Festival Internacional de Cinema Florianopolis Audiovisual Mercosul (FAM)

Overview

The Festival Internacional de Cinema Florianopolis Audiovisual Mercosul (FAM) is the oldest film festival in southern Brazil and one of the longest-running in the country. The 30th edition runs September 3 to 9, 2026, in Florianopolis, the island capital of Santa Catarina state. The festival is organized by Associacao Cultural Panvision, a non-profit cultural organization, and is funded through Brazilian cultural incentive laws (lei de incentivo a cultura) with sponsorship from ANCINE (National Cinema Agency), Petrobras, Itau Unibanco, and Sebrae.

FAM is exclusively for productions and co-productions from Mercosul countries and associates: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. This regional focus distinguishes it from broader international festivals and makes it a primary platform for Latin American Southern Cone cinema.

The 29th edition in 2025 received 1,214 film submissions, selected 73 films from 11 countries, and screened 78 films across 9 competitive shows. The festival held 32 cinema sessions and over 100 activities (debates, workshops, lectures), totaling more than 400 hours of programming. Attendance exceeded 9,100 people over 7 days. Over its 28 editions prior to 2025, FAM has exhibited more than 2,000 films, held more than 600 formation activities, and accumulated an audience of more than 250,000 people.

The festival integrates film screenings with a co-production market (Encontro de Coproducao do Mercosul, ECM+LAB), a film forum (Forum Audiovisual Mercosul), and an intensive filmmaking lab (Rally Panvision). This combination of exhibition, market, and formation makes FAM one of the few Latin American festivals that functions as both a screening destination and an industry platform.

Submission Details

Submissions are made through the Panvision website via the online registration system (Sistema de Inscricoes).

2026 Festival Submission Deadlines:

• Submissions open: March 31, 2026
• Submission deadline: June 17, 2026
• Selected films announced: August 3, 2026
• Festival dates: September 3 to 9, 2026

Submission Fees:

• Standard submissions: Free (no entry fee for all competitive shows)
• Work in Progress (WIP) show: R$100 (approximately $20 USD, linked to the ECM+LAB market event)

Eligibility:

• Films completed in 2025 or later, all genres accepted
• Open to productions and co-productions from Mercosul countries and associates: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
• Categories: Curtas (shorts), Longas (features), Videoclipes
• Films do not need to be premieres, except in the Mostra Curtas Catarinenses (Santa Catarina shorts show), where national premiere status is required
• Brazilian films must include closed captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers (Legenda para Surdos e Ensurdecidos, LSE). The full accessibility package (LSE, Libras, and audio description) is encouraged.
• Films in post-production can be submitted to the Work in Progress show

Key Sections

Competitive Shows (2025/2026):

• Mostra Longas - feature films (fiction and documentary) from Mercosul countries
• Mostra Curtas - short films from Mercosul countries
• Mostra Curtas Catarinenses - short films from Santa Catarina state (national premiere required)
• Mostra Infanto-Juvenil - youth and children's films
• Mostra Videoclipe - music videos
• Mostra Work in Progress (WIP) - films in post-production, linked to ECM+LAB market
• Mostra Especial Lei Paulo Gustavo - films funded under the Paulo Gustavo Law
• Mostra Online - online screenings (Mostra Petrobras On-line via YouTube, Mostra IC Play via Itau Cultural Play)

Industry Programs:

• Encontro de Coproducao do Mercosul (ECM+LAB) - co-production market, 10th edition in 2026, 3-day in-person event plus online stage, connecting independent production companies across Latin America
• Forum Audiovisual Mercosul - industry forum and policy discussions
• Rally Panvision - 100-hour intensive filmmaking lab where selected participants from 8+ Latin American countries create short films during the festival, with mentoring, technical support, and production assistance
• Conversas FAM de Cinema - post-screening debates between filmmakers and audiences

What Filmmakers Should Know

The free submission policy is a significant advantage for Mercosul-region filmmakers. Unlike most festivals that charge $40 to $85 per submission, FAM eliminates the financial barrier to entry. The only paid submission category is the Work in Progress show (R$100), which is linked to the ECM+LAB co-production market and offers a different value proposition: exposure to potential co-production partners rather than just screening opportunities.

