Mostra de València - Cinema del Mediterrani (40)

Festival start: 23 October 2025      Festival end: 02 November 2025

40TH MOSTRA DE VALÈNCIA-CINEMA DEL MEDITERRANI FILM FESTIVAL


PRESENTATION

Mostra de València-Cinema del Mediterrani is an international film festival promoted by the Valencia City Council (Ajuntament de València) in Spain. It aims to show and promote cinema from the Mediterranean basin as a geographical and cultural point of reference. It is accredited by FIAPF as Specialised festival.


PURPOSE

The purpose of this call for entries is to open up registration for films intended to compete in the Official Section and the La Cabina Section of the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani, which will take place from 23rd October to 2nd November 2025 in the city of València. The candidates must meet the requirements and rules stipulated in this call for entries.

Further information: mostradevalencia@palauvalencia.com

Cash Prizes: 85,000€

AWARDS WITH ECONOMIC ENDOWMENT

Films selected through this call for entries to participate in the competition sections may compete for awards with economic endowment, charged to budget line 2025/BPA600000/334/489.01 “Other current transfers”, in the following amounts:

• Golden Palm Tree – €30,000

• Direct subsidy for the distribution of the Golden Palm Tree – €15,000

• Silver Palm Tree / Special Jury Prize – €20,000

• La Cabina Prize – €5,000

• Direct subsidy for the distribution of the La Cabina Prize – €5,000

• Ciutat de València Audience Award – €10,000

The amount of the awards is subject to the withholdings established by the legislation in force at the time of payment and shall, in any case, be considered as included in the total amount allocated to each prize.

These awards are compatible with other subsidies, grants, income or resources for the same purpose from any other administration or public or private entities, whether national, from the European Union, or international organisations.

The production award will be paid to the entity (natural or legal person) that produced the awarded film. If several production companies contributed to the film's financing, the prize will be awarded to the one with the largest share.

The direct subsidy for distribution will be paid to the entity (natural or legal person) that distributes the winning film of the Golden Palm Tree or the La Cabina Prize in commercial cinemas in Spain within one year from the end of the festival, and upon submission of documentation justifying the work carried out and the related expenses (**).

(**) SPECIFICATIONS: Distribution cinemas must reach a minimum of three autonomous communities in Spain. Cinemas that meet their attendance control and income declaration obligations with the concurrence of the entities known as "mailboxes", according to Order CUL/1772/2011, of 21 June, shall be considered for this purpose. Under no circumstances may the amount of the subsidy exceed the distribution costs.

The payment of this direct subsidy will, in all cases, be subject to the availability of adequate and sufficient credit in the 2026 fiscal year.
This is a direct subsidy as it is associated with the Spanish distribution agreement of the films that win the Golden Palm Tree and the La Cabina Prize at the festival.

The subsidy will be granted to the individual or legal entity based in Spain that signs a contract with the winning film for its distribution in Spanish cinemas under the terms established in the annual call for entries.

In this regard, films may already have a distribution agreement in Spain before their registration in the festival or may obtain one during or after their participation.

If the winning films of the Golden Palm Tree or the La Cabina Prize do not have a distribution agreement in Spain at the time of receiving the award, a six-month period from the end of the festival will be granted to sign a contract that meets the required specifications. If such a contract is not obtained within the established timeframe, the subsidy will be cancelled, and the allocated credit will be released without any entitlement to compensation of any kind in favour of the winning films.


APPLICABLE LEGAL REGULATIONS

Prizes with economic endowment are considered subsidies by their legal nature, as they involve monetary provisions. Therefore, they are governed by Additional Provision Two of the General Subsidies Ordinance of the Valencia City Council and its public bodies, approved by plenary agreement on 28th July 2016 and published in the Official Provincial Gazette (BOP) on 2nd November 2016, which regulates the granting of prizes and serves as the general legal framework.

For matters not covered by Additional Provision Two, the provisions of the rest of the Ordinance shall apply, except in those aspects where, due to their special nature, they are not applicable, in accordance with General Subsidies Law 38/2003 of 17th November and Royal Decree 887/2006 of 21st July, which approves the Regulations of the Subsidies Law.


OTHER AWARDS

Other awards to be granted to films participating in the Official Section of the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani, without economic endowment, include:

• Best Direction
• Best Cinematography
• Best Screenplay
• Best Actress
• Best Actor
• Best Original Score
• Best Poster

Films participating in the Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani may also be eligible for special distinctions granted by other institutions, under agreements with the OAM Palau de la Música, Congressos i Orquestra de València, which do not involve any economic endowment from the organization.


Further information: mostradevalencia@palauvalencia.com

POTENTIAL CANDIDATES

1.- Feature-length fiction and non-fiction films produced or co-produced in any of the countries within the scope of the festival (*) may be included in the Official Section, provided they were created from 1st January 2024 onwards and have not yet been premièred in public cinemas, on DVD, video, television, or video-on-demand platforms in Spain, and have not participated in any Spanish film festival before or during the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani. In other words, they must guarantee their Spanish première at the festival.

From all submitted films, the organizers will select those that will enter the competition in the Official Section. The result of this selection is final and not subject to appeal.

Only films submitted by production companies that are not affected by any of the disqualification clauses for obtaining beneficiary status, as set out in Article 13 of General Subsidies Law 38/2003 of 17th November and Additional Provision 2 of the General Ordinance for Subsidies of the Valencia City Council and its public bodies, may take part in the Official Section of the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani.

