Documenta Madrid opens call for competition entries
- As an international meeting point for creators, professionals, and the public, this festival highlights new languages in documentary filmmaking and serves as the flagship event for Cineteca Madrid.
- The call for national and international competition entries, as well as the 'Corte Final' section for Spanish works in the final stages of production, is open until February 20.
- The award structure is maintained: Best Film, 'Fugas' Award for creative risk, Cineteca Madrid Audience Award (National and International), CineZeta Award for Best Film, and the 'Corte Final' Award, in addition to the Agencia Freak Distribution Award.
Documenta Madrid, the International Film Festival organized by the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport, has opened the call for its 23rd edition for the national and international competitive sections, open to films of any length completed after January 1, 2025. Additionally, the registration period is now open for the 'Corte Final' section, designed to support Spanish productions or co-productions that have concluded filming or are in the final stages of production with an advanced rough cut.
Both calls opened on Friday and will remain active until February 20. The rules of participation and registration forms for films in competition and 'Corte Final' can be found on the Documenta Madrid website.
The festival, which will take place at Cineteca Madrid from May 26 to 31, invites audiences on a journey through the most diverse realities and aesthetics guided by filmmakers from around the world, highlighting the creative freedom of new cinematic languages and expressions within the documentary genre.
Sections and Awards
In its 23rd edition, the national and international competitions will feature three awards: the Jury Prize for Best Film, with a cash prize of 10,000 euros for each section; the 'Fugas' Award, with 5,000 euros for each section, intended to recognize innovation and the willingness to cross boundaries; and the Cineteca Madrid Audience Award, decided by viewer votes, with 1,000 euros for each section.
Films in the national competition will also be eligible for the CineZeta Award, which includes a diploma. This award is granted by the ten members of the CineZeta youth programming team—a Cineteca Madrid program that invites young people under 26 to learn the craft of film programming firsthand by presenting their own proposals two Saturdays per month at the Sala Borau.
Meanwhile, projects selected for 'Corte Final,' with a duration of 50 to 120 minutes, will be eligible for a cash prize of 4,000 euros. For the second year, Agencia Freak will also grant a Distribution Award, valued at 6,000 euros, which will allow one of the four selected projects to create the film’s production assets and receive distribution at festivals for two years from the moment of completion.
Furthermore, the jury may grant a special mention in each category (National Competition, International Competition, and 'Corte Final'), accompanied by a diploma.
Participation and Selection
The rules for the 23rd edition of Documenta Madrid state that all films in the international and national competitions must have been completed after January 1, 2025. Registration is completely free and must be done exclusively online through the official festival website at this link. The deadline for submitting films for the national and international competitions is February 20.
Regarding 'Corte Final,' the rules state that Spanish productions or co-productions that have concluded filming or are in the final stage with an advanced rough cut may participate. This registration is also free and must be done exclusively online via the festival's official website at this link, also by February 20.
The programming committee, which works with Cineteca’s artistic direction to design the festival contents and select films for competition, will be composed this year of: Pablo Caldera (philosopher, critic, and researcher); Irene Castro Rivas (programmer and co-founder of the Roedor project); Nuria Cubas (filmmaker, programmer, and director of FILMADRID International Film Festival); and Florencia de Mugica (producer and Industry coordinator at Seminci).
Any queries regarding the interpretation of the rules or the film registration process will be addressed by the festival team at info@documentamadrid.com.
Documenta Madrid is the flagship event of Cineteca Madrid, a symbol of non-conformist and inquisitive cinephilia. It also serves as a window to the world, its conflicts, and its chimeras, providing a rigorous yet human vision that transforms the viewer into an active agent of the encounter, cementing its role as an indispensable articulating event for Madrid’s culture.
Documenta Madrid Rules: [BASES ESPAÑOL] / [ENGLISH RULES]
Competition Section Registration Form: [INSCRIPCIÓN DE PELÍCULAS] / [FILM REGISTRATION]
'Corte Final' Section Form: [INSCRIPCIÓN SECCIÓN CORTE FINAL]
More information: