Festival Internacional de Cine de Santa Cruz (FENAVID)

Overview

FENAVID (Festival Internacional de Cine de Santa Cruz) is Bolivia's leading film festival, held annually in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Organized by the Audiovisual Foundation (FUNDAV), the festival presents 150+ screenings per edition, all free to the public. The 26th edition will take place in 2026 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

FENAVID is free to enter. Submissions are open via the official website with a deadline of July 27, 2026. The festival accepts features, shorts, documentaries, animation, university films, children's films, and national music videos produced between 2024 and 2026.

In 2025, FENAVID was accredited as one of 29 Iberoamerican festivals eligible to submit short films to the Premio Ibershorts at the Festival de Malaga in Spain. The two Bolivian short film winners at FENAVID automatically qualify to compete at Ibershorts for the Silver Biznaga for Best Iberoamerican Short Film.

Submission Details

• Submission platform: Official website form
• Entry fee: Free. The festival does not charge submission fees and does not pay screening fees for selected films.
• Deadline (26th edition): July 27, 2026, 23:59 Bolivia time
• Production year: Films produced between 2024 and 2026
• Language: All films must be spoken or subtitled in Spanish
• Submission format: Online via protected link (Vimeo with password or Google Drive with viewing permissions). Selected films will be coordinated with the festival for final delivery.
• Contact: fenavidinternacional@gmail.com / Tel: 591-3-535707 / Cel: 77393039

Competition Categories

Feature Films

• Feature Fiction: 60 minutes or longer
• Feature Documentary: 60 minutes or longer

Short Films

• Short Fiction: up to 30 minutes
• Short Documentary: up to 30 minutes
• Short Animation: up to 30 minutes

University Short Films

• University Short Fiction: up to 20 minutes
• University Short Documentary: up to 20 minutes

Additional Categories

• Children's Short Film: Fiction and animation
• National Music Video: Bolivian music videos

Awards

• FENAVID 2026 Trophy: Awarded in each competition category
• SIGNIS Prize: Awarded to best feature documentary and best feature fiction (SIGNIS is the International Catholic Association for Communication)
• Audience Award: Awarded to best feature fiction by audience vote
• The jury reserves the right to declare any category vacant and to grant special mentions

Santa Cruz 100X100 Film Production Meeting

A distinctive FENAVID program running for over 20 years. 25 emerging Latin American filmmakers are selected to travel to Santa Cruz de la Sierra and produce a short film in 100 hours.

• Format: 5 teams of 5 participants each. Teams must work with an internationally invited actor/actress and a designated theme.
• Eligibility: Filmmakers up to 35 years old with certified experience in at least one area of film production (directing, producing/art, cinematography, sound, or editing). Basic or intermediate competence in other areas required.
• Selection criteria: Specialty, experience, country/city, age, and gender
• Selected participants receive: Free participation in the immersion program, expert mentorship, permanent pitch sessions in each area, free access to workshops, conferences, and advisory sessions
• Output: 5-minute short films screened at a premiere during the festival. A jury selects the winning short film.
• Prize: Caa Iya FENAVID 2026 Trophy and certificate for each team member, plus recognition for the lead actor
• Application deadline: August 20, 2026
• Application platform: FENAVID website

Rally Cinematografico

An additional competitive program announced alongside the main competition and Santa Cruz 100X100 for the 2026 edition. Details available on the FENAVID website.

What Filmmakers Should Know

FENAVID does not have an attached film market or industry sales platform. The festival's value lies in regional exposure, the Ibershorts qualification pathway, and the Santa Cruz 100X100 immersion program.

The Ibershorts accreditation means that short film winners at FENAVID 2025 and onward automatically qualify for the Premio Ibershorts competition at the Festival de Malaga in Spain. This gives Bolivian and Latin American short filmmakers a direct pathway to one of the most significant Iberoamerican festival competitions.

All screenings at FENAVID are free to the public, which means high audience turnout but no ticketed revenue for the festival. The festival has presented over 10,000 audiovisual works from 30 countries since its founding.

Films must be in Spanish or subtitled in Spanish. Non-Spanish-language films must include Spanish subtitles. The festival does not handle customs retention or cover shipping costs for physical media submissions.

The festival takes place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia's largest city and economic center, located in the tropical lowlands east of the Andes. This distinguishes it from high-altitude Andean cultural centers like La Paz.

Festival History

FENAVID was founded in 2001 by the Audiovisual Foundation (FUNDAV) in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The first edition was held that year, and the festival has operated annually since, reaching its 26th edition in 2026.

Over its history, the festival has hosted internationally recognized guests including Celso Franco (star of "7 Boxes"), Colombian actress Marisol Correa, Alexandre Rodrigues and Leandro Firmino (stars of "City of God"), Argentine producer Vanessa Ragone (Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film 2010), Bolivian directors Marcos Loayza and Rodrigo Bellot, and Argentine actress Aymara Rovera.

The Santa Cruz 100X100 program has run for over 20 years, making it one of the longest-running festival production immersion programs in Latin America. It has brought together emerging filmmakers from across the region to produce short films under intense time constraints with professional actors.

In 2025, FENAVID was accredited as one of 29 Iberoamerican festivals eligible to submit short films to the Premio Ibershorts at the Festival de Malaga, marking a significant expansion of the festival's international impact for short filmmakers.

The 2025 edition was held October 6-12 in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

See Also

Use the Festival ROI Calculator to evaluate submission costs and potential audience reach. For festival strategy guidance, see Film Festival Strategy. For Latin American cinema context, see International Film Markets.