2.- Medium-length fiction, non-fiction, and animation films (with a duration between 30 and 59 minutes), produced or co-produced in any of the countries within the scope of the festival (*), may be included in the La Cabina Section, provided they were created from 1st January 2024 onwards and have not yet been premièred in public cinemas, on DVD, video, television, or video-on-demand platforms in Spain, and have not participated in any Spanish film festival before or during the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani. In other words, they must guarantee their Spanish première at the festival.

From all submitted films, the organizers will select those that will enter the competition in the La Cabina Section. The result of this selection is final and not subject to appeal.

Only films submitted by production companies that are not affected by any of the disqualification clauses for obtaining beneficiary status, as set out in Article 13 of General Subsidies Law 38/2003 of 17th November and Additional Provision 2 of the General Ordinance for Subsidies of the Valencia City Council and its public bodies, may take part in the La Cabina Section of the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani.



(*) COUNTRIES INCLUDED IN THE SCOPE OF THE FESTIVAL: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Croatia, Egypt, Slovenia, Spain, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Palestine, Portugal, Serbia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Western Sahara.

REGISTRATION
Registration to apply for participation in the Official Section must be completed online via the Festhome platform, starting the day after the extract of the call for entries is published in the Official Provincial Gazette (BOP) through the National Subsidies Database, and until 15th August 2025.

For the registration process, please note that films must be submitted in their original version with english subtitles for viewing, except for those originally produced in Spanish, Valencian, Catalan, or english, which will not require additional subtitles.

Each film must be registered individually.

Registration does not imply participation in the Official Section or La Cabina unless the film passes the selection process.

INVITED FILMS
The organizers reserve the right to directly invite films to participate in the competition sections through alternative selection channels, by means of a formal invitation that may take place at any time prior to the celebration of the festival. Invited films must formally accept the invitation by submitting an application to that effect.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE FILMS SELECTED
The films selected to participate in the competition sections must be screened in 35 mm or Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format. Films that do not meet the necessary technical requirements for proper public screening will be rejected.

The producers and/or distributors of the selected films must send the following materials to the organizers before the celebration of the festival:

-A copy of the film in its original version, in 35 mm, DCP or BluRay format. The copies will remain in the possession of the organizers until the final scheduled screening of the film within the festival.

-A separate subtitle file (.srt) in english for films whose original version is not in Spanish, Valencian, Catalan, or english.

-A list of the dialogues in the original language of the film and also in english, for films whose original version is not in Spanish, Valencian, Catalan, or english.

Promotional materials:
-A trailer of the film in Full HD format.
-Three high-resolution stills from the film in digital format (300 dpi).
-A high-resolution digital poster of the film (300 dpi).

OBLIGATIONS FOR THE SELECTED FILMS
The choice of films for the Official Section of the 40th Mostra de València-Cinema del Mediterrani film festival will remain confidential until the organizers make the official announcement, regardless of the communications between the interested parties.

Once a film has been registered and selected, (and the invitation confirmed by the registrant) it may not be withdrawn and must maintain the requisites demanded until its participation in the festival ends.

The makers of the films participating give the organizers their permission to use the materials provided to promote the festival.

The companies that produce and distribute the films participating authorise the use of one or several fragments of their work for dissemination and information in the media.

OBLIGATIONS OF THE WINNING FILMS
The production and/or distribution companies of the films that win an award with economic endowment at the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani commit to including a written reference to the award granted at the beginning of all copies of the film distributed for public screenings, other film festivals, DVD, BluRay, television or video-on-demand platforms, as well as in all printed promotional and informational materials. This mention must include a written text stating the award received and the corporate image of the Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani, both of which will be provided by the organizers, along with the corresponding usage guidelines. To be eligible to receive the prizes with economic endowment, the production companies of the winning films must be up to date with their tax and social security obligations, as well as with the Municipal Tax Office. To this end, and prior to the payment of the prize, they must submit a declaration of responsibility authorizing the Valencia City Council to verify these specific requirements.

JURY
In order to award the prizes for the selected films, the organizers will appoint the jury members for each of the competition sections, which will be made up of between three and five prestigious professionals from the fields of cinema and culture. Their profiles will be published on the website www.lamostradevalencia.com prior to the beginning of the festival. Persons with interests in the production, exhibition, or any other type of exploitation or participation in the films selected for competition may not be part of the jury.

The jury's decisions will be final. No prize with financial endowment may be declared void or awarded ex aequo (jointly), except for the subsidy corresponding to the distribution of the Golden Palm Tree and the La Cabina Award, which must comply with the provisions set forth in point 6 of this call for entries.

ACCEPTANCE OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS CALL AND ITS RULES
Participation in the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani implies full acceptance and compliance with this call for entries and its rules, the interpretation of which shall be the responsibility of the organizers.

PUBLICATION OF THE CALL FOR ENTRIES
The full call for entries for the 40th Mostra de València–Cinema del Mediterrani will be published in the National Subsidies Database and on the Festhome a
platform, without prejudice to any additional dissemination that the organizers may carry out if they consider it appropriate.

DATA PROTECTION
The data provided by the participants will be collected and processed in accordance with Organic Law 3/2018, of 5 December, on the Protection of Personal Data and Guarantee of Digital Rights. Participants may exercise their rights of access, rectification, erasure and objection by submitting a written request.

APPEALS
Against this resolution, which brings the administrative procedure to an end, interested parties may file an optional appeal for reconsideration within one month before the body that issued the resolution, in accordance with Articles 123 and 124 of Law 39/2015, of 1 October, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations. Alternatively, they may file a contentious-administrative appeal within two months before the Contentious-Administrative Courts, pursuant to Law 29/1998, of 13 July, regulating the Contentious-Administrative Jurisdiction.

Further information: mostradevalencia@palauvalencia.com