Starting from 2003, Open Doors has been championing filmmaking from regions where independent cinema is especially challenging, building bridges for collaboration across regions, countries and continents. Through Open Doors' public and professional programs, we aim to provide a space where talents find support in every step of their creative and professional journey and where discussion and reinvention of today’s cinema can happen among free voices.
The ultimate goal of the Open Doors is to contribute to the development of a more collaborative worldwide film community without borders, while making the independent scene stronger and more sustainable.
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Locarno Open Doors
The 24 Risas por Segundo International Comedy Film Festival and Escribe Cine invite Mexican screenwriters to submit original comedy scripts, regardless of experience or residence. Submissions can be short films (max. 15 pages) or feature-length (max. 100 pages). Free registration runs from April 23 to 30, 2025; afterwards, a fee applies. The submission deadline is June 20, 2025. Winners will be announced on August 2, 2025. Selected projects receive mentoring, workshops, and awards for the best scripts. Participants must send two PDFs: the script (anonymous) and another with personal info, synopsis, biography, and legal documents.
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National Comedy Screenwriting Contest
Terra#LAB, organized by the Novos Cinemas Festival in Pontevedra, is a development lab for emerging filmmakers with first or second feature projects in writing, development, or pre-production stages. The call is open internationally, selecting at least seven projects, prioritizing Galician works and ensuring at least 50% female authorship.
The lab offers personalized mentoring, professionalization tools, project promotion, and a travel grant. Terra#LAB will take place from December 8 to 12, 2025, in Pontevedra, Galicia.
Projects should be fiction or documentary feature films in advanced development, without production started. Originality, artistic quality, and viability are key evaluation criteria. Participation requires acceptance of the rules and the commitment to include the Terra#LAB logo in the credits if the project is completed.
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TERRA#LAB
Vanguardia 2025 is an international film project incubator organized from Guatemala by Casa Comal, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Guatemala, and the Ícaro International Film Festival. It is aimed at Spanish-speaking producers, screenwriters, and directors with early-stage feature film projects (fiction, documentary, or animation). Training will be conducted virtually between July and August 2025, offering masterclasses and mentoring to strengthen project development, financing, and pitching skills. Participants will receive over 15 hours of training and have the opportunity to present a final pitch. One project will be selected to join the International Coproduction Meeting (EIC) at the Ícaro Market 2025. Registration is free, but participation costs $300 USD per selected project. Partial or full financial aid is available for eligible projects. The call is open until July 8, 2025, and results will be announced on July 11.
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CUTTING-EDGE INCUBATOR
The JIIFF Lab 2026 call is aimed at director-producer duos from Ibero-America developing a fiction feature project. The lab will take place from January 27 to 31, 2026 in José Ignacio, Uruguay, as part of the Working JIIFF industry program.
Participants will receive personalized mentoring from international experts in areas such as directing, screenwriting, editing, and audience design, along with networking opportunities and a final project pitch before a jury.
Projects must be in development, with a maximum budget of US$ 1,500,000 and at least 25% secured financing. Directors and producers must meet minimum experience requirements in short or feature films and festival participation, as well as residency in Ibero-America.
Awards include the Fondo Pfeffer del Sur, offering US$ 50,000 for project development, and the Musitelli Award, providing US$ 50,000 in filming equipment in Uruguay. Submission deadlines are October 31 and December 12, 2025.
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JIIFF LAB
