Muestra Internacional de Cine “Canarias Documental” (2)

Фестиваль начинается: 01 Декабрь 2026      Фестиваль заканчивается: 01 Март 2027

The ProDocumentales Film and TV Association of Spain is organizing the 2nd “Canarias Documental” International Film Festival, to be held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from December 2026 through March 2027, with the aim of promoting documentary film.

We aim to bring documentary films to the residents and visitors of the city and the island—works that encourage reflection and debate on identities, histories, heritage, and social and environmental relationships—in order to build a critical and engaged audience.

This exhibition is NOT COMPETITIVE; therefore, no prizes of any kind will be awarded.

2nd “Canarias Documental” International Film Festival

2026 Rules for Participation

The ProDocumentales Film and TV Association of Spain is organizing the 2nd “Canarias Documental” International Film Festival, to be held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from December 2026 through March 2027, with the aim of promoting documentary film.

We aim to bring documentary films to the residents and visitors of the city and the island—works that encourage reflection and debate on identities, histories, heritage, and social and environmental relationships—in order to build a critical and engaged audience.

We hope to feature—preferably (but not exclusively)—films with a maximum runtime of 45 minutes that demonstrate technical quality, auteur-driven narratives, and an independent spirit, while remaining committed to their local environments and communities. We favor submissions that promote social and environmental values, as well as respect for diversity and human rights. We are particularly interested in films that address themes related to the arts and cultural heritage.

This Festival is NON-COMPETITIVE; therefore, no awards will be given. Each filmmaker may submit more than one film.

Participation in the “Canarias Documental” Festival is completely FREE.

A selection will be made from the submitted material to ensure that the Festival features the highest audiovisual quality and represents the topics of interest. This task is carried out by the relevant Selection Committee, composed of members of the Asociación ProDocumentales Cine y TV.

Any individual, company, or institution interested in acquiring a copy of any of the films will be put in direct contact with the rights holder; the Association will not be involved in any commercial transactions.

The Canarias Documental Film Festival features three open-call sections:

➢ “From the Canary Islands”: for filmmakers who are native to or residents of the Canary Islands. We are looking for films (preferably short films) that focus on the realities, stories, characters, heritage, myths, and diversity of our islands.

➢ “From Around the World”: We are particularly interested in showcasing the identities and ways of life of other islands in Spain and Europe; of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas; of the infinitely diverse Africa, the little-known Asia; and the remote Oceania. Likewise, this section of the Festival welcomes all perspectives and all works (preferably short films).

➢ “From Film Schools”: This section is open to documentaries (maximum 15 minutes) produced by students from any audiovisual training institution worldwide.


Eligibility Requirements:

✓ Only films produced by individuals who are at least 18 years old at the time of submission are eligible.

✓ Submissions for films in any of the three sections must be made through FESTHOME or by submitting the corresponding form at www.prodocumentales.org/canariasdocumental between 12:00 a.m. on July 1 and 11:59 p.m. on October 2, 2026 (GMT+01:00, Canary Islands time).

✓ Submitted films must have been produced on or after January 1, 2024.

✓ Submission of works implies that the submitter has obtained all necessary copyrights (images, sounds, music, texts, etc.) and permissions for the reproduction of personal images, thereby exempting the Association and its collaborators from any liability for non-compliance with these requirements.

✓ “Canarias Documental” will recognize the signatory of the registration application as the sole valid point of contact for all matters related to the audiovisual work’s participation in the Festival and as the sole party responsible toward other individuals or companies that may have participated in the film’s production.

✓ All films must be submitted in their original language.

✓ If the original version is not in Spanish (either in whole or in part), a copy with Spanish subtitles (SRT) (not embedded) must be submitted, along with a TXT file containing the Spanish transcript of the subtitles, including timecodes (00:00:00:00), for the purpose of translation into other languages.

Failure to meet this requirement may result in disqualification.

