Mar del Plata International Film Festival

Overview

The Mar del Plata International Film Festival is the only FIAPF Category A competitive festival in Latin America. It shares this accreditation with 14 other festivals worldwide, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and San Sebastian. The 41st edition takes place November 5 to 15, 2026, in Mar del Plata, Argentina's Atlantic coast resort city 400 kilometers south of Buenos Aires. The festival is organized by the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA) under the Argentine Secretariat of Culture, in partnership with the Ente Municipal de Turismo y Cultura de Mar del Plata (EMTURyC).

The 40th edition in 2025 screened nearly 200 films across 10 days under the theme "The Rebirth of Splendor." The festival runs multiple competitive sections: International Competition (features), Latin American Competition, Argentine Competition, International Short Film Competition, Latin American Short Film Competition, Argentine Short Film Competition, and En Transito (Work in Progress). Films must have been completed within the 12 months preceding the festival start date and must not have had prior public screenings in Argentina.

The Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film is the top prize in the International Competition. At the 40th edition, the award went to Calle Malaga by Maryam Touzani, which also won Best Actress for Carmen Maura and the Audience Award. Other 40th edition winners included Vache Folle (Special Jury Prize, shared Best Screenplay with Pablo Trapero's & Sons), La Gioia (Best Director, shared Best Actor for Saul Nanni), and Risa y la cabina del viento (Best Argentine Feature, Best Argentine Director for Juan Cabral). The Latin American competition was won by 3.000 km en bicicleta by Ivan Vescovo.

Submission Process and Fees

Submissions for the 41st edition are open from May 4 to June 30, 2026, with a deadline extension to July 15, 2026. The process is exclusively online through the festival website.

Submission fees:

Requirements:

• Films must have been completed between November 2025 and November 2026
• Films must not have had prior public screenings in Argentina
• Films must be presented in their original language with English subtitles and electronic Spanish subtitles
• Screening copy must be delivered in DCP format by October 5, 2026
• Maximum file size for submission download link: 2GB (password valid until November 15, 2026)
• Programmed films may not be commercially released in Argentina until the end of the festival

The festival notifies all applicants of results once the selection process is complete. The programming team recommends films based on artistic and innovative values, with final selection made by festival authorities to ensure compatibility with FIAPF competitive standards.

Key Sections

• International Competition - feature films competing for the Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film
• Latin American Competition - films from Latin America competing for Best Latin American Film
• Argentine Competition - new Argentine features and short films, with Best Feature and Best Director awards
• International Short Film Competition - competitive short film program with Best Short Film award
• Latin American Short Film Competition - short films from Latin America
• Argentine Short Film Competition - Argentine shorts with Best Short Film award
• En Transito (Work in Progress) - works in progress competing for the En Transito Award
• Independent Awards - SIGNIS, ACCA, RECAM, FNA, and FIPRESCI prizes awarded by external juries

Awards and Prizes

International Competition

• Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film
• Special Jury Prize
• Best Director
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Screenplay
• Up to 2 Special Mentions (jury may grant)
• Only 1 ex aequo award permitted (not for Best Film)
• No film may receive more than 2 awards

Argentine Competition

• Best Feature Film
• Best Director
• Up to 2 Special Mentions

Short Film Competitions

• Best Short Film - International Competition
• Best Short Film - Argentine Competition
• Up to 1 Special Mention per category

Other Awards

• En Transito Award - best work in progress
• Audience Award - voted by attendees at the first and second screenings of each International Competition film at the Auditorium Theatre

Independent Awards (40th edition)

• SIGNIS Award - Flood by Martin Gonda
• ACCA Award (Argentine film critics) - La casa by Gustavo Trivino
• FIPRESCI Award (international critics) - Night Stage by Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon
• RECAM Award (MERCOSUR) - Mientras tanto by Flor Berthold and Carla Scatarelli
• FNA Award (National Arts Fund) - El borde de las cosas by Justo Dell Acqua

What Filmmakers Should Know

For International Filmmakers

Mar del Plata is the only Latin American festival with FIAPF Category A accreditation. This places it in the same tier as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Moscow, Montreal, Shanghai, Tokyo, Warsaw, Cairo, and San Sebastian for competitive festival status. The International Competition is the festival's flagship section. Submission costs USD 60 for features and USD 30 for shorts. Films must not have screened publicly in Argentina before the festival. The Audience Award is determined exclusively at the end of the first and second screenings of each International Competition film at the Auditorium Theatre.

