Festival Cortos para Tiempos Largos (6)

Festival start: 26 November 2026      Festival end: 28 November 2026

The "Festival Cortos para Tiempos largos" is a proposal for the training, creation and circulation of audiovisual content carried out by young Colombians since 2020 with a clear purpose, to connect people and stories. The festival is not looking for winners, it is conceived as a space for the dissemination and visibility of audiovisual products, carried out for academic and non-profit purposes, where all those who wish to be part of a great story can participate.

This space is thought of as an opportunity for the dissemination and visibility of narrative content.

The festival has academic and non-profit purposes, for which recognition will be given to those selected but no prizes will be awarded.

OFFICIAL CALL FOR ENTRIES
SHORT FILMS FOR LONG TIMES FESTIVAL (FCTL), 6TH EDITION (2026)

Narrating to Inhabit: Stories, Community, and Memory

1. Introduction and Conceptual Framework

In our fifth edition, we opened our screens to Narrating the Territory, an invitation to look at the landscapes, memories, and identities that are part of the places we inhabit. In this sixth edition, we want to take it a step further and ask ourselves not only about the territories that surround us, but also about the relationships, memories, affections, and stories we build within them.

Thus, Narrating to Inhabit was born.

Inhabiting is not just being in a place. It is creating connections, recognizing our roots, sharing with others, caring for what surrounds us, and finding ways to move forward when circumstances change. Territories transform, but so do the ways in which we remember, tell, and experience them.

In this edition, we want to explore these stories. We are interested in short films that examine everyday life, community ties, memory, language, and the diverse ways in which people build relationships with the places they call home. Stories large or small, intimate or collective, that allow us to recognize that a territory is also constructed from the experiences of its inhabitants.

The Short Films for Long Times Festival (FCTL) invites filmmakers, students, collectives, and creators from around the world to share their stories around the question:

How do we narrate what we inhabit?

2. Nature and Character of the Festival

The Short Films for Long Times Festival (FCTL) is an international space for circulation, encounter, cultural mediation, and audience development. It is non-competitive and non-commercial. FCTL does not award cash prizes or establish a competitive hierarchy among the works. Its fundamental purpose is to open digital windows and spaces for dialogue to showcase short films, promote exchange between creators and audiences, and strengthen the cultural appropriation of audiovisual narratives.
Format of this edition: Due to the situation arising from the recent earthquake that affected Pereira and the region, the 6th edition will be held exclusively online. The program will be shared through the festival's official channels, and the FCTL reserves the right to modify it as needed.

3. Timeline

Submission period: October 1-25, 2026
Notification of Official Selection: November 13, 2026
Receipt and approval of selected short films and acceptance of the selection: November 13-21, 2026
Festival (virtual): November 26-28, 2026

If, by the November 21 deadline, the FCTL has not received the acceptance notification, approval, or the materials required for the website, the selection will be discarded and the film will no longer be part of the Official Selection.

4. Participants and Eligibility

4.1. Participants: Individuals or legal entities from any country (directors, producers, independent filmmakers, students, or audiovisual collectives) who hold the copyright to the short film or who have the express authorization of the author or copyright holder to register and exhibit it are eligible to participate. Submissions of works created without such authorization will not be accepted.

4.2. Participants under the age of 18: If the person submitting the work is a minor, they must have the express permission of their parents or legal guardians, who may be required to provide it in writing.

4.3. language and subtitles: Works whose original language is not Spanish must be submitted with Spanish subtitles, either embedded or as an attached file (.srt). If the work does not have subtitles, the participant will be notified before the closing date of the call for entries to submit them. If the work does not have subtitles at the closing date, it will not be considered.

4.4. Previously exhibited works: Works that have been exhibited at other festivals or platforms are accepted, provided that the participant retains the right to authorize their exhibition at the FCTL (i.e., there is no exclusivity agreement with a third party that prevents it). Works selected in previous editions of the FCTL may not be submitted again.

4.5. Free registration: Registration for FCTL is completely free. If the registration platform displays any charges, please contact the festival at the official email address.

5. Official Participation Categories

The call for entries is open to works submitted in the following five categories:

• Fiction: narrative works that explore, through dramaturgy and storytelling, the relationships between people, their environments, and their experiences.

