Overview
The Mar del Plata International Film Festival is the only FIAPF-accredited competitive A-list film festival in Latin America. The 41st edition runs November 5 to 15, 2026, in the Argentine coastal city of Mar del Plata, approximately 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 festival's position as the sole FIAPF Category A festival in Latin America makes it the highest-ranked competitive film event in the region. It accepts feature-length, medium-length, and short films across all genres for its International Competition, Latin American Competition, Argentine Competition, and Panorama sections. The 40th edition in 2025 awarded the Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film to Calle Malaga by Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, which also won the Audience Award and Best Actress for Carmen Maura.
Argentina has one of the most active film industries in Latin America, with a tradition of public film education, film clubs, and critical discourse that produces engaged, knowledgeable audiences. The festival serves both as a showcase for local and regional talent and as a platform for international cinema reaching Latin American audiences. The November timing places it at the tail end of the international festival calendar, giving it access to acclaimed films from earlier in the year while also programming world premieres.
Submit via the official registration page. Full regulations are available in the official rules PDF.
Submission Details
Registration is open from May 4 to June 30, 2026, for both national and international films. The process is exclusively online.
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| International Feature Films | USD 60 |
| International Medium-Length and Short Films | USD 30 |
| Argentine Feature Films | ARS 60,000 |
| Argentine Medium-Length and Short Films | ARS 30,000 |
Key eligibility rules:
- Submitted works must have been completed within the 12 months preceding the start of the festival (between November 2025 and November 2026)
- Films must not have had prior public screenings in Argentina
- A password-protected download link is required, valid through the end of the festival (November 15, 2026), with a maximum file size of 2 GB
- Selected films must be delivered in DCP format; presentation in other formats requires festival authorization
- Programmed films may not be commercially released in Argentina before or during the festival
Key Sections
- International Competition - feature films competing for the Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film
- Latin American Competition - competitive section for regional films from Latin America
- Argentine Competition - competitive section for new Argentine work
- In Transit / WIP - Argentine and Latin American projects in development
- Panorama - non-competitive section of curated international films
What Filmmakers Should Know
For Latin American filmmakers, Mar del Plata is the highest-ranked competitive festival available in the region. A selection here carries FIAPF A-list status, which is the same accreditation tier as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno. The festival's international competition jury awards the Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film, along with prizes for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay.
The festival's requirement that submitted films must not have had prior public screenings in Argentina means filmmakers need to plan their Argentine release strategy around the festival. Films that have already screened publicly in Argentina are not eligible. This is a standard requirement for A-list festivals but is particularly relevant for Argentine filmmakers who may have already shown their work at domestic events.
The November timing places Mar del Plata at the end of the international festival calendar. Films that premiered at earlier festivals (Cannes in May, Venice in September, Toronto in September, San Sebastian in September) can be submitted if they meet the eligibility requirements. This gives the festival access to a curated selection of the year's most acclaimed international titles alongside its world premieres.
The submission process requires a download link with a password valid through November 15, 2026. The festival recommends a maximum file size of 2 GB. The selection committee uses this link for internal viewing only. Filmmakers should ensure the link remains active throughout the entire festival period, as expired links can result in disqualification.
The festival is organized by INCAA, which is the primary state agency for film in Argentina. This government backing provides stability but also means the festival is subject to changes in cultural policy and public funding levels. Filmmakers should check the official website for the most current information.
Awards / Accreditation
International Competition:
- Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film - top prize
- Special Jury Prize
- Best Director
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Screenplay
- Special Mentions - up to two, at the jury's discretion
The jury may grant up to two Special Mentions. Only one ex aequo award may be granted, and it cannot be for Best Film. No film may receive more than two awards.
Additional awards:
- Audience Award - voted by festival attendees
- FIPRESCI Prize - awarded by the international critics' jury
- Latin American Competition Award
- Best Short Film - awarded in the short film competition
Festival History
Mar del Plata was founded in 1954 and initially held annually before becoming intermittent due to political and economic instability in Argentina. The festival was relaunched as an annual event in the 1990s and has operated continuously since then. The Astor Piazzolla Award is named after the legendary Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla, who was born in Mar del Plata in 1921.
The 40th edition in 2025, themed "The Rebirth of Splendor," awarded the Astor Piazzolla Award to Calle Malaga by Maryam Touzani. The film also won the Audience Award and Best Actress for Carmen Maura. The Special Jury Prize went to Vache Folle, and Best Director went to Nicolangelo Gelormini for La gioia.
The festival's history reflects the broader trajectory of Argentine cinema: periods of international recognition alternating with periods of political and economic constraint. The INCAA's continued organizational role provides institutional continuity, and the partnership with EMTURyC ensures municipal support for the festival's presence in Mar del Plata as a destination city.
Past Winners
2025 (40th edition) - International Competition:
- Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film: Calle Malaga, dir. Maryam Touzani (Morocco/France/Spain/Germany/Belgium). Also won the Audience Award and Best Actress for Carmen Maura. The jury called it "a universal work that invites us to reflect on human relationships." The film stars Spanish cinema icon Carmen Maura as a 79-year-old woman in Tangier fighting to keep her home.
