From January 23rd to 31st, 2027, filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences passionate about cinema will gather in José Ignacio to think, share, and celebrate the big-screen film experience.
Over the coming months of 2026, we'll be announcing the various open calls for the Short Film Competition and our industry programme, Working JIIFF, along with other news and what the festival community looks forward the most every year: the feature film lineup.
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The industry program of the José Ignacio International Film Festival opens the call for entries for the 2027 edition of Generación J, a program created to support emerging Latin American screenwriters and directors aged 32 or younger. Ten participants will be selected to enhance the artistic quality of their projects, provide them with professional tools, and support the future positioning of their films while they are in development.
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This competitive section of the José Ignacio International Film Festival, organized in partnership with Fundación Diciembre, seeks to discover new talent in Uruguayan cinema. Eligible entries include Uruguayan productions and co-productions completed in 2026, not released in the country, and no longer than 20 minutes in duration.
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Aboard the Alhambra, as part of JIIFF in Cannes, JIIFF Lab unveiled the guidelines and awards for its upcoming edition. Designed for producers and directors from Ibero-America developing a fiction feature film project, JIIFF’s industry lab continues to grow as a dynamic space that brings together training, creative support, and professional connections.
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From May 12 to 17, the José Ignacio International Film Festival team returns to one of the most important events on the international cinematic calendar to celebrate film, Latin American alliances, and Uruguayan culture. Thanks to the support of the Pfeffer family, the Alhambra once again becomes a strategic space for JIIFF and Uruguay—a place where connections are forged, ideas are shared, and new paths for international co-production are opened. The Cannes Film Festival is the venue and the event that kicks off our annual work agenda. It is here that the next edition of the José Ignacio International Film Festival begins to take shape.
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Each year, the winner of the Official Competition is chosen by JIIFF audiences through their votes. At the 16th edition, the audience favorite was Woman and Child, by Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustayi. The film receives a work of art by Max Patissier, created especially for JIIFF..
The jury decided to award the December Prize for Best Short Film to Bajamar, by Ignacio Giannini. This year's jury consisted of Leticia Jorge (Uruguayan filmmaker and screenwriter), Lucía Puenzo (Argentine filmmaker and screenwriter), and María Marta Antin (Director of Institutional Relations and Communication at the Universidad del Cine and Director of Talents Buenos Aires). The Audience Award went to Lodo, by Joseph Specker Nyz.
Within the framework of Working JIIFF, the awards given to JIIFF Lab are a crucial boost for projects to advance their development and solidify into feature films. For the second consecutive year, the Pfeffer Fund of the South awarded $50,000 to one of the projects selected for JIIFF Lab, which in the 16th edition was won by Daemon (Chile), directed by Valeria Hofmann and produced by Úrsula Budnik.
The project "Las Ilusiones" (Argentina), directed by Ingrid Pokropek and produced by Segundo Álamos, won the Musitelli Film & Digital award, equivalent to $50,000 in film equipment rental. Driven by a passion for cinematic technology, Musitelli boasts the most comprehensive selection of cutting-edge equipment in Uruguay to help filmmakers bring their visions to life.
The jury of JIIFF Lab 2026 decided to award the Colour Prize to the project The Last King (Peru), directed by Víctor Checa and produced by Jimena Hospina. The prize, awarded by COLOUR by Grup Mediapro, is equivalent to $25,000 USD in a comprehensive finishing package.
The Mostra - São Paulo International Film Festival Award invites one of the lab's projects to participate in its industry space, Encontro de Ideias Audiovisuais. In the 2026 edition of JIIFF Lab, the award was given to the project Cómo se hace para volver (Mexico), by director Carlos Morales and producer Érika Calviño.
In this edition, the Generación J awards aimed to offer concrete opportunities for training, professional development, and specialized mentoring to the participating directors and screenwriters. James Snyder (Uruguay) won the Universidad del Cine (Argentina) award, which will allow him to participate in the next edition of Talents Buenos Aires. Mahiara Meret Sáenz Peña (Chile) won the New York Film Academy award for an online screenwriting course. And Micaela Tyler (Uruguay) won the ECAM (Spain) award, which consists of ad hoc mentoring for a project in development.
Argentine director Gaston Solnicki and American actor Willem Dafoe visited JIIFF and José Ignacio to present their film, The Souffleur, in Official Competition. They participated in a Q&A session with JIIFF attendees and also engaged in dialogue and exchanged ideas with festivalgoers in an intimate discussion at La Huella.
JIIFF welcomed Santiago Fillol, screenwriter of Sirāt, for the closing screening of the festival's 16th edition. At the Bajada de los Pescadores (Fishermen's Descent) event, which drew nearly two thousand spectators, Óliver Laxe's film graced the screen of the José Ignacio International Film Festival, bidding farewell until the next edition. "Quiet your mind, open your heart. Buena ceremonia para todos, muchas gracias" the screenwriter remarked before the screening.
Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan visited JIIFF to give a free masterclass on cinematography, designed specifically for cinematographers and students of this specialization from Uruguay and the region. More than 200 people participated in this activity at Pavilion VIK, which was supported by Labhouse and Musitelli.
A new edition of the film workshop for young people aged 8 to 18 was held. Over the course of a week, coinciding with the 16th edition of JIIFF, the students learned to film a short film, which was then screened on the festival's giant screen in a special showing for friends and family. Each year, the workshop's focus is on teamwork, learning about the different stages of the filmmaking process: research, creativity, development, scriptwriting, filming, editing, post-production, and screening.
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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