Call for Entries opened today for the 23rd edition of Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF), which will take place June 9-13, 2021. The Austin-based film festival will return with a virtual presentation following the success of this year’s special Virtual Showcase.
In the film festival’s first year under the stewardship of new Executive Director Gabriel Ornelas, CLAIFF will continue its mission to showcase films and videos from Latin America (North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean) and the Iberian Peninsula. Films and videos made by or about Latinx in the U.S. or the rest of the world, as well as films and videos by or about indigenous groups of the Americas are also featured.
This year, Cine Las Americas took on the challenge of a year beset with challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic to both offer the Virtual Showcase, as well as taking the first steps to begin building a relationship with the Los Angeles International Film festival (LALIFF) finding ways to further assist in the support and promotion of its filmmakers by forging a bridge between the filmmaking communities of Austin and Los Angeles. 2021 will see a continuation of those efforts to the benefit of CLAIFF filmmakers.
Ornelas, said, “If we have learned anything this year, it is that filmmakers need the support of a community of film professionals, film audiences, and organizations like Cine Las Americas to not simply give them a place – whether it be in theaters or online – to screen and present their films, but to also actively and concretely encourage the development of their art and their careers. How we watch movies has always been and will always be changing and evolving, and just as we did this year, we look forward to taking on the challenges and seeking the best ways to connect the artists that make our films to the people that want to see them.”
Submissions can be made at https://filmfreeway.com/CLAIFF and https://festhome.com/f/cine-las-americas.
For more information about Cine Las Americas, visit https://cinelasamericas.org/.
Program Sections
New Releases (Non-competitive section)
First and Second Dramatic (Narrative) Features in Competition
Documentary Features in Competition
Dramatic Shorts in Competition
Documentary Shorts in Competition
Hecho en Tejas Films in Competition
Music Videos (eligible for an Audience Award)
VR 360˚ Video (Non-competitive section)
Panorama: Non-competitive section for Features and Shorts
Special Screenings: Classics, Retrospectives, and a Co-Sponsored Programs
Emergencia Youth Films (eligible for an Audience Award)
Awards & Prizes
Jury Awards
First or Second Narrative Feature ($1000)
Documentary Feature ($1000)
Narrative Short ($500)
Documentary Short ($500)
Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) Award (Best Made in Texas Film) ($500)
Audience Awards
Best First or Second Narrative Feature ($1000)
Best Documentary Feature ($1000)
Best Hecho en Tejas Film ($500)
Best Music Video ($500)
Best Emergencia Youth Film
Submission Deadlines
Regular: February 19, 2021
Late: March 12, 2021
