27th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival
May 14 – 18, 2025 | Austin, Texas, USA
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Cine Las Americas invites filmmakers, producers, and distributors to participate in the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, now in its twenty-seventh year. The festival showcases contemporary films and videos from Latin America (North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean) and the Iberian Peninsula. Films and videos made by or about Latines in the U.S. or the rest of the world, as well as films and videos by or about Indigenous groups of the Americas are also invited to participate.
To be submitted for consideration, projects must have been completed after January 1, 2023. All entries are also eligible to participate in the festival’s non-competitive sections. For all works where the spoken language is not English, English subtitles and/or narration are required.
FESTIVAL AWARDS
The festival grants the following awards, designated to the director(s) of the film:
- Jury Awards in the categories: Best First or Second Dramatic [Narrative] Feature ($1200 USD); Best Documentary Feature ($1200 USD); Best Dramatic [Narrative] Short ($500 USD); Best Documentary Short ($500 USD); Best Music Video ($500 USD); Best Emergente Film ($250 USD).
- Audience Awards in the categories: Best First or Second Dramatic [Narrative] Feature ($800 USD), Best Documentary Feature ($800 USD), Best Hecho en Tejas (Made in Texas) Film ($500 USD), Best Music Video ($500 USD), and Best Emergente Film ($250 USD).
- Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) Award for Best Hecho en Tejas (Made in Texas) film ($700 USD).
SUBMISSION DEADLINES
Submissions should be at the Cine Las Americas office by the following dates and times:
- Deadline: January 22, 2025 (Entry fee US$35)
- Late Deadline: February 18, 2025 (Late entry fee US$75)
- Youth Films Deadline: February 18, 2025 (Youth Films pay no entry fee)
HOW TO SUBMIT
All entries this year must complete an entry form via our platform.
ENTRY FEES
- Each film submitted by the regular deadline is required to pay a non-refundable fee of US$35.
- Films submitted after the regular deadline and before the late deadline are required to pay a non-refundable late fee of US$75.
- Youth Film entries pay no fee.
- Students or NALIP US$25 regular deadline and US$50 late deadline. *A digital copy of student ID, or verification of NALIP membership, must accompany the submission.
PAYMENT
Entry fees can be paid online during the submission process using our submission platform.
INQUIRIES
Email: entries@cinelasamericas.org
ELIGIBILITY
General guidelines by which the festival determines eligibility:
- Contemporary films and music videos from Latin America (North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean) and the Iberian Peninsula are eligible to participate.
- Contemporary films and music videos made by Latines (from any part of the world) AND/OR about Latines (in any part of the world) are eligible to participate. Please note that a film or video does not have to be both made by AND about Latines; either of these elements will qualify a film for submission and review.
- Contemporary films and music videos made by Indigenous groups of the Americas AND/OR about Indigenous groups of the Americas are eligible to participate. Contemporary films and music videos made by Indigenous groups of the Americas AND/OR about Indigenous groups of the Americas are eligible to participate. Please note that a film or video does not have to be both made by AND about Indigenous groups of the Americas; either of these elements will qualify a film for submission and review.
- Contemporary films made by Latines filmmakers or about Latines subjects that are filmed in Texas are eligible to participate in the Hecho en Tejas category and will be considered for audience and jury awards. Projects submitted for this category, but not filmed in Texas, maybe moved to another category and would not be eligible for awards in this category.
- Projects must have been completed after January 1, 2023.
Direct questions related to the eligibility of your film or video to the Selection Committee at entries@cinelasamericas.org.
FILM SELECTION
Feature length and short films of all genres will be considered including dramatic, documentary, experimental, animation, and music videos. A pre-selection committee will screen official entries prior to recommendation to the final programming committee. Preference is given to regional or national premieres, as well as to films that have not screened theatrically in Austin or on national television in the USA prior to the festival.
Disclosure of all screenings is a prerequisite of application. Films that have screened in Austin, films that have been broadcast with coverage in Austin, and films that are available for viewing openly online are almost always ineligible for festival selection. Failure to disclose a film’s screening history, even if this history changes after submission, may affect the festival’s final programming decision; this may include canceling the participation of a film after it has been selected for the festival, to protect the integrity of the program.
The Cine Las Americas Film Festival Programming Department reserves the right to determine the eligibility and final programming decision of any submission.
YOUTH FILMS
As part of the annual Cine las Americas International Film Festival, CLA presents “Emergente”, a special competitive section open to youth filmmakers ages 19 and under. Original film, video and music video productions are accepted. Emergente will be showcased on Saturday, May 3, 2025, a week prior to the annual Cine las Americas International Film Festival (May 14-18, 2025).
RUNNING TIME CONVENTIONS
Total running time of 50 minutes or more is considered a Feature Film.
Total running time of 49 minutes or less is considered a Short Film.
LANGUAGES
For all works where the spoken language is not English, English subtitles and/or narration are required.
CAPTIONS & AUDIO DESCRIPTIONS
In an effort to provide a more accessible festival experience for all, we ask that filmmakers consider submitting with 1) closed captions in English for the English dialogue in their films to accommodate those with limited hearing or processing challenges, and 2) provide an “audio description file” in English for audience members who are visually impaired.
In the case of acceptance, Cine Las Americas will inform filmmakers of venue capabilities and again encourage these accommodations if possible.
SECURE PREVIEW SCREENERS
A secure (i.e. password protected) screener must accompany each submission. We accept secure online screeners through FilmFreeway. If a film is selected to participate in the festival, a digital copy of the film will be required immediately upon acceptance to be used for promotional purposes.