• Documentary: non-fiction stories that observe, record, investigate, or bear witness to memories, communities, places, archives, or everyday and territorial transformations.

• Animation: works developed using 2D, 3D, digital, or mixed animation techniques that construct worlds and narratives from moving images. Frame-by-frame works must be submitted under Stop Motion.

• Stop Motion: works created using frame-by-frame animation techniques, on any medium or material.

• One-Minute Film: cinematic synthesis works of exactly 60 seconds (including credits), where each image and each second forms a structural part of the narrative. It can be of any genre (fiction, documentary, or animation).

length of Works
• Fiction, Documentary, Animation, and Stop Motion: minimum one (1) minute and maximum fifteen (15) minutes, including credits.

• One-Minute Film: exactly 60 seconds, including credits.

6. Cross-Cutting Themes

For this edition, we propose four possible thematic paths. These are not closed or mutually exclusive categories, but rather starting points to guide the curatorial perspective and dialogue:
• Dwelling in Memory: stories about memories, archives, traditions, family narratives, collective memory, intangible heritage, and places that remain within us despite time or transformation.

• Cohabiting and Feeling the Collective: stories about community, neighborhood, solidarity, mutual care, encounters, social fabric, and the relationships that make communal life possible.

• Dwelling in Words and Intimacy: intimate and personal stories that explore identity, everyday gestures, oral tradition, voices of resistance, and experiences narrated from lived experience.

• Reinterpretations and New Cartographies: Works that explore the transformations of environments, new ways of relating to space, coexistence with the changing landscape, and different ways of imagining our shared future.

7. Technical and Material Requirements for Submission

7.1. Audiovisual Quality: Works must have a minimum resolution of 1920 x 1080 px (Full HD) and a leveled stereo audio mix (AAC/PCM) that allows for proper viewing on the exhibition platform.

7.2. Viewing Links and Platforms: Submissions will be accepted exclusively through the digital platforms authorized by the festival: FestHome. Registered viewing links (Vimeo, unlisted YouTube, or similar with a password) must remain active and use the same password until the end of the 6th edition.

7.3. Required Press Kit:
• Complete technical and artistic credits: direction, production, screenplay, cinematography, editing, sound/music, and cast. For animation and stop motion, also include animation and/or art direction.

• Country and year of production.

• Short synopsis in Spanish (maximum 80 words).

• Three (3) high-resolution stills or images from the work (JPG/PNG, 300 dpi).

• High-resolution official poster of the short film.

• Photograph of the director or the production team.

Note regarding the press kit: If the submission does not include the complete press kit, the participant will be notified before the closing date to complete the submission. If the submission does not have the complete kit at the closing date, it will not be considered.

7.4. Use of Artificial Intelligence: Works that include editing, creation, or partial modification using artificial intelligence tools are accepted, provided that such use is declared in the entry and the work was not created entirely with AI. Works created entirely with artificial intelligence will be automatically disqualified.

7.5. Prohibited Content: Short films containing explicit violence, illegal or pornographic material, violations of fundamental rights, hate speech or discrimination, or other content contrary to human dignity and the law will not be accepted.

8. Legal Regulations, Copyright, and Intellectual Property

These regulations are governed by the current legislation of the Republic of Colombia regarding intellectual property and copyright (Law 23 of 1982, Law 44 of 1993, Andean Decision 351 of 1993, Law 1403 of 2010, and Law 1915 of 2018) and the guidelines of the National Copyright Directorate (DNDA). They apply to all participants, regardless of their country of origin, for the purposes of their participation in the festival.

8.1. Ownership and Third-Party Licenses: The participant declares that they are the author or owner of the economic and intellectual property rights to the submitted work, or that they have the express authorization of the author or owner to register and exhibit it. This includes rights to the script, original or licensed music, sound design, stock footage, performances, and any incorporated graphic or motion graphics elements. If the work uses pre-existing creations or interpretations by third parties, the participant guarantees that they have the corresponding express licenses and authorizations.

