Syncro Film Fest (3)

Festival start: 23 June 2025      Festival end: 26 June 2025

Syncro is a national and international short film festival dedicated to elevating and showcasing the short film format. The festival offers a new approach to viewing short films by programming each film in an individual screening. We firmly believe that short films are not a lesser format or merely a learning stage in filmmaking. On the contrary, they represent cinema in its most potent and compact expression.

Cash Prizes: 250$

The short film that wins each competition at SyncroFilmFest will receive $250,000 (Argentine pesos).

Short Film Competition
(International, Parallel Universes, Protagonists)

Rules and Entry Requirements for Syncro, International Short Film Festival

Edition 2025

Syncro, International Short Film Festival of Buenos Aires, will be held from June 23 to 26, 2025, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

ELIGIBILITY

Applications for the Festival are open to both national and international short films.

All productions must have been completed after January 1, 2024.

SECTIONS

The Festival’s program will include competitive and non-competitive sections. The selected films will be included in the section deemed appropriate by the selection committee.

The selection will consider the film’s duration: the Festival defines a short film as one under 30 minutes.

The Selection Committee may reassign a film to a different section if considered appropriate.

ENTRY

Film entries for the Festival are submitted via this platform.

The producer who holds the rights must register the film for the Festival by completing the registration form on this platform. This form will serve as a sworn statement, confirming that they have read and accept these rules.

Entries that are not made ONLINE will not be accepted, from any country, including Argentina.

To submit screeners for consideration, applicants must complete the registration form in full. Incomplete entries will not be accepted.

The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2025.

No film will be considered registered until the online pre-selection copy is received.

For the selection of foreign films, copies must be submitted with English subtitles.

Along with the screener, selected participants must upload the following materials to this platform:

2 (two) stills from the film, 300 DPI. Size: 10 cm high by 15 cm wide, in color, JPG format.
1 (one) photo of the director(s), 300 DPI. Size: 10 cm high by 10 cm wide, in color, JPG format.
Director’s bio-filmography of up to 450 characters with spaces. In the following format: NAME, + 450 characters.
Film synopsis of up to 600 characters with spaces.
Film contact information
Contact person
ADDRESS
(ZIP / POBOX) Province, City, if Buenos Aires, specify (C.A.B.A.) – COUNTRY
The Festival reserves the right to make editorial decisions regarding catalog content.

All categories are open to Argentine films. All categories are competitive, with different types of awards.

The selection committee reserves the right to place a film in a different category than the one for which it applied.

JURY AND SELECTION

If a film is selected, the person who submitted the registration will be notified and informed of the instructions for sending the screening copy via file transfer platforms.

Once selected, the producer will inform the Festival of the Premiere status with which it will be presented at the Festival (world, international, continental, regional, national, or metropolitan Premiere).

The jury will be composed of recognized national and international figures in the audiovisual field. The members of this jury will be announced prior to the festival.

The Selection Committee will consist of Syncro members, who will work according to the quality and creativity standards set by the Festival’s Direction.

No jury member may participate in any category.

The awards may be declared void if the jury so decides.

The jury’s decision is final.

PARTICIPATION

Selected participants for the competitions must send the required film within thirty (30) days of notification. This notification will include information on the final format in which the film must be submitted for screening.

Any shipping costs generated by the submission of materials will be the responsibility of the selected participant. The Festival will not be liable for any potential damage or loss of materials in transit.

Preview films will not be returned under any circumstances.

The Festival assumes that the producers or filmmakers submitting through this call hold the screening rights to their works, absolving Syncro of any civil or criminal liability.

Films in an advanced stage of post-production are accepted; the selection committee will determine if such films are eligible for participation.

Films with multiple directors are accepted.

Once registered and selected, a film may not be withdrawn from the Festival’s program nor screened elsewhere in Buenos Aires before its official presentation at Syncro.

People associated with selected films agree not to disclose their participation until the Festival’s program is announced by the Organization at a press conference, under penalty of disqualification.

Press Materials

If available, posters, postcards, and press materials are requested for use by the Festival’s press office.

Promotional Excerpts

The Festival may use film excerpts, up to a maximum of 3 minutes, from national and international films for promotional purposes (for short films, the excerpt duration may not exceed 10% of the film’s total length).

If such excerpts are unavailable from the film’s producer, the Festival may create one or more excerpts for promotional use during the Festival.

To promote the program and each selected film, the Festival may use photos and digital clips (under 3 minutes) from the films on its website.

Screening Dates

The scheduling and screening dates and times of each film are at the discretion of the Festival’s Organization.

Languages and Subtitles

Selected films will be screened in their original version.

For foreign films: If a screening copy with Spanish subtitles is available, it will be preferred by the Festival. If a copy with Spanish subtitles is not available, a copy with English subtitles will be required (unless the film is in English).

Additionally, a dialogue list in the original language and in English (with time codes) and a digital file with the final film version as it will be screened, are required for preparing electronic subtitles.

For Argentine films:

If a screening copy with English subtitles is available, it will be preferred by the Festival. If an English-subtitled copy is unavailable, the Festival may request an English subtitle list (with time codes) and a digital file to prepare electronic subtitles.

In the case of Argentine films in competition, it will be required that all copies are subtitled, except when the original language is more than one, and always with the express authorization of the Festival Organization.

About these Rules

Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of these rules. Any organizational or operational conflict not covered in these rules will be resolved by the Festival Organization.

FINAL CLAUSE

Submitting a film implies full acceptance of these rules. Their interpretation and application are at the discretion of SYNCRO’s organization. For any questions or information, please contact via email at contacto@syncrofilmfest.com.