SEMANA DE CINE EUROÁRABE AMAL (9)

Festival start: 01 October 2025      Festival end: 31 October 2025

Amal is a cultural film event of reference, held annually since 2003. Its first edition was conceived as an audiovisual showcase and, after its success, in 2005 it took a step further to become an international competitive festival; the first and only Euro-Arab Film Festival in Europe at that time. After twelve editions, it has once again become a competitive festival, leaving behind the character of an exhibition, aspiring to favour the synergies created between producers, filmmakers and the public. Thus, this 23rd edition will be made up of three competitive sections: 5 fiction films, 5 documentaries and 5 short films, with the aim of recognising the cinematographic talent of the participants in each of the competitive sections.

Any film, feature film or short film - documentary or fiction - of Arab production or co-production may be submitted. Films produced anywhere in the world that deal with themes related to the Arab world (made between 2022-2025) may also be submitted.

The Amal Euro-Arab Film Festival is an appointment with the social vindication, tolerance and concord of peoples. It has become a benchmark and has attracted spectators of all ages, generating a critical and current debate on the Arab world and its contribution to universal culture. In these two decades, Amal has grown in social commitment and has become a loudspeaker for people who need to be heard and for stories that need to be told. They all deserve to be in our memory. They all have a place in the common ground of our civilisation: tolerance. Amal is once again the great cultural bridge between East and West through documentaries and committed films.

The jury, from among the finalists, will award the prizes, which are endowed with the following economic amounts:

Best fiction feature film 5.000€
Best documentary 3.500€.
Best short film 1.200€.
Best director 4.000€

Mention will also be made of the Audience Award, awarded by popular vote and endowed with the following prize money:

Amal Audience Award 1.500€.

The International Euro-Arab Film Festival Amal 2025 is organised by the Fundación Araguaney - Puente de Culturas, from here on out Fundación Araguaney, and will be held in October 2025, in Santiago de Compostela (Spain).

Article 1

The works selected to participate in the Festival will be screened at the Teatro Principal of Santiago de Compostela, with the possibility of adding alternative venues.

Article 2

The producers or holders of the rights of the works to be screened will authorize the Araguaney Foundation, free of charge, the reproduction and exhibition of the work in the Festival, as well as the promotional and advertising use of the work before, during and after the Festival in any media of diffusion and exhibition.

There will be no fee for participating in the Festival, but the Festival will not pay any exhibition fee for the works presented in the competition.

Article 3

The works presented in competition will be chosen by the Festival Selection Committee. Any film, feature or short, documentary or fiction, produced in an Arab country or co-produced between other countries and any Arab country, may be submitted. Films produced anywhere in the world that deal with themes related to the Arab world are also eligible to participate.

The works submitted must have been made during the years 2022-2025.

Article 4

The deadline for submission of applications will be from 15 January 2025 to 15 May 2025, and no application will be accepted after this date. The Festival will recognise the signatory of the registration on the Festhome platform as the only responsible party with regard to other companies or persons who may participate in the production of the work.

Article 5

In order to participate in the festival, the film must be registered on the Festhome platform and the following information must be provided: https://festhome.com/es

Basic information: Length of the film, country, date of production, and category (fiction, documentary and short film).

- Images: Film poster, banner, director's portrait, 3 stills.

- Synopsis: Short synopsis, short synopsis (English), long synopsis, long synopsis (English), director's bio-filmography.

- Cast and crew: Director and producer information.

Registration does not guarantee the screening of the film during the AMAL Festival.

Selected films must send press and publicity material to amal@araguaney.com.


Article 6

The preview copy will be uploaded to the Festhome platform in any of the formats allowed by the web.

The same participant may send more than one film, but each title must be accompanied by its obligatory material for registration on the Festhome platform.

Article 7

All works submitted to the competition must have subtitles in Spanish or English. In addition, if the Committee so requires, the script of the film must be made available to the Festival for possible translation.

Article 8

All selected films will be screened at the Festival in their original version, with subtitles in Spanish or in any of the official languages of the Spanish state. The original version will be considered to be the version screened in the country of origin.

Article 9

The Festival's preferred exhibition formats are high-definition digital and/or Blu-Ray. DCP format is not accepted. If the film is available in several formats, the festival will select the exhibition format that suits it best.

Article 10

Once the film has been selected to participate in the Festival, it must be received in its final format and with the required materials before June 1st, 2025.

Once the work has been registered and selected, it cannot be withdrawn from the Festival programme by the producers or rights holders.

Article 11

The selected films will send the screening and promotional material by download link.

Exceptionally, in the event that the finalists prefer to make the final shipment in Blu-ray format, the transport costs of the same, as well as the insurance, will be paid by the participant until its arrival at the Festival headquarters. Under no circumstances will the Festival be responsible for any possible customs costs.

The rights of the works submitted to the competition will always be retained by the director.

Article 12

The producers or holders of the rights of the work, with prior notification from the Araguaney Foundation, shall authorize the Foundation, free of charge, for a period of 1 year, the dissemination and public screening of the work in film cycles or non-profit exhibitions, organized by the Foundation itself or with its collaboration, regardless of the State in which they are held. In the event that the film is not selected for the Official Selection of the Festival, the authorisation shall have no effect whatsoever.

The producers, or holders of the rights, of the work presented to the Festival will cede a copy for the media library of the Araguaney Foundation without the above authorisation implying any transfer of rights to the Festival organization.

Article 13

The Festival management will appoint the members of the jury before September 1st. The jury shall meet the following conditions:

The jury shall consist of a minimum of five members, at least one third of whom shall be personalities from an Arab country.

Persons who have an interest in the production and/or exploitation of the works submitted for the competition may not be members of the jury.

The jury's deliberations shall be secret and decisions shall be taken by simple majority. The Festival management may attend the deliberations, but will not take part in the voting.

The members of the jury firmly undertake not to express publicly their opinions on the works submitted for their consideration before the official announcement of the prizes.

Any possible conflict (organizational or operational) not foreseen in the following regulations will be resolved by the Festival management in accordance with these rules.

Article 14

The jury, from among the finalists, will award the prizes, which are endowed with the following economic amounts:

Best fiction feature film 5.000€.
Best documentary 3.500€.
Best short film 1.200€.
Best director 4.000€.

Mention will also be made of the Audience Award, awarded by popular vote and endowed with the following prize money:

Amal Audience Award 1.500€.

The amounts of the prizes are gross amounts.

Article 15

The producers of the works that have been finalists will collaborate with the organization of the Festival to participate in the awards ceremony of the Festival. In the event of not being able to attend in person to collect the prize, a member of the jury or an institutional figure will be in charge of collecting the prize.

In the event of receiving an award, they undertake to mention it in all publicity, in subsequent copies of the film and in press material, respecting the exact wording of the jury's decision and using the Festival's logo.

This logo is available at the Festival offices and on the website (www.amalfestival.com) in the corporate image section.

Article 16

The producers or owners of the rights of the works submitted to the Amal 2025 Festival will accredit to the Araguaney Foundation, organizer of the Festival, the ownership of the same, and will be responsible for the veracity of their declaration.

In the event of any claim or discrepancy regarding the ownership of the rights of any of the works submitted, the person who has accredited it in accordance with the provisions of the previous paragraph shall be directly responsible for their declaration before third parties and before the Araguaney Foundation and the Amal 2025 Festival.

Article 17

Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of these regulations.