Lima Film Festival (Festival de Cine de Lima PUCP)

Overview

The Lima Film Festival (Festival Internacional de Cine de Lima PUCP) is a 10-day competitive film festival held annually in August in Lima, Peru. The 30th edition runs August 6 to 15, 2026, organized by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) through its Cultural Center. The festival screens Latin American fiction and documentary films across three competitive sections and awards the Spondylus Trophy with cash prizes in each category.

The festival's top prize is USD 5,000, awarded in three categories: Best Peruvian Film (awarded to the production or co-production company), Best Latin American Fiction Film (awarded to the director), and Best Latin American Documentary (awarded to the director). Additional prizes include Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best First Feature (USD 2,500), Best Cinematography, and an Audience Award (USD 2,500). The festival also presents a PUCP Community Award (USD 2,000) and an LGBTQ+ Award.

The 30th edition in 2026 accepts films completed in 2025 or 2026 that have not previously screened in Peru. Submissions opened January 22, 2026, with a regular deadline of February 28, 2026, and an extended deadline of March 31, 2026 (with a USD 20 fee for extended submissions). The festival accepts submissions through FilmFreeway, Festhome, or its own online form.

For Latin American filmmakers seeking a competitive festival with cash prizes and exposure to Peruvian and regional audiences, the Lima Film Festival is the primary platform in the Andean region. Check the festival website for current submission openings.

Submission Details

Submissions are accepted through three channels: FilmFreeway, Festhome, or the festival's online form. The online form must be signed and include a viewing link with a non-expiring password.

2026 Submission Deadlines:

The extended registration is only available through the festival's online form, not through FilmFreeway or Festhome. To obtain the payment link for the extended fee, contact the Festival Management Office at krojas@pucp.pe or +51 1 6161620.

Eligibility:

Peruvian Competition:

• Films of all genres, minimum 45 minutes
• Produced or co-produced by a Peruvian company
• Completed in 2025 or 2026
• Not previously screened in Peru

Latin American Fiction Competition:

• Feature films, minimum 60 minutes
• By Latin American filmmakers
• Completed in 2025 or 2026
• Not previously screened in Peru

Latin American Documentary Competition:

• Films, minimum 45 minutes
• By Latin American filmmakers on any theme, or by filmmakers from other countries working on Latin American themes
• Completed in 2025 or 2026
• Not previously screened in Peru

Subtitling Requirements:

• Original language Spanish: English subtitles required
• Original language English: Spanish subtitles required
• Other languages: Spanish and English subtitles required

Exhibition Format:

• Exhibition copy: DCP
• Backup copy: MP4 or H264 file

If your film is selected, promotional materials must be submitted by Friday, June 12, 2026, and exhibition materials by Friday, June 19, 2026.

Key Sections

• Peruvian Competition - films produced or co-produced by a Peruvian company (minimum 45 minutes, any genre), competing for Best Peruvian Film (Spondylus Trophy and USD 5,000)
• Latin American Fiction Competition - Latin American fiction features (minimum 60 minutes), competing for Best Latin American Fiction Film (Spondylus Trophy and USD 5,000), Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best First Feature (USD 2,500), Best Cinematography
• Latin American Documentary Competition - Latin American documentaries (minimum 45 minutes), competing for Best Latin American Documentary (Spondylus Trophy and USD 5,000)
• Special Screenings - non-competitive programming and curated selections

What Filmmakers Should Know

The Lima Film Festival requires that selected films have not previously screened in Peru. This is a hard eligibility requirement across all three competitive sections. If your film has had any public screening in Peru before the festival dates, it is ineligible. This premiere requirement applies to both Peruvian and international Latin American productions.

The festival accepts submissions through three platforms: FilmFreeway, Festhome, and its own online form. The regular deadline (February 28, 2026) allows submissions through any of the three channels. The extended deadline (March 31, 2026) is only available through the festival's own form and carries a USD 20 fee. If you miss the regular deadline, you must contact the festival directly for the payment link.

