FICUNAM - Festival Internacional de Cine de la UNAM

Overview

FICUNAM (Festival Internacional de Cine de la UNAM) is Mexico's university-backed international film festival, organized by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The 16th edition runs November 5 to 15, 2026, in Mexico City. The festival programs 100+ films across competitive and non-competitive sections, with an emphasis on formally adventurous, politically engaged, and artistically challenging cinema from Mexico, Latin America, and the world.

UNAM is one of Latin America's largest academic institutions, and its institutional backing gives FICUNAM exceptional cultural authority. The festival screens across UNAM campus cinemas and cultural venues throughout Mexico City, bringing world cinema to an audience composed primarily of university students, academics, critics, and cinephiles with high levels of cinematic literacy.

FICUNAM's programming philosophy prioritizes artistic ambition over commercial appeal. The festival is one of the most intellectually serious film events in Latin America, programming experimental cinema, politically engaged documentary, and formally innovative fiction alongside retrospectives of radical filmmakers. The festival also operates as a production platform through its Catapulta post-production lab and commissioning programs.

The 15th edition (FICUNAM 15, May 29 to June 5, 2025) presented 100+ titles from diverse countries, including retrospectives, homages, auteur spotlights, and formative activities. The 2025 edition received 123 invited guests from Mexico and abroad across 8 days of programming.

Submission Details

FICUNAM accepts open submissions through its website. Key details for the 16th edition (2026):

Submissions are made through the FICUNAM website. The festival does not use FilmFreeway. The selection committee has no obligation to watch films submitted after the deadline.

Competition Sections

International Competition

Open to all films with a running length of 25 minutes or more, produced in Mexico or abroad. Only films produced from 2025 onwards are eligible for the 16th edition. The International Competition is the festival's top competitive section, programmed alongside the Ahora Mexico section.

Ahora Mexico (Mexican Competition)

Open to all films with a running length of 25 minutes or more produced in Mexico, completed in 2025 up to the submission deadline of June 30, 2026. This section specifically champions Mexican cinema and is supported by IMCINE (Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografia).

Catapula (Atelier de Produccion)

A production atelier selecting Mexican and Latin American projects in post-production with a rough cut. Projects compete for cash prizes and in-kind services. The 2025 winners received $60,000 MXN (first prize) plus a day of filming at the virtual production volume at Estudios Churubusco Foro 2, valued at approximately $350,000 MXN. The second prize was $40,000 MXN.

Competencia Umbrales (Avant-Garde Cinematographies)

A section dedicated to formally experimental and avant-garde cinema. The 2025 jury awarded the Premio Umbrales a la Mejor Pelicula ($50,000 MXN, presented by Filmoteca UNAM) and the Premio Umbrales de Estudios Churubusco (in-kind services for developing and scanning valued at $100,000 MXN).

Aciertos (Encuentro Internacional de Escuelas de Cine)

An international film school encounter showcasing short films from film schools. The 2025 jury awarded the Medalla Puma de Plata al Mejor Cortometraje ($70,000 MXN, Medalla Puma, and FICUNAM recognition).

Awards and Prizes

International Competition Awards

• Puma de Plata a Mejor Pelicula - $150,000 MXN (for the producer) and silver Puma sculpture by Mexican artist Martin Soto Climent
• Puma de Plata a Mejor Direccion (presented by MUBI) - $100,000 MXN (for the director) and silver Puma sculpture
• Premio del Publico (Audience Award) - diploma

Ahora Mexico Awards

• Puma de Plata a Mejor Pelicula Mexicana - $150,000 MXN and silver Puma sculpture (supported by IMCINE)
• Premio TV UNAM - $80,000 MXN in exchange for broadcast rights for 18 months (maximum 2 screenings on TV UNAM)
• Premio Estimulo Churubusco UNAM - $800,000 MXN in post-production services for the winner's next film
• Premio LCI Seguros - 50% discount on film insurance for the winner's next project

2025 Winners (FICUNAM 15)

International Competition:

• Best Film - Todo documento de civilizacion (Tatiana Mazu Gonzalez, Argentina). The film reconstructs the forced disappearance of Luciano Arruga and proposes a poetic and political gaze on urban space and memory
• Best Director - Bani Khoshnoudi for Punto de fuga (Mexico/France/Iran)
• Special Mention - Los destrozos (Masha Chernaya, Georgia/Germany)
• Audience Award - Todo documento de civilizacion (Tatiana Mazu Gonzalez)

Ahora Mexico:

• Best Mexican Film - Un techo sin cielo (Diego Hernandez)
• TV UNAM Prize - Sex Panchitos (Gustavo Gamou)
• Estimulo Churubusco UNAM - La eterna adolescente (Eduardo Esquivel)
• LCI Seguros Prize - Say Goodbye (Paloma Lopez Carrillo)

Catapulta:

