We are celebrating 15 years of the José Ignacio International Film Festival, a festival that began as a shared dream.
JIIFF is the sum of the people who are redefined and empowered, the neighbors, those who support its existence, the films, the projects, the professionals from the audiovisual industry who come to connect and create. JIIFF is José Ignacio and Uruguay, and it exists because of passionate and courageous people. Because there is still a desire to converse, to debate, and to embrace the unknown.
This year, we will have feature films in competition and also out of competition, in addition to an animated film for the whole family. In parallel, we have our Short Film Competition, in collaboration with Fundación Diciembre, where the eight selected Uruguayan short films will be presented in a single screening on Friday, January 24.
During JIIFF’s week, we will also host our film workshop ¡Corte! for boys and girls between 8 and 18 years old. And of course, our industry program, Working JIIFF, where we will welcome over 50 professionals from various countries, and where the Pfeffer del Sur Fund will be awarded for the first time.
Access to all screenings is free. The events scheduled at the Bajada de los Pescadores and at the Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio do not require prior reservation; we recommend arriving with warm clothing and beach chairs at 7:00 PM to enjoy the festival's prelude and the sunset. Screenings at Pavilion VIK do require prior reservation, but there will be two sessions: matinee (7:30 PM) and late-night (11:00 PM). Reservations will soon be available on our website. We are in José Ignacio to celebrate the 15th edition of JIIFF together.
We program feature films in competition, as well as those out of competition, that have not yet premiered in Uruguay and, in some cases, have not been released in the region. Every year, the awarded film is chosen by the audience through their vote at the end of each screening. All films at JIIFF were designed to be viewed and experienced at three locations: Bajada de los Pescadores, Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio, and Pavilion VIK.
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In the 2025 edition, eight short films were selected and screened in a special screening on Friday, January 24 at 5 p.m. at Pavilion VIK with the presence of their respective teams. This is a unique opportunity for directors, producers and the teams of each short film to experience the local premiere of their films firsthand, and for viewers to meet the local producers and filmmakers who will continue to build Uruguayan cinema.
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JJIIFF joins the family of major international film festivals that qualify for the Oscar® and becomes the first festival in Uruguay to integrate the list of Academy Award® Qualifying Festivals. Integrating this list means that the winning film of our 2025 Short Film Competition may be directly considered by the Academy® for the Animated, Documentary and Fiction Short Film category towards the next edition of the Oscar® Awards.
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We have created a new film fund to stimulate the development of fiction feature film projects. Thanks to the Pfeffer family, $50,000 will be awarded to one of the projects selected to participate in JIIFF Lab 2025. With the name Pfeffer del Sur Fund, this incentive is generated to boost Uruguay's audiovisual industry and its international co-production relationships.
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A new edition of our film laboratory for boys and girls between 8 and 18 years old to learn how to film a short film. From January 18 to 24, with the help of film professionals and using equipment that is usually used in current productions, the different stages of a shoot will be addressed, from writing the script to the projection of the short on the big screen at JIIFF.
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On a boat moored in front of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, we brought the essence of JIIFF and Uruguay to the Cannes Film Festival, and kicked off our annual work agenda towards the 15th edition of JIIFF.
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Do you want to join our allies?. Our Sponsors and Benefactors support us in continuing to generate impactful actions. Today, Uruguay is a regional and international attraction in the audiovisual ecosystem, and JIIFF is a driving force of this change. Contact: info@joseignaciofilmfestival.com
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