Cuban Institute of Cinematic Art and Industry (ICAIC) Announces Call for Entries for the 20th Gibara Low-Budget Film Festival

The Cuban Institute of Cinematic Art and Industry (ICAIC) has released the official call for entries for the 20th International Low-Budget Film Festival of Gibara, scheduled to take place from April 14 to 18, 2026.

This edition, which aims to celebrate twenty years of Humberto Solás's audiovisual revolution, will open its admission period on October 6 of this year, extending until January 5, 2026, according to the event's website.

Works of any nationality are eligible to compete. They must be presented in their original language with Spanish subtitles and must have been completed between 2024 and the closing date of this call.

As is customary for each installment, filmmakers will have different categories in which to register, including fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental film, each of which will be judged by prominent figures from national and international cinema. Interested parties must ensure they complete the registration form, which will be enabled on the Festival's website, as incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

A special reason for celebration at this gathering is the Festival's arrival at its twentieth anniversary, as it reaffirms the continuity of a project founded in 2003 that, despite years of a mandatory pause due the COVID-19 pandemic, has managed to stay alive for twenty editions, announced ICAIC.

Low-Budget Cinema is not just a name: it is a philosophy, a banner, and a movement that has transcended borders, consolidating Gibara as the epicenter of a committed, plural, and profoundly human cinema, states the call for entries.