- Special Jury Prize: Vache Folle, dirs. Hugo Diego Garcia and Lorenzo Bentivoglio (Switzerland).
- Best Director: Nicolangelo Gelormini for La Gioia (Italy).
- Best Screenplay: Sarah Polley and Pablo Trapero for & Sons (UK).
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2024 (39th edition):
- Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film: At the Edge of the World (Belgium).
2023 (38th edition):
- Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film: Motherland (Peru).
2022 (37th edition):
- Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film: Bittersweet Rain (Brazil).
2021 (36th edition):
- Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film: Hit the Road, dir. Panah Panahi (Iran). The film had premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in Directors' Fortnight and was distributed in the US by Kino Lorber, opening at Film Forum in New York in April 2022. Named one of the best films of 2022 by IndieWire.
2017 (32nd edition):
- Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Feature Film: Wajib, dir. Annemarie Jacir (Palestine). Also won Best Actor for Mohammed Bakri, plus the Signis and Argentine Film Writers' Association awards. Distributed in the UK and other territories.
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Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- Hit the Road (dir. Panah Panahi, 2021) - Won the Astor Piazzolla Award at Mar del Plata after premiering at Cannes Directors' Fortnight. US distribution by Kino Lorber, opening at Film Forum in April 2022. The debut feature by the son of banned filmmaker Jafar Panahi was named one of the best films of 2022 by IndieWire and screened at the New York Film Festival.
- Wajib (dir. Annemarie Jacir, 2017) - Won the Astor Piazzolla Award plus Best Actor, Signis, and Argentine Film Writers' Association awards at Mar del Plata. The Palestinian film had previously premiered at Locarno and screened at festivals worldwide. Jacir became the first Palestinian filmmaker to have a film in the Cannes Official Selection.
- The Apostate (dir. Federico Veiroj, 2015) - Screened at Mar del Plata after premiering at Toronto and winning a Special Jury Mention at San Sebastian. Sales handled by FiGa Films, with distribution deals in France (Paname Distribution), Brazil (Tucuman Distribuidora), and Argentina (Tren).
- The First Lap (dir. Kim Dae-hwan, 2017) - Won the Silver Astor for Best Screenplay at Mar del Plata, the only Asian film to win a competitive award that year. The Jeonju Cinema Project production also won Best Emerging Director at Locarno.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
Mar del Plata's November timing places it at the tail end of the international festival calendar, which shapes its programming identity. The festival has access to acclaimed films that premiered earlier in the year at Cannes, Venice, Toronto, and San Sebastian, alongside world premieres. This means your film will be programmed alongside some of the year's most internationally recognized titles if selected for the International Competition.
The festival's requirement that submitted films must not have had prior public screenings in Argentina is a hard eligibility rule. Argentine filmmakers who have already shown their work at domestic events should check this carefully before submitting. Films that have already screened publicly in Argentina are not eligible for any competitive section.
The submission process requires a password-protected download link valid through the end of the festival (November 15, 2026), with a maximum file size of 2 GB. Filmmakers should ensure the link remains active throughout the entire festival period, as expired links can result in disqualification. Selected films must be delivered in DCP format.
The festival's Latin American Competition and Argentine Competition provide dedicated platforms for regional filmmakers. The In Transit / WIP section supports Argentine and Latin American projects in development, making Mar del Plata not just an exhibition platform but also a development hub for regional talent.
Industry Reputation Notes
Mar del Plata is the only FIAPF A-list festival in Latin America, a distinction it retained in FIAPF's 2024 reform that expanded the A-list to 17 festivals. This places it in the same accreditation tier as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, and San Sebastian. However, the festival has historically been described by industry observers as "relatively little known abroad" with "only a select international industry and press presence" (Variety, 2017), despite its A-list status.
The festival's industry section, Film.Ar, functions as a platform for Argentine and Latin American co-productions, with sections including LoboLab (international co-production meeting), LatinArab (projects interfacing Latin American and Arab cinema), and Mardoc.Lab (documentary development). The November timing allows industry professionals to attend Mar del Plata's tail end before segueing to Ventana Sur in Buenos Aires, Latin America's biggest film market, which typically runs in late November or early December.
Compared to other Latin American festivals, Mar del Plata holds the highest formal accreditation but faces competition for industry relevance from Ventana Sur (the market event), the Guadalajara International Film Festival (which has a stronger co-production market), and the Morelia International Film Festival (which has gained critical attention for its programming). The festival's government backing through INCAA provides institutional stability but also means it is subject to changes in Argentine cultural policy and public funding levels.
The festival's longtime director has stated the goal of making Mar del Plata "the reference point for Latin American cinema for the rest of the world," positioning it as a potential successor to Havana's declining Festival of New Latin American Cinema.
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See Also
For Latin American cinema and international film markets, see International Film Markets. For festival strategy and circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate the return on investment of your festival submission spending, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator.
