Ideatoon 2026, organized by Pixelatl, is a call for animated project development aimed at Latin American creators with international market potential. The program focuses on early-stage development, requiring participants to submit a Pitch Bible for animated series or feature films. It is designed to strengthen projects through training, pitching sessions, and industry connections with international executives.
The application deadline is June 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM (Mexico City time). Selected projects are announced on June 25, 2026, followed by an intensive Bootcamp held from July 28 to 30, 2026. The process concludes during the Ideatoon Summit at the Pixelatl Festival in November 2026, where final pitches are presented to producers and distributors, and the winning project is announced on November 14, 2026.
Although the program is based in Mexico, it is open to creators from all Latin American countries. It accepts only animated projects in development, primarily series and feature films, rather than completed works. The initiative includes training sessions, mentorship, and access to a professional audiovisual market aimed at facilitating industry connections and project financing.
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Pixelatl - Ideatoon
Mecal Lab is a professional short film development program held annually in Barcelona, Spain, as part of the renowned Mecal Pro Festival. The lab selects five short fiction projects (under 30 minutes) and provides filmmakers with intensive training and mentoring through seven specialized workshops. These cover topics such as crowdfunding, script doctoring, marketing and distribution, sustainable filmmaking, public funding, AI in cinema, and pitching strategies. Each selected project receives personalized coaching and a €3,000 grant to support the film’s production.
The 2025 edition will take place from June 26 to July 6. Applicants must submit a biography of the director and producer, a motivation letter, a full project dossier, and the short film’s script. The application fee is €15, and the deadline is May 15, 2025.
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MECAL LAB
Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects. We champion and present the breadth of documentary form – film, television, immersive and art – in the vibrant city of Sheffield each June. We offer makers and audiences a place for inspiration, debate, development, learning and challenge. Our programming represents our core values – creativity, empathy, freedom, inclusivity and internationalism.
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Mercado de Sheffield DocFest
La convocatoria Projects Submission del FEST – New Directors | New Films Festival en Portugal (Espinho) invita a proyectos cinematográficos a participar en el Pitching Forum 2026. Las postulaciones están abiertas desde el 18 de diciembre de 2025 hasta el 6 de abril de 2026, con periodos Early Bird, regular y Late Fee según fechas específicas. El evento central se realizará durante el festival, que se celebra del 20 al 28 de junio de 2026, con sesiones de entrenamiento del 23 al 25 de junio y presentaciones finales del 26 al 27 de junio de 2026. Esta convocatoria acepta postulaciones internacionales sin restricción de país y no limita por género, recibiendo proyectos de cualquier género y técnica cinematográfica (ficción, documental, animación, experimental). El área principal es un Pitching Forum enfocado en desarrollo, financiación y co-producción, permitiendo la presentación ante profesionales de la industria. Se aceptan proyectos de largometraje, cortometraje y series en varias fases (desde desarrollo hasta post-producción), organizados en categorías como Feature Gems, Work In Progress, Make It Short y Series, según las reglas de participación.
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FEST — Pitching Forum
IDFAcademy 2026 is an intensive training program organized by the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) for emerging documentary directors and producers working on their first or second feature-length documentary. The program is designed to strengthen participants' artistic and professional development through workshops, case studies, talks, and networking opportunities with leading international documentary professionals.
The program welcomes international applicants from around the world and will take place in person in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from November 12 to 15, 2026. Applications are open from June 1 to August 1, 2026, with August 1, 2026 as the final submission deadline. Around 100 participants are selected through an international competitive process. Although the program is not project-driven, applicants are encouraged to have a documentary project in development or a recently completed film to maximize the benefits of the training experience.
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IDFAcademy