It is recommended that all films be submitted with non-embedded Spanish subtitles (SRT), ideally descriptive subtitles or subtitles for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

✓ A digital HD file (H264) or a link to view the film for selection purposes must be submitted via WeTransfer, Dropbox, or Google Drive using the participant’s account, or via a Vimeo link (with a download option).

✓ Starting October 19, ProDocumentales will contact all individuals responsible for the submitted films to confirm whether or not they have been selected.

Selected films must meet the following requirements:

✓ Selected films must submit their screening copies no later than 11:59 p.m. on November 7, 2026 (GMT+01:00, Canary Islands time).

✓ The only formats accepted for screening are ProRes or H264.

✓ A backup copy must also be submitted as an HD digital file (H264) not exceeding 50 GB, with subtitles (SRT) not embedded, in Spanish (optionally, you may submit SRT subtitles in English, French, and Portuguese). Do not submit copies with duplicate subtitles.

✓ None of these copies may contain specks, superimposed text, and/or watermarks unrelated to the film.

✓ In specific cases, upon prior consultation, other formats may be accepted.

✓ ProDocumentales reserves the right to reject any copies that do not meet the technical requirements for screening or fail to meet the established submission deadline, and reserves the right to replace them with another film.

✓ In exceptional cases, a new copy may be requested.

✓ In addition, the following materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on November 7, 2026 (GMT+01:00, Canary Islands time), and the rights to use them for promotional purposes for the “Canarias Documental” Festival must be granted:

➢ The documentary’s poster in .PNG format, measuring 1123 x 1587 pixels.

➢ 3 high-resolution stills from the documentary (.PNG).

➢ A trailer for the documentary in H264 format. If this is not submitted, the rights holder of the film authorizes the use of an excerpt from the work (maximum three minutes, or up to 10% of the total runtime) for dissemination as informational material in any media outlet, including the Internet.

➢ A high-resolution photograph of the director or directing team (.PNG).

Selected films will be notified in due course regarding how to submit screening copies and other requirements.

Considerations:

Selection of a film does not imply an invitation for a representative of the work (director, producer, distributor) to attend the Festival.

By virtue of their participation in the Festival, the individuals and/or companies responsible for the selected films shall grant the ProDocumentales Film and TV Association the rights to reproduce, publicly communicate, and distribute the trailer or excerpts thereof, free of charge and on a non-exclusive basis; and, in turn, authorize the free transfer of these rights to third parties (the Festival’s collaborators and sponsors), also on a non-exclusive basis, for dissemination through any medium and in any format, including ProDocumentales’ website and audiovisual platforms, as well as social media and mass media, where pre-roll advertising may be included.

The individuals and/or companies responsible for the films authorize ProDocumentales to use, reproduce, disclose, print, publish, and disseminate through any medium, websites, audiovisual platforms, media outlets, and social media, the names of the director, lead actors, and technical crew, as well as submitted photographs and images, for the purpose of carrying out, directly or indirectly, promotional and communication activities related to the audiovisual works participating in the Festival.

The individuals and/or companies responsible for the selected films shall grant the rights for the public screening of said films at no cost during the Festival.

They may also authorize the screening of their films as part of the Festival’s touring program in the various countries that request it. These screenings are always for cultural and nonprofit purposes.

The ProDocumentales Film and TV Association will retain a copy of the submitted films in its media library and may screen them in special programs exclusively for cultural and nonprofit purposes, subject to prior agreement with the film’s rights holders.

Submitting films to this call for entries implies full acceptance of these Rules, the interpretation and application of which are the responsibility of the ProDocumentales Film and TV Association, as the organizer of the “Canarias Documental” Festival. Any questions regarding these Rules must be directed exclusively to the organization via its official email address: canariasdocumental@gmail.com

The ProDocumentales Film and TV Association reserves the right to modify or cancel, in whole or in part, the activities of the “Canarias Documental” Festival in the event of any circumstance beyond its control that prevents the Festival from proceeding as planned.