Festival De Cortometrajes De Terror Y Fantástico La Vieja Encina (12)

Festival start: 01 October 2026      Festival end: 03 October 2026

The Department of Culture of the Hon. San Nicolás del Puerto Town Council and the San Nicolás del Puerto Punto Vuela announce the 12th “La Vieja Encina” Horror and Fantasy Short Film Festival 2025, to be held on 1, 2 and 3 October 2026.

Cash Prizes: 3,350€

-Jury Prize for Best Horror and Fantasy Short Film: €1000 and a trophy.

-Jury Prize for Second Best Horror and Fantasy Short Film: €500 and a trophy.

-Special Audience Award: €300 and a trophy.

-Special Prize for Best Short Film from Sierra Morena Sevillana: €150 and a trophy.

-Jury Prize for Best Andalusian Short Film: €300 and a trophy.

-Prize for Best Animated Horror and Fantasy Short Film: €500 and a trophy.

-Prize for Best Actor in the Finalist Short Films: €300 and a trophy.

-Prize for Best Actress in the Finalist Short Films: €300 and a trophy.

**12th INTERNATIONAL HORROR AND FANTASY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
“LA VIEJA ENCINA”**

**RULES OF THE 12th HORROR AND FANTASY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
“LA VIEJA ENCINA”**

The Department of Culture of the Hon. San Nicolás del Puerto Town Council and the San Nicolás del Puerto Punto Vuela announce the 12th “La Vieja Encina” Horror and Fantasy Short Film Festival 2026, to be held on 1, 2 and 3 October 2026.

The competition rules are as follows:

− Individual or collective filmmakers who wish to participate may do so.

− If the short film contains spoken sound, it must be in Spanish or have subtitles in this language. **IT IS MANDATORY TO subtitle THE SHORT FILM IN SPANISH IF IT IS SPOKEN IN A language OTHER THAN SPANISH. THE subtitleS MUST BE EMBEDDED IN THE SHORT FILM.**

− The duration must not exceed 30 minutes, including credits.

− Works produced before 1 January 2023 will not be admitted to the competition.

− Works that have already competed in previous editions of this Festival will not be admitted.

− To participate in the Festival, it is mandatory to send the short film by post or courier in DVD or USB flash drive format, or to register and submit it online through the website [www.festhome.com](http://www.festhome.com). The submission period for short films will run from 15 May to 30 June 2026. Short films participating only in the Best Sierra Morena Sevillana Short Film Award category may be submitted until 31 August 2026.

− Works to be sent on DVD or USB flash drive must be sent to the following address:

**XII Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Terror y Fantástico
“La Vieja Encina”
Excmo. Ayuntamiento de San Nicolás del Puerto
C/ Real nº 4
San Nicolás del Puerto
41388, Seville
Tel.: 955886500 / 955886559 / 955886711 / 661486757
e-mail: [laviejaencina@gmail.com](mailto:laviejaencina@gmail.com)**

* In the case of submitting the short film on DVD or USB flash drive by post or courier, the completed registration form must be enclosed with the work. It is important that the authors’ contact details are clearly visible. A photocopy of the producer’s or director’s National Identity Card and the technical details of the short film must also be included. This registration form can be found on the Festival’s official website, [www.laviejaencina.es](http://www.laviejaencina.es), in the registration section, under the button “Registration form for sending the Short Film on DVD or USB flash drive by post or transport agency”. **VERY IMPORTANT:** to use this registration method, it is mandatory, within the established registration deadlines, to send an email to the organization at [laviejaencina@gmail.com](mailto:laviejaencina@gmail.com) with the details of the short film submitted, attaching a scanned copy of the shipping receipt. The organization will confirm receipt of the submission by email.

* Each short film will be registered under the name of the natural persons appearing in the details of the registration form, who will be the beneficiaries of any prize that may be awarded. The organization assumes that said person holds the rights to the submitted work; in any case, the organization declines any liability that may arise from a breach of this rule by any of the participants.

* The submission period begins on 15 May 2026 and ends on 30 June 2026. For submissions by post or transport agency, the date of submission will be considered to be the postmark, shipping note, or the date of submission on [www.festhome.com](http://www.festhome.com). These costs shall be borne by the contestants. The organization assumes no responsibility for any damage or deterioration that the works may suffer, although the necessary measures will be taken to protect them.

* The organization reserves the right to reject a work due to poor quality.

* Regarding the competition, an official jury will be appointed to judge the awards. It will be composed of professionals from the fields of video, television, music, the arts and communication. The jury may declare any award void and decide on any matter not provided for in these rules.

* The audience attending the screenings will choose the Audience Award from among the works screened on 1, 2 and 3 October 2026.

* The following awards are established:

**Jury Award for Best Horror and Fantasy Short Film:** €1,000 and statuette.
**Jury Award for Second Best Horror and Fantasy Short Film:** €500 and statuette.
**Special Audience Award:** €300 and statuette.
**Special Award for Best Sierra Morena Sevillana Short Film:** €150 and statuette.
**Special Award for Best Short Film, among the finalists, in its original language in english or French:** €200 and statuette.
**Jury Award for Best Andalusian Short Film:** €300 and statuette.
**Award for Best Horror and Fantasy Animated Short Film:** €400 and statuette.
**Award for Best Actor among the finalist short films:** €300 and statuette.
**Award for Best Actress among the finalist short films:** €300 and statuette.

* Animated short films will only compete for the following awards: Best Animated Short Film, Best Andalusian Short Film if they meet the requirements, Audience Award, and Best Sierra Morena Sevillana Short Film if they meet the requirements.

* The awards will be subject to any applicable tax withholdings established by law.

* The jury may declare any of the awards void.

* The authors of the winning works, or a representative thereof, must be present at the awards ceremony.

* The jury’s decision shall be final.

* The 12th “La Vieja Encina” Horror and Fantasy Short Film Festival will take place on 1, 2 and 3 October 2026, with the screening of the finalist short films submitted to the competition, in free public sessions at the Casa de la Cultura of San Nicolás del Puerto. On Saturday 3 October 2026, in the late afternoon/evening, the winning short films will be screened and the awards ceremony will be held.

* All amateur short films may compete for the Best Sierra Morena Sevillana Short Film Award if they prove that an actor, producer or director of the film was born in or lives in the Sierra Morena area of Seville: Alanís, Guadalcanal, Almadén de la Plata, Constantina, Cazalla de la Sierra, Las Navas de la Concepción, El Pedroso, El Real de la Jara or San Nicolás del Puerto. This proof must be provided by means of a photocopy of a National Identity Card or a certificate of registration in the municipal census. In addition, they must complete a form and send it together with the short film to the aforementioned submission address. This form can be downloaded from [www.laviejaencina.es](http://www.laviejaencina.es), in the registration section.

* Participants will be informed of the Festival’s official selection by email or telephone. The selection will also be published on the Festival’s official website, [www.laviejaencina.es](http://www.laviejaencina.es).

* The copies of the works participating in the competition will remain the property of the organization, which may screen said works for cultural and promotional purposes in non-commercial centres and specialized venues, and reserves the right to publish and reproduce them, in which case the authors will be duly credited and no admission fee will be charged.

* Submission of works to the competition implies full acceptance of these rules.