8.2. Digital Exhibition License (non-exclusive): By registering the work and having it selected for the Official Selection, the holder grants the Festival Cortos para Tiempos Largos (FCTL) collective, through its organizers, a non-exclusive, free, territorially unlimited, and temporary license for the public communication, screening, and digital transmission of the short film through the festival's official website (https://festivalcortosparatiemposlargos.com/) and its virtual theaters, during the dates of the 6th edition (November 26-28, 2026).
The fact that the license is "non-exclusive" means that the filmmaker retains full freedom to exhibit their work at other festivals and platforms; the FCTL does not acquire the work or any exclusivity over it.

The FCTL is a cultural and educational event, therefore it does not pay screening fees or public performance fees to participating works. All economic and moral rights remain the exclusive property of the filmmaker or copyright holder of the work.

8.3. Image Rights and Protection of Minors: The participant guarantees that they have the signed authorizations for the image, voice, and likeness rights of all individuals appearing in the short film. If minors or individuals in a particularly vulnerable situation participate in the work, the participant certifies that they have the prior, express, and informed consent, signed by their parents or legal guardians, in compliance with international child protection standards.

8.4. Indemnity and Disclaimer Clause: The participant releases and indemnifies the Festival Cortos para Tiempos Largos collective, its organizing members, curators, collaborators, and partners, against any claim, demand, complaint, sanction, or legal or extrajudicial action brought by third parties for alleged violation of copyright, related rights, industrial property rights, image rights, trademarks, or personal data arising from the exhibition of the work within the framework of the festival. Any legal contingency resulting from the omission of licenses or authorizations shall be the sole and personal responsibility of the participant.

8.5. Use of Promotional Material: The copyright holder authorizes FCTL to use video excerpts of the work, not exceeding fifty percent (50%) of its total duration, as well as stills, posters, synopses, and production photographs, for exclusively promotional, informational, journalistic, and educational purposes, on social media, in the media, in the digital and printed catalog, and on the festival's official website, before, during, and after the event. A still and the technical specifications of the work may be kept in the festival's historical archive for cultural record purposes.

8.6. Personal Data Protection (Habeas Data, Law 1581 of 2012): The entity responsible for processing personal data is the Festival Cortos para Tiempos Largos (FCTL) collective. The data collected in the registration form will be used solely for the administrative, curatorial, informational, and communication management of the 6th edition. Participants may exercise their rights to access, update, or delete their data at any time by writing to Infofestival@cortosparatiemposlargos.com. The FCTL's Personal Data Processing Policy is available at https://festivalcortosparatiemposlargos.com/politica-de-tratamiento-de-datos-personales/

9. Selection Process and Commitments

9.1. Curatorial Committee: The viewing and curation will be carried out by a team of professionals and filmmakers appointed by the festival. Their decision regarding the composition of the Official Selection is final.

9.2. Notification: The Official Selection will be announced by email and through the registration platform (FestHome) on November 13, 2026.

9.3. Submission of Selected Works: Selected participants must, between November 13 and 21, 2026: (a) accept the selection and (b) approve the festival's download of the work for exhibition on the website via the registration platform. If acceptance and download approval (or the required materials) are not received within this timeframe, the selection will be discarded, and the work will no longer be part of the Official Selection.

9.4. Official Selection Status: Once the Official Selection has been published, a work cannot be withdrawn from the program by the participant, except in the following cases: (a) third-party claims regarding the work or (b) justified reasons of force majeure. In these cases, the work will continue to be considered part of the Official Selection of the 6th edition, but will not be screened. The participant must inform and justify the request in writing to the festival's official email address.

9.5. Special Mentions: The festival may award special, non-competitive, and non-monetary recognitions or mentions to works that stand out for their poetic or social value, or their cinematic language.

9.6. Program: The program for the 6th edition will be shared through the festival's official channels. The FCTL reserves the right to modify it if circumstances require.

10. Acceptance of the Rules and Official Channel

Submitting a short film to the 6th edition of the Cortos para Tiempos Largos (FCTL) Festival implies the express, unconditional, and full acceptance of all the terms, conditions, and clauses contained in this call for entries.

Any technical, operational, or legal matter not covered in this document will be resolved by the festival's organizing team.

Official website: https://festivalcortosparatiemposlargos.com/
Contact email: Infofestival@cortosparatiemposlargos.com