Cecehachero Play Player Video, Games And Film Festival
31 May 2026
Call for entries
31 Jul 2026
Final deadline
09 Oct 2026
Notification date
10 Nov 2026
14 Nov 2026
Festival start: 10 November 2026 Festival end: 14 November 2026
The festival was created in 2015 and has the goal to become a space for professional development for filmmakers and amateurs that are looking for a platform to show their films and do some networking.
It has different categories for competition open for high school and university students (in Mexico) and international filmmakers. In addition, it has his own Videogame official Selection, where developers can use the festival as a platform to diffuse their games and get motivated to keep making videogames.
You can find more info in cchfilmfest.com
AWARDS
• The winners of each section and category will get a certificate of achievement.
• All winning short films will be shown in the post festival screening tour.
• Prizes awarded by sponsors and/or partners will be announced at the time of the ceremony.
Cecehachero Play Player
Video, Games and Film Festival
El Cecehachero, a Mexican film and video game festival in its 10th edition, invites students from the ENCCH, high school students nationwide, university students nationwide, film schools, as well as national and international film industry professionals and the national video game industry, to participate in the different sections of the Official Selection for this edition, which will take place in November 2026.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SECTIONS
CECEHACHERA SECTION
Open to all Mexican students enrolled in the Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades (CCH) at any of its five campuses (Vallejo, Azcapotzalco, Oriente, Naucalpan, and Sur), the nine campuses of the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria (ENP), and high schools nationwide. Participants may submit up to one fiction or non-fiction short film filmed starting in January 2025, with a maximum duration of 07:00 minutes including credits. The short film must not have competed in previous editions of this or other festivals. It must be proven that at least 90% of the crew and talent are high school-level students. Participants in this section will have one week after the closing of this call to resolve any issues with the works submitted; otherwise, their participation will not be considered. It is essential to read the general considerations at the end of this call, as no special attention will be given to any work submitted.
Award Categories in this section:
Creative Minds Category: Awards the best short film for its narrative, technical, and aesthetic values from the youngest filmmakers seeking to break into national and international competitions.
Best Cecehachero Youth Short Film
Best National Youth Short Film
UNIVERSITY SECTION
Open to all undergraduate students from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and any university in Mexico (except specialized film schools). Participants may submit up to one fiction or non-fiction short film proposal whose production was completed between January 2025 and the closing of this call, with a maximum duration of 12:00 minutes including credits. It is essential to read the general considerations at the end of this call, as no special attention will be given to any work submitted.
Award Categories in this section:
Manuel González Casanova Category: Awards the best university short film for its narrative, technical, and aesthetic values from filmmakers who do not have specialized training but see film as a way to tell stories.
Best University Short Film
Adela Sequeyro Haro Category: Awards the best sound in university short films that, due to its technical quality, provides the film with indispensable support for its language and narrative.
Best Sound
GENERAL SECTION
Open to all national and international participants, film industry professionals, and students from specialized film schools. Participants may submit up to two fiction and/or non-fiction short film proposals whose production was completed between January 2025 and the closing of this call, with a maximum duration of 20:00 minutes each, including credits. It is essential to read the general considerations at the end of this call, as no special attention will be given to any work submitted.
Award Categories in this section:
Gloria Shoemann Category: Best National Short Film
Alice Guy Category: Best International Short Film
GENERAL PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES
Specifications:
The definition of the films to be submitted must be Full HD (1920x1080), even if the aspect ratio is not 16:9.
The maximum duration of the short films depends on the section:
Cecehachera: 07:00 minutes including credits.
University: 12:00 minutes including credits.
General: 20:00 minutes including credits.
The theme of the films is open.
In the Cecehachera and University sections, students may participate and be advised by one or more professors.
If the participating short film was advised by one or more professors, their names must appear in the credits.
The deadline for material delivery and reception of entries is July 31, 2026, at 23:59 (Central Mexico Time).
Film music must be original. If copyrighted music is included, the corresponding rights must be held; otherwise, the work will not be considered for the section.
If the film is selected, it must have a subtitle file in French or English. The subtitle file must be provided independently in .SRT format (NOT BURNED INTO THE FILM RENDER).
If the film is in a language OTHER than Spanish, it must have Spanish subtitles to be considered.
For the screening of the films submitted to this call, the short film must be hosted in its maximum definition and in private mode on a Vimeo account (NOT YOUTUBE), Drive, or Dropbox, with the download option enabled. The registration form will request the link and password for viewing and downloading.
Short films in the Cecehachera and University categories that have been selected in other previous festivals or contests will NOT be accepted.
For the Cecehachera and University categories, at least 90% of the film's team (crew and talent) must be students. To verify this, photographs of current IDs or proof of enrollment will be requested.
REQUIRED MATERIAL IN CASE OF SELECTION
In case of selection, the film must be sent with the following characteristics:
Maximum definition: FULL HD (1920x1080).
Sound: Stereo (minimum).
Format: .MP4 (H.264 codec).
Subtitle file: French or Spanish, as applicable and according to the instructions of the organizing committee, with an .SRT extension.
No Fee
Submissions deadline
31 Jul 26
CECEHACHERA SECTION (AVAILABLE FOR MEXICO ONLY)
This category accepts submissions from students of Mexican high schools. To read the requirements, please go to the Spanish version of this document.
No Fee
Submissions deadline
31 Jul 26
UNIVERSITY SECTION (AVAILABLE FOR MEXICO ONLY)
This category accepts submissions from students of Mexican universities. To read the requirements, please go to the Spanish version of this document.
No Fee
Submissions deadline
31 Jul 26
GENERAL SECTION
People from Mexico and the rest of the world, professionals in the film industry or amateurs, between 25 and 40 years old, and students of film schools can participate with up to two proposals of fiction and/or non-fiction short films whose production has concluded between January of 2026 and July of 2026, with a maximum length of 20 minutes each including credits.
The categories to be awarded in this section are:
• Gloria Shoemann Category
o Best National Short Film
• Category Alice Guy-Blaché
o Best International Short Film
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