CONDITIONS
1. The festival is open to short films with majority production from the countries of the European continent. Short films with a majority Spanish production and/or Spanish direction must be entered in the National Short Film Competition. The selection committee will choose some of these short films to also participate in the European Competition.
2. Films made after January 1, 2025 and which have not been entered in previous editions of ALCINE may be submitted to the competition.
3. The screening copy format must be DCP or video editing formats in .mov or .mp with H.264 or H.265 (HEVC) codec.
4. The maximum length of films shall not exceed 40 minutes.
5. Films not spoken in Spanish or English must be subtitled in English or Spanish. If selected, the exhibition copy must include one SRT file in Spanish and one in English.
6. The registration period is divided into two phases:
First registration period: until 30 June 2026.
Second registration period (extended deadline): from 1 to 15 July 2026, both inclusive.
Entries submitted during either period will be assessed according to the same criteria; the date of submission will not influence the selection process.
GENERAL RULES
7. Each author may submit as many short films as he/she wishes.
8. A committee comprising industry professionals and festival organisers will be responsible for selecting, from among all the short films received, those that will form part of the European Short Film Competition. The selection committee will aim to achieve gender parity.
9. As an exception to the provisions of point 2, and in order to ensure greater variety and diversity of titles in competition, the organisers may, at their own initiative and discretion, invite a specific film to participate that was not screened in the last edition, even if it had been entered, provided that it was made after 1 January 2025.
10. The contact person indicated on the form will be informed of the result of the selection, whether positive or negative, at least three weeks prior to the festival.
Please add the e-mails under the domain alcine.org to your contacts in order to avoid the spam folder.
11. The selected films will be included in the Film Festival catalog and will be shown in public screenings during the festival dates. Screening dates and venues will be announced in the official Festival program.
12. In addition to the official sections, films are automatically eligible to participate in the parallel sections dedicated to: Children's Films; Comedy Films and/or Fantastic and Horror Films. The same film may be selected and aspire to the corresponding awards in one or more sections if so considered by the committee and the Organization.
13. The decisions of the Selection Committee and the Juries are final. To ensure the selection process is as impartial as possible, those responsible for the films are advised not to contact the Committee or the Organisation during the selection process, except for technical queries relating to the rules or the registration process.
14. The above point does not apply to technical enquiries regarding the rules or the registration process.
15. Appropriate tools will be provided to prioritize online submission, without the need to send and return physical media. In case of having to resort to physical media, the shipping costs of the selected films will be paid by the participants and the Organization will be responsible for the return of the films.
16. The Organization has sufficient guarantees to cover the costs of any possible damage or loss of projection copies or any other physical material delivered/sent by the participants, and will be responsible for their replacement.
17. A representative from each selected film (preferably the director) will be invited to the Festival on the day of their short film’s screening to take part in the presentation of the film and the subsequent discussion (if any). This invitation includes accreditation, accommodation and meals, all covered by the Organization.
18. The producers of the selected short films authorize the use of a fragment of the works (maximum three minutes), for its diffusion as informative and/or promotional material in any media, including the Internet.
19. Both the selection and the programming of each work will be communicated on ALCINE's social networks and official website, giving the same treatment to each selected short film.
20. These rules will be published both on ALCINE’s official website (alcine.org), through which short film entries will be submitted, and in the National Grants Database.
21. The registration period will begin the day after this call for entries is registered in the National Grants Database and will end on 15 July 2026.
22. Any matter not covered by these rules shall be resolved by the Organisation in a manner that is final and binding.
23. Participation in the competition implies full acceptance of the rules, as well as the Organisation’s resolution of any issue not covered herein. Online registration shall therefore constitute acceptance of the rules.
REGISTRATION
24. You will need to:
IN CASE OF SELECTION:
25. You will need to complete a second form with additional information and materials:
26. This second form must include the full names of the individuals and/or legal entities responsible for the various categories eligible for awards. Such awards, whether in cash or in kind, will be granted to the individuals and/or legal entities listed on said form.
