Memorables Film Festival (8)

Início do Festival: 30 Outubro 2026      Fim do Festival: 30 Outubro 2026

The “Memorables Film Festival” is a film festival and competition created with the aim of showcasing and promoting the creation and dissemination of short films about Alzheimer’s and its effects on patients and their families.

In this new edition, the festival broadens its scope to include all neurodegenerative diseases, while maintaining its social mission of raising awareness and sharing knowledge about the impact these conditions have on individuals, families, and society.

It is organized by CIEN (Center for Research on Neurological Diseases) and the Reina Sofía Foundation Alzheimer Center.

CIEN presents the “Memorables Film Festival” as a film festival with the purpose of giving visibility to neurodegenerative diseases and how they affect different aspects of our lives. Likewise, the short film competition encourages the creation and creativity of audiovisual content that contributes value to dissemination, knowledge, and social awareness surrounding these diseases.

Prêmios em dinheiro: 4,250€

Awards with Monetary Prizes:

BEST SHORT FILM

- First Prize Memorables statuette, €2,000, and screening at the Almería International Film Festival (FICAL)

- Second Prize Memorables statuette and €1,500

- Third Prize Memorables statuette and €750

Non-Monetary Awards:

- BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
- BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- BEST EDITING
- BEST SCREENPLAY
- BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/ACTRESS
- BEST ACTOR
- BEST ACTRESS
- HONORABLE MENTIONS BY THE JURY AND/OR THE ORGANIZATION

The Memorables Film Festival 2026 (short films about Alzheimer’s) announces the rules governing its sixth edition.

1. The Festival

The “Memorables Film Festival” is a film festival and competition created with the aim of showcasing and promoting the creation and dissemination of short films about Alzheimer’s and its effects on patients and their families.

In this new edition, the festival broadens its scope to include all neurodegenerative diseases, while maintaining its social mission of raising awareness and sharing knowledge about the impact these conditions have on individuals, families, and society.

It is organized by CIEN (Center for Research on Neurological Diseases) and the Reina Sofía Foundation Alzheimer Center.

CIEN presents the “Memorables Film Festival” as a film festival with the purpose of giving visibility to neurodegenerative diseases and how they affect different aspects of our lives. Likewise, the short film competition encourages the creation and creativity of audiovisual content that contributes value to dissemination, knowledge, and social awareness surrounding these diseases.

Within the Spanish cultural and audiovisual landscape, there are other festivals addressing topics related to the brain and neurological health. From the perspective of the “Memorables Film Festival,” the aim is to bring a human dimension to neurodegenerative diseases, showing how they affect people who live with them, suffer from them, or accompany those who do, as well as their emotional and social impact, seeking to shed light from a constructive and positive viewpoint.

The festival is open to anyone interested who resides in Spain. In addition to the official short film competition, various communication initiatives and activities related to the festival will take place, such as the official presentation, the awards ceremony, screenings of selected short films, and discussions with experts and individuals who have directly or indirectly experienced a neurodegenerative disease.


2. Participation. Admission Criteria

1. Registration for the “Memorables Film Festival” is free. The genre must be fiction and/or documentary on the theme of NEURODEGENERATION in any of its dimensions: the impact on patients’ lives, or its scientific, medical, or social aspects.

2. The jury will evaluate the cinematic quality of the short films, as well as the quality of the message conveyed in relation to the theme (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS) and its ability to raise awareness in society about the issues posed by these diseases.

3. Only one short film per participant will be accepted, and the works must be original. The competition reserves the right not to accept any short films that do not meet all the requirements or that do not comply with the criteria established by the organization.

4. Filmmakers of Spanish or foreign nationality residing in Spain may participate. The works must have been produced between August 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026.

5. When submitting works to the competition, a form must be completed with the author’s details: full name, address, contact phone number, scanned ID, and a brief biographical note (in the text field). A technical and artistic sheet of the short film must also be provided, listing all members of the team involved and their roles.

6. Video or animation works must be created in digital format, with a maximum final file size of 250 MB and a frame size of 1024x576 px. In addition, the following minimum technical specifications are required: mp4 format, 16:9 aspect ratio, H264 video codec, AAC audio codec, video bitrate 1500 kbps, and audio bitrate 96 kbps.

7. If the short films include dialogue or voice-over, they may be submitted in any of the official languages of Spain, provided they include Spanish subtitles.

8. Short films in the official section may not exceed thirteen minutes in length (including opening and closing credits).

9. Each short film will be registered under the name of the individual listed in the submission form, who will be the recipient of any prize awarded. The organization assumes that this person holds the rights to the submitted work and accepts no responsibility in this regard.

10. Depending on the number of submissions received, there may be a preselection of finalists, who will be given priority in screenings during the Festival program.

3. Program

All competing works are subject to the same selection and evaluation criteria.

The “Memorables Film Festival” program will consist of an official short film section competing for first, second, and third prizes, including opening and closing credits.

The organization will hold the Festival over a sufficient number of days, depending on the volume of works to be screened in the official section. In addition, discussions and an awards ceremony will take place.

4. Awards with Monetary Prizes

BEST SHORT FILM

- First Prize Memorables statuette, €2,000, and screening at the Almería International Film Festival (FICAL)

- Second Prize Memorables statuette and €1,500

- Third Prize Memorables statuette and €750

5. Non-Monetary Awards

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST EDITING
BEST SCREENPLAY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR/ACTRESS
BEST ACTOR
BEST ACTRESS
HONORABLE MENTIONS BY THE JURY AND/OR THE ORGANIZATION


6. Location and Date

The “Memorables Film Festival” awards ceremony will take place in Madrid, Spain, during October 2026.

6. Submission Method

Works wishing to participate in the Memorables Film Festival may be submitted through one of the following methods, at the participant’s choice:

Via the CIEN website:

- Short films must be submitted via Vimeo (with download option and password), WeTransfer, Dropbox, or Google Drive, preferably in Full HD quality (1920x1080).

- For file-sharing platforms, links must not have an expiration date, so that the organization can access the files without time limitations.

- Submission will be made through the form available on the CIEN website: https://www.fundacioncien.es/


Via Festhome, following the platform’s usual procedures.

For any inquiries related to submissions, participants may contact the organization at comunicacion@fundacioncien.es.

The deadline for submissions is September 30, 2026, at 23:59.

7. Selection Committee

A rigorous jury composed of members from the Carlos III Health Institute, the Reina Sofía Foundation, CIEN, CEAFA, the Spanish Parkinson’s Federation, as well as audiovisual professionals, actors, neurology experts, and members of other collaborating institutions.

By participating, entrants waive any right to challenge or take action against these rules. Participants also agree to the use of their works for promotional purposes of the Festival and the Foundation. The jury’s decision will be publicly announced at the awards ceremony during the festival.

The awards will be presented in person or by a representative of the winner. In the case of unjustified absence from the ceremony and failure to delegate representation, the prize will not be awarded, and the amount will be added to the following year’s prize fund.