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$13,500, to be used within 1-2 years. Evaluation criteria include originality, narrative quality, author motivation, and feasibility. Submissions are open from May 27 to August 31, 2025.
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Montevideo Cine LAB - Screenplay Contest
Ópera de Leyva: A space where the new Colombian cinema is born. Five first fiction feature film projects, selected by call, will have group workshops and personalized tutoring, with experts in project development, script, production, pitch and distribution.
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Leyva script pitch
The JIIFF Lab 2026 call is aimed at director-producer duos from Ibero-America developing a fiction feature project. The lab will take place from January 27 to 31, 2026 in José Ignacio, Uruguay, as part of the Working JIIFF industry program.
Participants will receive personalized mentoring from international experts in areas such as directing, screenwriting, editing, and audience design, along with networking opportunities and a final project pitch before a jury.
Projects must be in development, with a maximum budget of US$ 1,500,000 and at least 25% secured financing. Directors and producers must meet minimum experience requirements in short or feature films and festival participation, as well as residency in Ibero-America.
Awards include the Fondo Pfeffer del Sur, offering US$ 50,000 for project development, and the Musitelli Award, providing US$ 50,000 in filming equipment in Uruguay. Submission deadlines are October 31 and December 12, 2025.
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JIIFF LAB
The SGAE Foundation and the Sitges Festival are launching the first Josefina Molina Award for the best fantastic feature-length script written by women members of SGAE, to promote female visibility in the fantasy genre. The winner will receive €10,000. Eligible entries are original feature-length scripts in Spanish by female SGAE members of any nationality. The submission deadline is July 14, 2025, with materials to be emailed to iarmanda@fundacionsgae.org, including the script, registration form, synopsis, motivation, and proof of membership. The award will be announced during the 58th Sitges Festival, October 9–19, 2025, under the WomanInFan program. The prize honors Josefina Molina, a pioneer of Spanish fantastic cinema.
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Josefina Molina Award
Created by the Locarno Festival in 2014, Industry Academy is an intensive training program whose objective is to foster innovation in young professionals in the film industry, working specifically in the area of independent film circulation: online and traditional distribution , sales, film marketing, exhibition, festival programming, among others. The workshop acts as a shortcut for a new generation of professionals entering the independent film industry, encouraging their development and helping them better understand the challenges of the industry, as well as expand their networks. The objective of Locarno Industry Academy is also to build bridges of collaboration across different markets in Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, South Africa and South Asia.
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Australab - Industry Academy