27. The Organisation will give the selected films sufficient time to complete the required information via the second form. Should this not be completed in a timely and proper manner, the Organisation may interpret this as a lack of interest on the part of the film in participating in the festival and, consequently, may withdraw its selection.
28. Upon receipt of this documentation, the Organisation will provide the laurel (as a PNG image) and the documentary accreditation of the corresponding selection.
29. Films that are selected must send their screening copy within the timeframe and in the manner indicated once the selection has been announced.
30. During the festival, the films submitted will be available for viewing by invited professionals who request to do so.
31. A digital copy of all selected short films will become part of the Festival’s archives as a documentary collection; however, it will not be used publicly under any circumstances without the express permission of the production company.
32. The Organisers reserve the right to request that selected works be rated by the ICAA for public screening.
ONLINE EDITION (FILMIN)
33. In addition, the short film may be entered into the festival’s online edition via the Filmin platform.
34. The short films can be viewed on Filmin from the beginning of the festival for a maximum period of 30 days.
35. Profits accrued from the viewing will be distributed as follows.
36. Payment will be made by invoice, subject to the deductions and payment terms provided for by law. The invoice will be issued once FILMIN has paid the settlement to the Organisation.
37. Access to viewings will be restricted to those with a subscription to the platform and will be subject to the platform’s territorial policy.
38. Any matter not covered in these terms and conditions regarding the online edition shall be resolved in a final and binding manner by the FILMIN platform, with ALCINE acting, through the contracted company, as a mere non-profit facilitator.
JURIES
39. A jury, with an equal number of male and female members, will decide the competition’s awards. It will consist of an odd number of professionals from the film, artistic and cultural sectors, with members of the Organisation attending in an advisory capacity.
AWARDS
ALCINE is a qualifying festival for the OSCARS® in its short film categories. The First Prize ‘City of Alcalá’ at the European Short Film Competition will have the option to participate in the OSCARS® selection process, provided it is a fiction or animated short film.
The addition of any other prize or trophy not listed in these rules will be announced in due course via the festival’s communication channels (website, press releases, etc.).
PRIZES AND DISTRIBUTION
The prize money for the “Diamond Award for Best Short Film” will be awarded to the production company of the winning film. In the case of a co-production, arrangements will be made with the lead production company designated for this purpose. Any distributions or payments due to the co-production partners or the director of the winning film will be managed by the lead production company.
The prize money for the “Diamond for Best Director” and the audience choice awards will go to the director of the winning film. In the case of co-direction, the prize will be divided equally.
All amounts shall be subject to the deductions determined by current legislation.
Once the jury’s decision has been announced, the award-winning individuals and companies must provide their National Identity Card (NID)/Tax Identification Number (TIN), bank details, documentation proving tax residence, and any other information or documentation that the organisation deems necessary to process the payment prior to the public reading of the list of winners (13 November 2026).
Upon receipt of this documentation, the organisation will issue the laurel (in PNG format) and the documentary proof of the corresponding award.
If you are unable to attend the Closing Gala to collect the award trophy, it will be sent by post by the Organisation to the European address provided by the winner. In the event of loss or damage, the festival will not be responsible for replacing the trophy.
If you are unable to attend the Closing Ceremony to collect your award, the trophy will be sent by post by the Organisers to the address in Europe provided by the winner. In the event of loss or damage, the festival will not be responsible for replacing the trophy.
To participate in the 2026 edition of the European Short Film Competition of the Alcalá de Henares / Comunidad de Madrid Film Festival, please fill in the form and send the link of the short film for online viewing before July 15, 2026.
ALCINE 55 will be officially held between the 5th and 15th of November 2026 in Alcalá de Henares
ALCINE
CONCEJALÍA DE CULTURA
ANTIGUO HOSPITAL SANTA MARÍA LA RICA
CALLE SANTA MARÍA LA RICA, 3
28801 ALCALÁ DE HENARES (MADRID)
Tel.: +34 91 888 33 00 EXT. 6275/6279
E- mail: inscripcion@alcine.org