The cash prizes are significant for a Latin American festival. Three top prizes of USD 5,000 are awarded: Best Peruvian Film (to the production company), Best Latin American Fiction Film (to the director), and Best Latin American Documentary (to the director). Best First Feature carries USD 2,500, the Audience Award carries USD 2,500, and the PUCP Community Award carries USD 2,000. The International Critics' Jury also awards USD 2,500 for Best Fiction Film.

The festival is organized by PUCP (Pontifical Catholic University of Peru), which gives it an academic institutional base. The university campus hosts festival activities, and the PUCP Community Jury awards a separate prize for the best Peruvian film across all competitive sections. The festival also presents an LGBTQ+ Award for the best LGBTQ+ themed film across all competitive sections.

For non-Spanish-language films, subtitles are mandatory. Spanish-language films require English subtitles. English-language films require Spanish subtitles. Films in other languages require both Spanish and English subtitles. Budget for subtitling if your film does not already meet these requirements.

The festival promotes the presence of filmmakers at the event. While the festival does not appear to offer travel grants, attending filmmakers benefit from the festival's industry networking opportunities and the large audience base that PUCP and Lima provide. The festival press conference is held in the third week of July, when the official selection is announced.

Major Awards

Peruvian Competition:

• Best Peruvian Film - Spondylus Trophy and USD 5,000 (awarded to the Peruvian production or co-production company)

Latin American Fiction Competition:

• Best Latin American Fiction Film - Spondylus Trophy and USD 5,000 (awarded to the director)
• Special Jury Prize - Spondylus Trophy
• Best Director - Spondylus Trophy
• Best Actor - Spondylus Trophy
• Best Actress - Spondylus Trophy
• Best Screenplay - Spondylus Trophy
• Best First Feature - Spondylus Trophy and USD 2,500 (awarded to the director)
• Best Cinematography - Spondylus Trophy (awarded by a separate Cinematography Jury)

Latin American Documentary Competition:

• Best Latin American Documentary - Spondylus Trophy and USD 5,000 (awarded to the director)

Cross-Category Awards:

• Audience Award - Spondylus Trophy and USD 2,500 (awarded to the director of the film with the most votes across all competitive sections)
• PUCP Community Award - Spondylus Trophy and USD 2,000 (awarded to the best Peruvian film across all competitive sections, decided by a PUCP community jury)
• LGBTQ+ Award - Spondylus Trophy (awarded for the best LGBTQ+ themed film across all competitive sections)
• International Critics' Jury Award - Spondylus Trophy and USD 2,500 (awarded for Best Fiction Film in the Latin American Fiction Competition)

The festival also offers partner institutions the opportunity to award additional prizes in one or more sections. The final list of awards is announced at the press conference and on the festival's official website.

Festival History

The Lima Film Festival was founded in 1997 and is organized by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru through its Cultural Center. The festival has operated for 29 years as one of the principal exhibition and meeting spaces for Peruvian, Latin American, and international cinema in the Andean region. The 30th edition in 2026 marks a milestone anniversary for the festival.

The festival's institutional base at PUCP provides stability and academic resources that many independent festivals lack. The university campus hosts festival activities, and the PUCP community participates in the festival through the PUCP Community Jury and the Pase cinefilo (cinephile pass) program, which allows students and the general public to purchase advance tickets.

The 30th edition in 2026 expanded the festival's pre-event programming, including a free campus screening of El agente secreto (Brazil), directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho and starring Wagner Moura, held on June 4, 2026, at the PUCP Auditorio de Derecho. The festival's press conference is scheduled for the third week of July 2026, when the official selection, venues, and activities are announced.

The Lima Film Festival has played a role in establishing Lima as a regional cinema hub. While Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Mexico City have larger film industries, Lima's festival provides a competitive platform specifically for Latin American cinema that is organized with university infrastructure and academic support. The festival's three competitive sections, each with a USD 5,000 top prize, make it one of the most financially significant competitive festivals for Latin American filmmakers in the region.

See Also

To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For festival strategy and circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. To estimate your probability of acceptance, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For understanding Latin American cinema and international film markets, see International Film Markets.