The 10th Scriptwriting Contest of the Skyline Benidorm Film Festival is open to both national and international screenwriters who wish to participate in a short film-focused competition. Participants can submit scripts in fiction, animation, or documentary, with a maximum length of 20 pages, written in Spanish or Valencian.
The submission period runs from November 17, 2025, to January 19, 2026, while the festival will take place from April 18 to 25, 2026, in Benidorm, Spain. Each author may submit up to three scripts, with a registration fee that varies depending on the number of submissions.
This contest is not a pitch, lab, or market; it is a pure scriptwriting competition judged by audiovisual industry professionals, whose decision is final. The main prize amounts to 1,500 euros, along with a trophy and official recognition in the credits of the future short film. The contest offers an opportunity to showcase original projects and connect with the professional short film industry.
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Screenwriting Contest - SkylineFest
Script Lab is a category within the documentary project development laboratory at DOC.LAB Coimbra 2026, held in Coimbra, Portugal. This call focuses on feature documentary projects in development that need to work on story argument and core texts, without participating in a pitch session. Applications are open until January 23, 2026 and the lab will take place in person from March 16 to 20, 2026. The call is international, welcoming projects from any country, and submissions may be in English or Portuguese as appropriate. Script Lab emphasizes scriptwriting and treatment development, with dedicated tutors and individual sessions to advance project texts. Selected participants also have opportunities to schedule meetings with industry professionals attending the festival. This format supports filmmakers in deepening narrative development and strengthening their documentary proposals at an early stage.
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SCRIPT LAB – DOC.LAB Coimbra
The Producers Showcase at the European Film Market (EFM) 2026 is aimed at Spanish producers with prior experience in international co-production and distribution, particularly in Europe. Eligible companies must have produced at least three feature films of any genre or format (fiction, documentary, or animation). The application deadline is January 23, 2026, and selections will be announced by late January. Five producers will be chosen to participate in the Showcase and networking activities at the EFM during Berlinale 2026, though market accreditation must be obtained separately.
Selected participants may receive travel and accommodation support of up to €1,500 per person. All pitches and professional meetings will be conducted in English, requiring strong language proficiency. Registration is free, and selected projects will be featured on official ICAA and ICEX channels. The call is national only, open exclusively to Spanish production companies, and accepts only advanced development feature film projects of any genre.
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Producers Showcase - EUROPEAN FILM MARKET
For the Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival – FICCI, the new talents of the film industry are a central focus of interest.
From this perspective, FICCI 64, with the support of Ibermedia, opens the call for La Residencia FICCI as a program of screenwriting aimed at directors and/or screenwriters from Ibero-America and Italy who have verified experience in short films and are developing their first or second feature-length fiction film.
The objective of La Residencia FICCI is to support participants in the initial phase of writing their feature-length screenplays in order to consolidate their artistic and conceptual proposals. In order to nourish the development stage of the projects, participants will also receive complementary inputs during LA RESIDENCIA FICCI on topics such as audience analysis, financing, marketing possibilities, distribution and circulation of the films, as well as other related topics.
FICCI invites the participation of emerging talents who are immersed in the deep exploration of cinema as an art, whose interest consists in reaching art to its contours, imagining new (or antique) ways and routes of relating to the world. Therefore, FICCI is interested in the multiplicity of ways of understanding and imagining filmmaking.
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The Residency - FICCI
Málaga Short Corner is a platform within MAFIZ focused on promoting and internationally distributing recent or notable Spanish short films. The 2026 edition, its fourth, will take place from March 10 to 12 during the Málaga Festival, aiming to connect filmmakers with programmers, sales agents, and audiovisual industry professionals.
Eligible films are Spanish short films up to 30 minutes long, either completed or in “work-in-progress” stage, as long as they are expected to premiere before the market screenings. Priority is given to projects with sales agents, distribution contracts, or strong export potential. All films must include English subtitles.
The deadline for submissions is January 11, 2026, with selection notifications expected around February 23, 2026. Submission requires completing the official form, and acceptance does not guarantee participation. This platform provides a strategic opportunity to showcase and distribute Spanish short films internationally, offering direct contact with key industry professionals.
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Málaga Short Corner