The ECM+LAB co-production market is the festival's primary industry platform. The 10th edition in 2026 will be a special Ibero-America edition, expanding beyond Mercosul to include broader Latin American co-production opportunities. For filmmakers with projects in development or post-production, ECM+LAB provides access to production companies, distributors, and potential co-producers from across the continent. The WIP show within this market allows filmmakers to screen rough cuts and receive audience feedback while seeking completion funding.

The Rally Panvision lab is unusual among film festivals: 30 participants from 8+ Latin American countries are selected for a 100-hour immersive experience during the festival, creating short films from assigned challenges with technical support and pedagogical guidance. The resulting films are screened publicly at the festival. For emerging filmmakers, this program provides production experience, international collaboration, and a festival credit within a single week.

FAM's restriction to Mercosul countries and associates means that filmmakers from outside this region (North America, Europe, Asia, Africa) are not eligible for the competitive shows. However, the festival's industry programs (ECM+LAB, Forum Audiovisual) may accept international participants interested in Latin American co-production. Check the Panvision website for current ECM+LAB eligibility.

The requirement for Brazilian films to include LSE (closed captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers) follows Brazilian accessibility law (Instrucao Normativa 116/2014 of Ancine, Lei Brasileira de Inclusao 13.146/2015). Non-compliant Brazilian films will not be accepted. International films should check whether accessibility requirements apply to their submissions.

Major Awards

The festival awards the Trofeu Panvision across competitive categories. Each competitive show has both an Official Jury winner and a Popular Jury (audience) winner:

2025 Edition Winners:

• Best Feature Film (Official Jury): Sone Su Nombre by Angela Carabali (Colombia) - a documentary about a journey through Colombia to indigenous lands where the director's father, an Afro-descendant farmer, was a victim of forced disappearance
• Best Feature Film (Popular Jury): Kuarahy Ara - El Tiempo del Sol by Hugo Gamarra (Paraguay)
• Best Short Film (Official Jury): La Falta by Carmela Sandberg (Argentina/Uruguay co-production)
• Best Short Film (Popular Jury): Rainha by Raul de Lima (Para, Brazil)
• Best Santa Catarina Short (Official Jury and Press Jury): A Lua dos Beijos Silentes by Mika Queiroz (Florianopolis)
• Best Santa Catarina Short (Popular Jury): Adelante, Professora by Ana Laura Baldo (Florianopolis)
• Best WIP Film (Official Jury): AL-BUHAYA by Lucas Moro and Manuel Rossel (Brazil/Spain)
• Best Youth Film (Official Jury): Nao e Sobre Pasteis by Tiago Ribeiro (Minas Gerais)
• Best Videoclip (Official Jury): D'Africa - Preto Tipua by Chico Rasta (Piaui)
• Rally Panvision Winner: Noah by Team 3 (5 Brazilians and 1 Colombian)
• RECAM Honorable Mention: Maos Rapper by Giuliano Robert (Parana) - awarded by the Specialized Meeting of Cinematographic and Audiovisual Authorities of Mercosul

Additional awards include the Premio Player (consulting prize from Andar Consultoria Audiovisual), accessibility-related prizes, and partner organization awards.

Festival History

FAM was founded in 1997 by Associacao Cultural Panvision, making it one of the oldest continuously operating film festivals in Brazil. The festival was established to create a platform for cinema from the Mercosul region, reflecting the cultural and economic integration goals of the Southern Common Market.

The festival is led by siblings Marilha Naccari and Tiago Santos. Over 29 editions, it has grown from a regional event into a recognized platform for Latin American cinema, with the ECM+LAB co-production market (reaching its 10th edition in 2026) establishing FAM as an industry hub rather than purely a screening festival.

The 30th edition in 2026 is a milestone year, with special programming organized around the anniversary. The festival's commitment to Latin American integration is reflected in its acceptance of films from 10 Mercosul countries and associates, its Ibero-America-focused co-production market, and its formation programs that bring together filmmakers from across the continent.

FAM is produced through Brazilian cultural incentive laws, with support from the Franklin Cascaes Cultural Foundation, the Florianopolis Municipal Government (via the Paulo Gustavo Law and Catarinense Cinema Prize), the Santa Catarina State Culture Foundation, the State Government of Santa Catarina, and the Ibermedia Program. Master sponsorship comes from Petrobras, with additional sponsorship from ANCINE, Itau Unibanco, and Sebrae.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For festival strategy and submission planning, see Film Festival Strategy. To estimate your probability of acceptance, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For Latin American cinema context, see International Film Markets. Submission guidelines and regulations are available on the Panvision website.