Cartagena Negra Cortometrajes (9)

Festival start: 10 September 2025      Festival end: 13 September 2025

The genre of the short films will be exclusively film noir, mystery or thriller.

Cash Prizes: 500€

Premio al mejor cortometraje "Cartagena Negra", dotado con 500€ y placa conmemorativa

Consult the rules and regulations in Spanish

1. Works presented

In the 9th Cartagena Negra Short Film Contest, only short films with the following characteristics may be submitted:

• Maximum duration: 25 minutes.

• Technique: there are no restrictions.

• Country of origin: there are no restrictions.

• Production date: only works made after January 1, 2024 will be accepted.

• language: the works will be presented in their original language. In the case of a version other than Spanish, the work must have subtitles in Spanish or attach the list of original dialogues with a translation into Spanish.

• Number of short films: there is no limit to the number of works presented. Each author may participate with as many short films as he or she considers.

2. Gender

The genre of the short films submitted to the competition must be: film noir, police, mystery or thriller. This genre can be approached with total creative freedom, from different perspectives, approaches or styles.

3. Rights and responsibilities

The filmmakers who participate in the contest will be responsible for not violating the rights of third parties due to the use of musical pieces in the works presented, nor for any claim for image rights of the people who appear in them, exempting the organization from any type of responsibility.

The works presented will not be uploaded to any streaming platform, but the festival may edit and use printed material of the works that are exhibited. Likewise, you may use a fragment of the work (maximum of one minute) for dissemination in the media, your website and social networks in order to promote the activities of Cartagena Negra.

The organization assumes that the people or groups that register the works have the rights to exhibit them, as well as the authorization to receive the prize in the case of collective authorship. In any case, the organization is exempt from any liability that may arise from the violation of these bases and from the claim for payment of copyright for public communication or other intellectual property rights.

Short films that were presented or selected in the previous edition will not be admitted.

4. Submission deadline

Short films may be submitted from the date of publication of these rules until June 1st, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

5. Presentation method

In order to participate, it will be necessary to use one of the following platform: FESTHOME, and it is essential to complete the registration form provided by each platform and adhere to the video formats supported by each one. Registrations must include the form and additional information about the short film that the production company considers appropriate. Indicating at all times a contact telephone number or email.

Short films may be submitted using one of the following platform:


• https://festivals.festhome.com/

6. Jury

The jury will be made up of professionals from the audiovisual field selected by the festival's steering committee. The jury's decision is final. The jury may declare the prize void.

7. Finalists

From among all the participating short films, the jury will select four finalist short films.


The finalists will be screened at the rate of one short film per day within the events of the official programming of Cartagena Negra 2025.

The screenings will be subject to possible changes in the official programming according to the festival management. The festival management decides the dates and times in which the participating films are exhibited.

The four finalist short films will also be broadcast, in a single screening, on local television TeleCartagena with the aim of giving them greater dissemination and notoriety.

8. Winner

From among all the participating short films, and once the four finalists have been selected, the jury will select the winning short film.

The winning short film will receive a cash prize of €500 and a commemorative plaque will be presented.

The director or person responsible for the award-winning short film undertakes to attend the Festival's closing gala (Saturday, September 13) except in cases of force majeure.

The organization will cover the accommodation costs that night for the director of the award-winning short film and a companion.

The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, September 13, 2025 in the afternoon, within the official festival programming. That same day a second exhibition will be held within the festival activities, as well as in TeleCartagena.

The prize cannot be awarded ex aequo. The prize may be void.

9. Acceptance of the bases

The Festival will not take into account registered short films that do not comply with all the requirements established in these regulations.

The presentation of the works implies knowledge and acceptance of these rules by the participants. To resolve any questions, you can contact the organization of the event. When faced with possible translations of this text, the bases published in Spanish will always prevail.