The Dream Makers Contest – Challenge #3 2026 is an international call organized by ESCAC (Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya) together with its partner institutions, aimed at supporting emerging filmmakers and promoting the creation and production of new cinematic projects. The contest focuses on fiction short film projects and will select one winning proposal for production.
Applications will be open from August 24 to August 31, 2026. The finalist projects will be announced during the 2026 Sitges Film Festival, while the winning project will be revealed at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in February 2027. The production of the winning short film is scheduled to take place between May and July 2027.
The call is open to international applicants and exclusively accepts fiction short films. It does not include documentaries, animation, feature films, or series. The program is a short film production contest rather than a pitch, laboratory, market, or work in progress initiative.
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The Dream Makers
Curtas Noia Industry Lab 2026 is an international call focused on the development and promotion of new short film audiovisual projects. Its objective is to support emerging filmmakers and create opportunities for networking between creators, industry professionals and audiovisual sector representatives.
The call accepts fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and other genres, with open themes. It is aimed at short film projects in development, within the areas of Pitch, Project Development and Work in Progress, and also includes a short film screenplay category.
Applications will remain open until August 14, 2026. Selected projects will be announced on October 14, 2026, and Curtas Noia Industry Lab activities will take place from November 4 to 14, 2026 in Noia, Galicia, Spain. The call is open to international applicants and accepts projects from any nationality. Eligible formats are short films with an expected duration of less than 20 minutes.
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Curtas Noia Industry Lab
ImpulsoLab 2026 is a project development lab organized by the International Human Rights Film Festival – Colombia (FICDEH). It is designed to strengthen audiovisual projects through professional mentoring in directing, production, and distribution. The call is open exclusively to Colombian feature-length fiction film projects that are in an advanced stage of development.
Applications are free of charge and will remain open until July 31, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (Colombia time). Up to three projects will be selected to receive both group and individual mentoring from experienced film industry professionals. The lab takes place within the framework of the 13th International Human Rights Film Festival – Colombia (FICDEH), which will be held from August 12 to August 19, 2026.
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Impulso Lab - FICBEH
La Meseta Distribution 2026 is an industry laboratory organized by SEMINCI in Spain to strengthen the distribution and communication strategies of independent feature films before their commercial release. The program is intended for teams composed of an independent distributor based in Spain and a film publicity agency or press representative, or a distributor with an in-house communications department.
The call for applications is open from July 24 to September 14, 2026. Selected projects will take part in online mentoring sessions throughout October 2026 and will present their distribution campaigns in person during the 71st SEMINCI, taking place in Valladolid from October 23 to 31, 2026.
The laboratory accepts feature films in fiction, documentary, and animation, with a minimum running time of 60 minutes. Its main objective is to help participants design effective theatrical release strategies. The call is open exclusively to independent distributors established in Spain.La Meseta Distribution 2026 is an industry laboratory organized by SEMINCI in Spain to strengthen the distribution and communication strategies of independent feature films before their commercial release. The program is intended for teams composed of an independent distributor based in Spain and a film publicity agency or press representative, or a distributor with an in-house communications department.
The call for applications is open from July 24 to September 14, 2026. Selected projects will take part in online mentoring sessions throughout October 2026 and will present their distribution campaigns in person during the 71st SEMINCI, taking place in Valladolid from October 23 to 31, 2026.
The laboratory accepts feature films in fiction, documentary, and animation, with a minimum running time of 60 minutes. Its main objective is to help participants design effective theatrical release strategies. The call is open exclusively to independent distributors established in Spain.
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La Meseta - Seminci
The 2026 Ibero-American Screenwriting Residency, organized by Fundación Algo en Común in Colombia, is a creative development program aimed at Ibero-American screenwriters with fiction feature film projects in development. The call is open to participants from Ibero-American countries, including Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and Puerto Rico.
Applications will be open until July 12, 2026. The in-person residency will take place from September 28 to October 23, 2026, in Cali, Colombia, followed by a virtual project acceleration program from October 19 to November 6, 2026, and a Production Meeting during November 2026.
The program is a screenwriting residency and film development laboratory that provides script mentoring, creative support, and industry networking opportunities. It accepts fiction feature film projects with at least a first written draft of the screenplay.
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Ibero-American Script Residency - Something in Common