For Argentine Filmmakers

The Argentine Competition is the primary domestic platform within the festival. Submission fees are ARS 60,000 for features and ARS 30,000 for shorts. The 40th edition awarded Best Argentine Feature to Risa y la cabina del viento by Juan Cabral, who also won Best Director. The ACCA (Association of Argentine Film Critics) independently awards the best Argentine film across all competition sections. Programmed films cannot be commercially released in Argentina until the festival ends, which means Argentine premieres at Mar del Plata delay domestic theatrical release.

For Latin American Filmmakers

The Latin American Competition provides a dedicated competitive section for films from the region. The 40th edition winner was 3.000 km en bicicleta by Ivan Vescovo. The RECAM Award (MERCOSUR audiovisual authorities) specifically recognizes the best MERCOSUR short film. The FIPRESCI Award at the 40th edition went to Night Stage, a Latin American competition film. Latin American films can also submit to the International Competition, but the Latin American Competition offers a less crowded field.

For Work in Progress Projects

The En Transito section accepts projects in advanced editing stages. The 40th edition award went to Cuero by Joaquin Camre, which also received the Banco Galicia, Cinecolor, and El Cono del Silencio sponsor prize. This section provides visibility before sales agents, distributors, programmers, and jury members.

Festival History

Mar del Plata was founded in 1954, making it one of the oldest film festivals in the Americas. The festival has operated with interruptions during periods of political turbulence in Argentina, particularly during the military dictatorships of the 1960s through 1980s. The festival was reactivated in 1996 after a long hiatus and has run annually since then, growing into Latin America's only FIAPF Category A event.

The festival is named after the Astor Piazzolla, the Argentine tango composer. The top prize, the Astor Piazzolla Award, is named in his honor. The festival's identity is tied to Mar del Plata's status as Argentina's primary seaside resort, a city of Art Deco architecture and grand casinos that serves as the national vacation destination. The festival takes place in November, during the Argentine spring, outside the peak summer tourist season.

Argentina's film tradition gives the festival a deep domestic cinema culture. Directors associated with the New Argentine Cinema movement, including Lucrecia Martel, Pablo Trapero, and Lisandro Alonso, have had significant presence at the festival. The 40th edition in 2025 demonstrated the festival's international reach: the Best Feature Film winner was Moroccan director Maryam Touzani's Calle Malaga, starring Spanish actress Carmen Maura.

The festival is organized by INCAA (Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales), Argentina's national film institute, under the Argentine Secretariat of Culture. For the third consecutive year as of 2026, the festival operates in partnership with EMTURyC (Ente Municipal de Turismo y Cultura de Mar del Plata) under the Municipality of General Pueyrredon.

Practical Information

• 41st edition dates: November 5 to 15, 2026
• Location: Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (400 km south of Buenos Aires)
• Submission window: May 4 to June 30, 2026 (extended to July 15, 2026)
• Submission platform: mardelplatafilmfest.com
• Screening format: DCP (other formats require festival authorization)
• DCP delivery deadline: October 5, 2026
• Official regulations: PDF download
• Organizer: INCAA (National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts)
• FIAPF status: Category A (competitive festival)

See Also

For Argentine cinema context, see International Film Markets. For Latin American festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator to evaluate the cost-benefit of submitting to festivals with paid submission fees. For other Latin American festivals, see FICCI Cartagena in Colombia or FestCurtasBH in Brazil.