• First Prize - La Maquinaria (Diandra Arriaga): $60,000 MXN plus virtual production filming day ($350,000 MXN value)
• Second Prize - Guardiana de las ausencias (Andre Lo Sanchez): $40,000 MXN

Umbrales:

• Best Film - Nada fuera de la isla (Dalissa Montes de Oca Mosquea): $50,000 MXN
• Estudios Churubusco Prize - Piel de toro muerto (Arnoldo Murguia): $100,000 MXN in-kind services

Aciertos:

• Best Short Film - El reinado de Antoine (Jose Luis Jimenez, ENAC, Mexico): $70,000 MXN

The 2025 International Competition jury comprised Verena Paravel, Kahlil Joseph, and Daniel Gimenez Cacho. The Ahora Mexico jury comprised Lucia Salas, Isaac Frias Leon, and Diego Calva.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Mexican Filmmakers

FICUNAM is the most important Mexican festival platform for art cinema and formally ambitious work. The Ahora Mexico section provides a dedicated competitive section for Mexican productions, with the Puma de Plata a Mejor Pelicula Mexicana carrying a $150,000 MXN prize (approximately $8,500 USD) supported by IMCINE.

The Premio Estimulo Churubusco UNAM is one of the most valuable production incentives at any Mexican festival: $800,000 MXN (approximately $45,000 USD) in post-production services for the winner's next film. This prize effectively funds a significant portion of a follow-up project's post-production budget.

The Catapulta atelier is specifically designed for Mexican and Latin American filmmakers with projects in post-production. If you have a rough cut and need post-production support or completion funding, Catapula offers both cash prizes and in-kind services. The 2025 first prize included a day of filming at Estudios Churubusco's virtual production volume, valued at $350,000 MXN.

For International Filmmakers

The International Competition is open to films from any country with a runtime of 25 minutes or more, produced from 2025 onwards. There is no submission fee. The Puma de Plata a Mejor Pelicula carries $150,000 MXN and the Puma de Plata a Mejor Direccion carries $100,000 MXN (presented by MUBI).

FICUNAM's audience is one of the most cinematically literate in Latin America. The UNAM campus community includes film students, academics, critics, and programmers who engage with challenging work at a depth that commercial festival audiences typically do not. For formally adventurous or politically engaged films, this audience provides a level of critical engagement that can generate meaningful reviews and programming attention across Latin America.

The festival's November timing (for the 16th edition) places it late in the calendar year, after Cannes, Venice, Toronto, and San Sebastian. This positioning means FICUNAM often programs films that have already premiered at major European festivals, though it also discovers new work through its open submission pipeline.

Practical Considerations

Submissions require an online screener with password access. Filmmakers must specify whether the submitted version is a final cut or a work in progress. The festival accepts both, but the distinction must be declared.

Selected films must provide: a director's statement in Spanish and/or English, bio-filmography, director photo, full credits, technical specifications, high-resolution photograms (300 dpi), and a poster or press kit. The exhibition copy must be a DCP and digital file with English or English/Spanish subtitles.

The festival organizes touring programs throughout the year, screening selected films at cultural spaces and educational institutions across Mexico City and nationally. Prior authorization is requested for all such screenings.

The festival does not have an attached film market. Its industry value is in the Catapulta atelier (for projects in post-production), the Aciertos film school encounter (for student work), and the networking with Mexican and Latin American distributors, critics, and programmers who attend the festival.

Festival History

FICUNAM was founded in 2011 by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), conceived as a festival celebrating contemporary cinema with a program of 100+ films including retrospectives of Mexican and international filmographies and expanded programming. The festival operates under UNAM's Direccion General de Actividades Cinematograficas (Filmoteca UNAM).

The festival has run 15 editions through 2025. The 15th edition (FICUNAM 15) ran May 29 to June 5, 2025, and the 16th edition (FICUNAM 16) is scheduled for November 5 to 15, 2026. The shift from a May-June to November schedule beginning with the 16th edition represents a strategic repositioning in the festival calendar.

FICUNAM has established itself as the most artistically demanding film festival in Mexico, operating under UNAM's cultural mission. The festival's programming consistently prioritizes formally adventurous and politically engaged cinema, with particular depth in Latin American documentary, experimental film, and Mexican independent cinema. The Puma de Plata awards, designed by Mexican artist Martin Soto Climent, have become recognized prizes in the Latin American festival circuit.

The festival's academic context distinguishes it from other Mexican festivals. UNAM's campus provides both the screening venues and the core audience. The festival's programming includes academic encounters between filmmakers and specialists, fostering exploration of new trends and reflection on cinema's impact on society. The festival also operates commissioning programs and production incentives through Catapulta, extending its role beyond exhibition into production support.

See Also

Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. For Mexican and Latin American cinema, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit strategy and premiere planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For the Ariel Awards, Mexico's national film awards, see Ariel Awards. Submit through the FICUNAM website or read the International Competition rules.