The Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF) has launched the call for the 23rd edition of its National Screenwriting Competition, aimed at fostering the creation of short and feature-length fiction screenplays in Mexico.
Organized in collaboration with the Government of the State of Guanajuato, Fundación Expresión en Corto A.C., Escribe Cine A.C., Corporación Cinefilia, Catatonia Cine, and the Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE), the competition is open to Mexican authors and co-authors, as well as naturalized foreign residents or those with at least three years of legal residency in Mexico.
The registration period runs from March 26 to April 29, 2025, at 2:00 PM. Participants must submit their original screenplays, written in Spanish and formatted professionally, through the official GIFF website.
Winners will be announced during the festival’s closing and awards ceremony. Prizes include financial support and professional development opportunities. The feature-length screenplay category winner will receive a cash prize of $50,000 MXN, a script doctoring session valued at $4,000 USD, and direct admission to the 14th edition of LabGuion. The short film category winner will receive $20,000 MXN and a full scholarship for the TLAKUALI LAB Screenwriting Diploma at Catatonia Academia y Estudios Churubusco.
GIFF reaffirms its commitment to the national film industry by providing a platform for emerging voices and the professionalization of screenwriting in Mexico.
Competition Guidelines
- Open to Mexican authors and co-authors, as well as naturalized foreigners or foreign residents with a minimum of three years in Mexico. All participants must be at least 18 years old.
- Screenplays must be original, written in Spanish, and registered with the National Copyright Institute (INDAUTOR) in Mexico or the WGA West Registry in the U.S.
- Entries may be feature-length (85 to 120 minutes) or short films (1 to 10 minutes) and must follow professional screenplay formatting (Courier 12, single spacing).
- Each participant may submit only one screenplay, regardless of category.
- Priority will be given to projects that consider the current production possibilities of the Mexican film industry.
- Scripts will be evaluated by a panel of experts, and the jury’s decision will be final.
- Finalists will receive a certificate of participation and be invited to festival activities; however, travel, lodging, and meals will be at their own expense.
- Screenplays that have participated in previous editions will be disqualified.
- Registration is exclusively online through the GIFF official website.
The full call for entries and registration form can be found at: https://giff.mx/xxiii-concurso-nacional-de-guion-cinematografico-giff/