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Rough cuts and works-in-progress that are 90% complete may be submitted but must arrive by the regular submission deadline of January 22, 2025 to be considered. If a work-in-progress is selected for possible festival participation, a final, subtitled copy must be submitted for review by February 18, 2025. If a work-in-progress is selected for competition and a final, subtitled copy is not turned in by the above date, the corresponding submission will be disqualified.
ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATION
All participants will be notified via email whether or not their work has been accepted. A preliminary list of selected films will be announced at cinelasamericas.org by April 15th, 2025.
EXHIBITION FORMATS
Films will be screened from DCP and Blu-ray (NTSC Region 1 or Region Free), or a digital H.264 file. The final exhibition format for selected films will be decided between the programming team and the participating filmmakers, depending on the technical capacity of the different festival venues. DVD is not an acceptable exhibition format.
SHIPPING AND CUSTOMS
The participant will pay shipping costs and insurance of all materials sent to the festival. Please notify the festival by e-mail to traffic@cinelasamericas.org with the airway bill number. The festival will pay for shipping the exhibition copy back to its owner unless a different destination is agreed in advance with the producer or contact person.
For international shipping, four copies of a commercial invoice or customs declaration should be included with the package. The invoice or declaration should value the contents of the shipment for no more than US$20, and clearly state the contents of the package. The following statement should be included in the documentation, as well as on the exterior of the package: “For cultural purposes only, no commercial value. Sin valor comercial. Para fines culturales.” Cine Las Americas does not cover any customs fees.
LIABILITY
Once exhibition copies are received at the festival’s address, Cine Las Americas assumes responsibility for the copies’ safety. In case of loss or damage, Cine Las Americas is only responsible for reimbursement of the cost of making a new copy in the format received. The festival is not responsible for exhibition copies damaged or lost in transit.
PROGRAM SCHEDULING
The festival reserves the right to determine in which program section the selected films will screen, and to schedule selected films at the date, time and location of its choice.
PROGRAM SECTIONS
- New Releases (Non-competitive section)
- First and Second Dramatic [Narrative] Features in Competition
- Documentary Features in Competition
- Dramatic [Narrative] Shorts in Competition
- Documentary Shorts in Competition
- Hecho en Tejas (Made in Texas)
- Music Videos
- Emergente Youth Films
- Panorama: Non-competitive section for Features and Shorts
- Special Screenings: Classics, Retrospectives, and Co-Sponsored Programs
GUEST PARTICIPATION
The festival may hold virtual or in-person Question & Answer sessions with filmmakers and/or cast members.
REGISTRATION
Registration for Filmmakers and other Industry Members will be available at cinelasamericas.org closer to the festival dates. Inquiries, please contact register@cinelasamericas.org.
HOSPITALITY
Everyone is encouraged to attend the festival, where our staff and volunteers will work to make every participant’s stay in Austin a rewarding experience. However, Cine Las Americas can only provide travel and hotel arrangements for a very limited number of participants. Inquiries, please contact register@cinelasamericas.org.
CATALOG AND PRESS
Cine Las Americas will provide access via on-line screeners of selected films to the local press for reviews. The program schedule and select professional reviews are normally published in the dailies and weeklies immediately preceding the festival. A festival brochure is published and archived on our website for future reference. Print source information is published in the festival brochure and on the festival website.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
Promotional materials for films, such as postcards, posters, printed press kits, etc., should be sent to Cine Las Americas only upon acceptance of the submitted film. Festival staff reserves the right to discard all promotional materials sent to our offices before a film is officially accepted to the festival. The festival reserves the right to distribute promotional materials for selected films in accordance with the overall festival promotional strategy.
AGREEMENT
1) I have read, understood and complied with all eligibility and entry requirements.
2) I am legally authorized to submit this film or video to the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival.
3) If the film or video is selected to participate, I am legally authorized to and will provide a copy of the film or video for public screening during the dates of the festival in one of the eligible Exhibition Formats listed in the current Call for Entries guidelines.
4) I hold Cine Las Americas harmless from damage or loss of the exhibition copy while en route to or from the festival.
5) I have disclosed the release schedule of this film to the best of my knowledge, including theatrical, television, and on-line versions of the film; I understand that in the case that between the submission date of the film and its potential screening at Cine Las Americas, the film is scheduled for any kind of public exhibition in Austin and/or its vicinity, I must notify Cine Las Americas immediately.
6) To help ensure fairness and transparency, for any film to be considered for a CLAIFF award:
a) Films may not have received support – financial or production – from CLAIFF jury panel members. Should a CLAIFF jury member be associated with any film entry they are judging – including but not limited to as a volunteer, fiscal support, donor, contractor, crew, consultant – jury members must inform the CLA Programming Leads and Executive Director prior to the film festival.
b) Films may not have received support – financial or production – from any CLAIFF board members or staff associated with Cine Las Americas within the last 2 years of the festival. Does not apply to those who may have served in a non-supervising volunteer role.
c) Should the film’s creator have worked with CLA, been a judge or volunteered for the festival within the last 2 years of the festival, an assessment will be reviewed with the filmmaker and Programming Team to ensure and assess there is no conflict of interest before allowing for the film to be allowed for consideration to be in competition.
Films accepted into CLAIFF but not eligible for awards will still be screened during the festival, only in a non-competitive category.
7) Submissions selected for Cine Las Americas International Film Festival will be included in the Cine Las Americas archives housed and maintained at the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection at The University of Texas at Austin. Archives are for research and academic purposes only and not for public screenings. Archives serve a long term purpose of contributing to capturing the cultural record and timestamp for future generations to discover. If a filmmaker prefers their film not be included, please email Cine Las Americas at cine@cinelasamericas.org.