MERCADOC.0 is an initiative by the Festival de Málaga and Culturia that will take place from March 18 to 21, 2025, as part of MAFIZ, the industry section of the festival. The event aims to foster innovation in Ibero-American documentaries by focusing on artistic, financial, and new business models development.
MERCADOC.0 offers training and personalized advice to directors and producers, while facilitating opportunities for international co-productions, distribution, and global business exploration. The event will select up to 12 projects (6 from Latin America and 6 from Spain and Portugal) in various documentary genres such as author documentaries, social media documentaries, docu-reality, and investigative documentaries.
The initiative also provides a platform to connect with industry professionals and increase the visibility of Ibero-American documentaries on a global scale.
Review official bases.
MERCADOC.0
Plataforma VLC 2026 is the industry and professional development section of DocsValència Espai de No Ficció, focused on supporting documentary projects. The call is aimed at Valencian filmmakers and producers, as well as international applicants who can prove at least one year of fiscal residence in the Valencian Community. Non-fiction projects of any theme, narrative approach, and length are eligible, including short films, feature-length documentaries, and transmedia projects at different stages of development.
The submission period runs from January 19 until February 26, 2026 at 11:59 pm, which is the final deadline. Plataforma VLC is divided into two tracks: Incubator, for early-stage projects, and One Step from Internationalization, for projects in advanced development or production.
Activities will begin with an online welcome session on April 16, 2026, followed by in-person activities in Valencia from May 18 to May 22, 2026, including workshops, a pitching session, and one-to-one meetings with international documentary industry professionals.
Review official bases.
VLC Platform – DocsValència
Industry Academy Costa Rica is an intensive training program created by the Locarno Film Festival in 2014, designed for young professionals in the film industry working in areas such as distribution, sales, marketing, exhibition, and festival programming.
The second edition of Industry Academy Costa Rica will take place in the last week of June 2025 at the Museum of Art and Contemporary Design (MAUCC), in collaboration with the Costa Rica Film Commission, Pacifica Grey, and Procomer.
Review official bases.
Industry Academy Costa Rica
The Sundance Institute currently has several open or upcoming application deadlines for 2025‑2026 supporting independent artists and projects. Key deadlines include the 2026 Episodic Lab closing on November 9, 2025, the Merata Mita Fellowship on November 3, 2025, the Graton Fellowship on December 8, 2025, and the Native Lab on December 22, 2025. The Sundance Ignite x Adobe Fellowship deadline is February 12, 2026, and the Feature Film Producers Track closes around February 11‑12, 2026. The Ignite Challenge accepts applications through July 1, 2026. These opportunities span labs, fellowships, mentorships, and development tracks for filmmakers and storytellers. Most programs are open to international applicants, though some (like Native Lab and Graton Fellowship) have specific community or regional eligibility requirements. Additionally, submission windows for film and episodic content for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival occurred during mid‑2025, with the festival itself scheduled from January 22 to February 1, 2026. These dates represent the latest publicly available deadlines across multiple Sundance initiatives.
DIFFERENT DATES FOR ACTIVITIES
Review official bases.
Sundance Institute
The Industry Academy Colombia is an intensive training program created by the Locarno Film Festival in 2014, aimed at young professionals in the film industry working in areas such as distribution, sales, marketing, exhibition, and festival programming.
The second edition of the Industry Academy Colombia took place from July 14 to 18, 2024, in collaboration with the Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM).
Review official bases.
Industry Academy Colombia
