ICOFF-GASTEIZ COMPETITION RULES

V INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL OF THE CAPITAL OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY

Vitoria-Gasteiz
May 18-23, 2026

CONDITIONS

The fifth edition of ICOFF-GASTEIZ. V INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL OF THE CAPITAL OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY will be held in Vitoria-Gasteiz between May 18 and 23, 2026.

Participation in ICOFF GASTEIZ is open to short film filmmakers born or residing in Spain. A national identity card (DNI) is required for participation in the case of Spanish citizens, and a residence permit or other supporting document in the case of residents who have not obtained Spanish nationality.

Films produced from 2025 onwards, with a maximum duration of 30 minutes and that have not been presented in previous editions of the festival, may be submitted to the festival.

The festival features an OFFICIAL COMPETITIVE SECTION called OFIZIALA. This section will include short FICTION, DOCUMENTARY, and ANIMATION films from across Spain, selected by the selection committee, that are premieres and have not been previously screened publicly in the province of Araba-Álava.

Another section is BAGARE, dedicated to short films from Álava, which will feature its own audience award. The aim of this section is to promote short films made in our historical territory.

In this fifth edition of ICOFF there will be a competitive section dedicated to international cinema called NAZIOARTEKOA, which will have its own award given by the public.

The films participating in the festival will be chosen by a selection committee that will view all the submitted short films and whose decision will be final. The awards will be given by an OFFICIAL JURY composed of prominent figures from the film and cultural worlds. This jury will be responsible for awarding the following prizes: ICOFF-GASTEIZ Grand Prize, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Actress and Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Basque Short Film. The jury's decision will be final.

The only award in the OFFICIAL section that will NOT be given by the OFFICIAL JURY is the Audience Award. Those attending the screenings in this section will determine the winning short film through their votes.

The films selected for ICOFF-GASTEIZ will be listed on the festival's website and in the downloadable PDF catalog, which will be available on the same website. The films will be screened in public sessions during the festival dates. The screenings will be of the highest possible quality and will use the DCP files provided by the selected filmmakers. DCP will be the only format for screening, and failure to provide the films in this format may result in the selection being revoked.

All screenings will take place at ARKABIA, C/ Postas, 13-15, 01005, Vitoria-Gasteiz. The organizers reserve the right to screen short films at other venues in the city or province, after obtaining the necessary permission for any short films they wish to program in those spaces.

ICOFF-GASTEIZ will invite representatives from each short film in the OFFICIAL section to present their work and discuss it after the screenings. Directors unable to attend will be invited to participate online in the subsequent discussion. Award winners will be invited to the closing ceremony to receive their prizes.

AWARDS

ICOFF-GASTEIZ Grand Prix: €2,000 trophy

Best Documentary: €800 trophy

Best Animation: €800 trophy

Best Basque Short Film: €800 trophy

Official Audience Award: €500 trophy

Best Director: €500 trophy

Best Screenplay: €500 trophy

Best Male Performance: €500 trophy

Best Female Performance: €500 trophy

BAGARE Award: €800 trophy

NAZIOARTEKOA Award: €1,000 trophy

REGISTRATION

Registration for the festival is free and will be done through the FESTHOME platform (www.festhome.com), by filling out the corresponding form and accepting the rules of the competition.

The registration period begins on February 19 and ends on April 1, 2026. Submissions received after the deadline will not be accepted.
The selection will be announced during April 2026 and published on the festival's website and social media. The winners will be notified.

Website: www.icoffgasteiz.com

Facebook: ICOFF-GASTEIZ
Instagram: @icoffgasteiz
X: @IcoffGasteiz
Email: icoffgasteiz@gmail.com