have english subtitles; those spoken in english must have Spanish subtitles; and those spoken in languages other than Spanish or english, must have subtitles in Spanish and english.

CONTACT AND MORE INFORMATION 
coord.programacion@ficcifestival.com
coord.programacion1@ficcifestival.com


GLOSSARY

* Opening: date on which the public call opens for interested producers to register their projects in the different sections of the festival called.

* Closing: date until which the producers will be able to register their projects through the platform www.festhome.com

* Selection notification: Date on which the organization will communicate the decision to select the projects that will participate in one of the sections of the festival.

* Benefits: Press opportunities, exposure to the public, contact with industry, producers, sales agents, exhibitors, distributors, academia and film buffs and filmmakers in general.

* Curatorial Committee: The Curatorial Committee is made up of a group of cinephiles and experts, who share criteria with the artistic direction of the organization who is in charge of visualizing and deliberating on which productions, exercises or audiovisual pieces will or will not be part of the sections.

* Viewing: The exercise of reviewing a production in its entirety and evaluating the possibilities of integrating it or not into a section of the festival.