The 48 takes place on different weekends in different cities throughout the year. In each city local Film Teams—from beginners to pro's--compete to make a short film in only a weekend! Do you and your friends have what it takes to make a film on the fly?
It all begins with the Friday night Kickoff event when you and teams in your city draw genres out of a hat and receive the required elements for your film.
Then it is off to the races—writing, shooting and editing and doing whatever it takes to submit your short film on Sunday night.
The big payoff is seeing your masterpiece in the big screen at a local theater. Every film, both on-time and late, will screen. There is nothing better than seeing your film with an audience and seeing firsthand how they react to your movie.
At the city awards event, the winning films—as determined by local judges—are announced. More than a dozen awards are given—from Best Acting to Best Directing to the top prize: Best Film.
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The 48 Hour Film Project
The New Female Filmmakers Laboratory, organized by DETOUR and Montevideo Audiovisual in collaboration with AUSTRALAB, targets emerging Uruguayan female directors working on their first or second feature film. Projects can be fiction, documentary, or hybrid, but must be directed exclusively by women. The laboratory offers personalized mentorship, masterclasses, and opportunities to advance selected projects. It will take place from October 7 to 19, 2025, in a hybrid format with virtual and in-person sessions, and attendance at in-person meetings is mandatory. Participation is free, with up to six projects selected. Prizes include participation at Tres Puertos 2026 and an artistic residency at Villa Soriano. Applicants must be Uruguayan female directors with no more than one feature film directed and have a project in development with a written treatment. The call encourages the growth of female authors in national cinema.
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Montevideo Cine LAB - New Female Filmmakers
The 4th Short Film Script Contest organized by Detour is open to Uruguayan authors or residents over 18, without previous public feature film experience. Original scripts up to 12 pages are accepted, with specific formatting and free registration in AGADU required. Each author can submit up to two scripts.
The contest offers prizes in services and cash totaling US$13,500, to be used within 1-2 years. Evaluation criteria include originality, narrative quality, author motivation, and feasibility. Submissions are open from May 27 to August 31, 2025.
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Montevideo Cine LAB - Screenplay Contest
MAFF is a space designed to foster artistic, financial, and innovative growth while increasing the visibility of projects. Our goal is to create a strong network of contacts that enhances financing opportunities and promotes an effective communication environment to facilitate dialogue between production companies, producers, and professionals in the global audiovisual industry.
To achieve this, we offer training activities, mentorship programs, and business networking opportunities, all aimed at reaching business agreements that will drive the future financing of selected projects.
MAFF uniquely brings together the main international co-production financing funds in one place: the city of Málaga.
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Málaga - MAFF
Starting from 2003, Open Doors has been championing filmmaking from regions where independent cinema is especially challenging, building bridges for collaboration across regions, countries and continents. Through Open Doors' public and professional programs, we aim to provide a space where talents find support in every step of their creative and professional journey and where discussion and reinvention of today’s cinema can happen among free voices.
The ultimate goal of the Open Doors is to contribute to the development of a more collaborative worldwide film community without borders, while making the independent scene stronger and more sustainable.
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Locarno Open Doors
