Call for entry for Caribbean Focus Segment CIFF 2026
All Caribbean filmmakers are invited to participate.
Submissions are now open for the Caribbean Focus segment at the 12th Curaçao International Film Festival (CIFF), taking place from April 14 to 19, 2026, for both short films and feature films. With your short film entry, you’ll automatically be considered for the brand-new Watapana Award Competition.
Prizes include:
-Screenings at Morelia Film Festival (Mexico) & Film by the Sea (Netherlands)
-Xcg 5.000 first prize / Xcg 1,500 runner-up
Who can apply?
Filmmakers residing in Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Saba, Suriname, or working/living in the diaspora.
Requirements:
-Short films: up to 45 min | Features: over 45 min
-Production date: Jan 2024 – Dec 2025
-Subtitles: English and/or Dutch
-Fiction & non-fiction accepted
-Preference for CIFF 2026 premieres
How to submit (FREE)?:
–Send an e-mail to CIFF2026.submissions@gmail.com with:
-Online viewing link- Short synopsis
-Filmmaker bio
The deadline is December 15, 2025, 6 PM (Curaçao time).
Looking forward to your submission
Team Curaçao International Film Festival.
Call for entry for Yellow Robin Award Competition
The Curacao International Film Festival (CIFF) is now accepting applications for the Yellow Robin Competition, which screens first or second feature films by filmmakers from or working in the Caribbean and the Caribbean basin (including coastal Central and South America), as well as filmmakers from those countries living or working in the diaspora.
The Yellow Robin Competition offers a platform for emerging filmmakers from the Caribbean, and Latin America.
Selected filmmakers will be invited to Curacao to present their films during the Festival, which will take place from April 14-19 2026. The winning film will be selected by an international jury and awarded a cash prize of $8,000USD. Submissions are open until midnight on Tuesday December 30th, 2025.
Eligibility:
-The festival accepts both fiction and non-fiction feature-films with a minimum duration of 60 minutes.
-Films must have their year of production listed as 2024 or later.
-Films must have English subtitles.
-Submission is free.
-Deadline: Tuesday December 30th, 2025 at 00:00 AST (22:00 CST).
How to submit?:
-Films should be submitted by email to ciff2026.submissions@gmail.com .
-Please include a viewing link, short synopsis, bio of the filmmaker and the films´country or countries of projection.
Selection Process:
-After submitting your film, the selection committee will watch and consider.
-All films will be notified of their final selection status by February 1, 2026.
-In case your film is selected, you will receive further information about sending the master copy (DCP) and other film materials. The selection committee’s decision is final.
