HAYAH Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Panamá (18)

Festival start: 11 November 2026      Festival end: 15 November 2026

18th HAYAH International Short Film Festival of Panama

The oldest and most significant short film festival in Central America, dedicated to the promotion of cinematic talent in the short film format.

Our mission is to foster the growth of Panama's audiovisual industry by connecting its filmmakers with the global film community and providing a premier exhibition platform for local and international works.

Short films in the Official Selection will compete for the festival's official trophy in the following categories:

- Best Fiction Short Film
- Best Documentary Short Film
- Best Animated Short Film
- Best Music Video
- New Directors Award (Exclusive for Panama)
- Best National Short Film (Exclusive for Panama)

OFFICIAL RULES - 18th HAYAH INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL OF PANAMA (2026)

PROFILE
The HAYAH International Short Film Festival of Panama, in its 18th edition, invites filmmakers from Panama and the world to participate in its annual competition. As the oldest short film festival in Central America, we seek to exhibit and award the best new short films.

FESTIVAL DATES
The 18th Hayah Festival will be held in person in Panama City in November 2026.

CATEGORIES
- In Competition: Fiction, Documentary, Animation, Music Video, New Directors (Exclusive for Panama).
- Non-Competitive: FirstFrame (Exclusively for Film Schools).

SELECTION AND AWARDS
The festival's programming team is responsible for curating the Official Selection. Selected short films will compete for the HAYAH Trophy. The Official Jury, composed of film, culture, and communication professionals, will grant the awards. The jury's decision is final and will be announced at the closing ceremony in 2026.

ELIGIBILITY AND SUBMISSION RULES
1. Eligibility: Open to individuals or legal entities of any nationality.
2. Submission Limit: A maximum of four (4) short films may be submitted per director.
3. Production Date: Only short films completed after January 1, 2024, are eligible.
4. Maximum Length: Running time must not exceed 20 minutes, including credits.
5. Premiere Status:
- International Films: Must not have been publicly screened in Panama nor be available on online platforms (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) accessible within Panamanian territory before the festival.
- Panamanian Films: May have been screened at other festivals in Panama, but must not be publicly available on online platforms.
6. Panamanian Co-productions: Due to automated geographic restrictions on the platform, if your short film is a co-production with another country and the system blocks your submission to the Panama categories, please apply to the "International" category of your genre and contact us beforehand at programacion@festivalhayah.com or info@festivalhayah.com with your film's information to receive a Waiver Code matching the national fee.
7. Previous Versions: New versions of films submitted in past editions will not be accepted.
8. Subtitles:
- Films whose original language is not Spanish MUST include Spanish subtitles.
- It is recommended that Spanish-language films include English subtitles for the international jury.
9. Screening Rights: The participant declares they hold all copyrights to the work (script, image, music).

REGISTRATION AND SUBMISSION
The call for entries is open from April 6 to June 30, 2026.

- Early Bird (April 6 - April 30, 2026):
- International: $10.00 USD / FirstFrame: $5.00 USD / Panama: Free
- Regular Deadline (May 1 - May 31, 2026):
- International: $15.00 USD / Panama & FirstFrame: $8.00 USD
- Late Deadline (June 1 - June 30, 2026):
- International: $20.00 USD / Panama & FirstFrame: $12.00 USD

REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Film Still
- Poster (if available)
- Director's photograph
- Short synopsis (in both Spanish and English)
- Trailer

*Film schools and distributors requiring an alternative submission method should contact the festival team directly at: programacion@festivalhayah.com or info@festivalhayah.com.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES
Submission of a work implies full acceptance of these rules. If the short film is selected, it is mandatory to provide a trailer with a maximum duration of 1 minute.