JIIFF Lab 2027

PRESENTATION

JIIFF Lab is a space designed to strengthen fiction feature film projects in development. It is aimed at emerging directors and producers with experience in the film industry from across Ibero-America.

Over five days, participants work on strengthening their projects through advisory sessions, mentorships with renowned professionals, and networking spaces designed to help consolidate the realization of their films.

JIIFF Lab will take place online during the first weeks of January, and in person in José Ignacio, Uruguay, from January 27 to 31, 2027.

The JIIFF Lab organization will select eight projects from Ibero-America, represented by a total of sixteen participants: eight director-producer duos. At least two of these projects will be Uruguayan.

The duos will take part in a final pitching session, where a specially convened jury will recognize selected projects with different awards to continue strengthening their development.

WHO CAN APPLY

With the aim of giving visibility to and supporting new perspectives, the call is open to director-producer duos developing a fiction feature film project from an Ibero-American country.

If selected, both the director and the producer must participate in all activities scheduled within the framework of JIIFF Lab, both online and in person. Submitting an application implies full acceptance of these rules and a commitment to attend every stage of the program.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The applicant is the project’s producer and must verify that the following requirements are met:

Projects:

• Projects must be fiction feature films in development, with a budget of up to US $1,500,000 — one million five hundred thousand U.S. dollars.s).
• Projects must have at least 25% of their financing secured. The organization may request supporting documentation to verify this financing.

Directors:

• Directors must have been born in, or have resided for at least three years in, any Ibero-American country
• They must have directed at least one short film and no more than one fiction feature film.
• At least one of these previous works must have been selected by an international film festival.

Producers:

• Producers must have been born in, or have resided for at least three years in, the country of the applicant production company, which must be based in any Ibero-American country.
• They must have produced at least one fiction feature film that has participated in an international film festival.
• They must have an advanced level of Spanish and English.

Applicants:

• Applicants may apply even if they have submitted projects to previous calls or have been selected in past editions.
• Applicants may submit more than one project. However, they may only be selected with one.

APPLICATION

To apply, applicants must follow these steps:

A) Read the rules and regulations carefully.
B) Complete the application form before November 27, 2026.

Applications must be submitted through the form. Only projects submitted within the call period will be considered.
‍
Brazilian projects wishing to participate must complete the form corresponding to the Mostra de São Paulo call on their website Mostra de São Paulo

The information provided in the application form will be included in the official communications and catalogues of the industry section.

C) Make the corresponding application payment by following the instructions sent by email once the application has been received.

The call has two application deadlines:

1. First deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. US $20
2. Second deadline: Friday, November 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. US $30

In the days following the application, the JIIFF Lab organization will send an email confirming the status of the registration.

The organization reserves the right to request additional documentation both during the evaluation process and in later stages of participation in JIIFF Lab 2027.

APPLICATION FORM

Application form

HOW JIIFF LAB WORKS

JIIFF Lab is a fiction feature film development lab conceived so that each participating duo can analyze and strengthen their project through advisory sessions, mentorships with international film industry professionals, and networking spaces especially designed to support its development.

‍Directors will have access to individual advisory sessions and group mentorships with international experts focused on directing, screenwriting, editing, sound design, cinematography, audience design, and project presentation (pitching).

‍Producers will take part in advisory sessions and group mentorships focused on designing strategies for co-production, internationalization, and project positioning. They will also participate in networking sessions with peers and invited professionals, with the aim of expanding their projects’ development and financing possibilities.

The lab will unfold in two stages:

Online: two virtual sessions will take place during January, prior to the in-person participation in José Ignacio.

‍In person: the program will take place from January 27 to 31, 2027, in José Ignacio, Uruguay.

At the end of the lab, the duos will take part in a pitching session where they will present their projects before a specially convened jury and other industry guests, in a context designed to generate visibility, new alliances, and concrete opportunities for their realization.

In parallel, Working JIIFF will foster different networking and exchange opportunities among JIIFF Lab participants, festival guests, and other initiatives within its ecosystem, expanding the possibilities for encounters and connections for the selected projects.

AWARDS

The JIIFF Lab awards are created as a decisive boost for projects to move forward on their journey and become films. The awards are intended to strengthen development, support the production, and contribute to the post-production stage. These recognitions provide tangible resources and strategic connections. Together, they accompany each stage of the creative and industrial process, opening real opportunities for stories to take shape and reach the screen.

The Fondo Pfeffer del Sur is a unique opportunity granted by Working JIIFF for the third time, together with the Pfeffer Family, to recognize an Ibero-American project in development connected to Uruguay’s audiovisual industry. It is a US $50,000 fund designed to stimulate the development of one co-production project.

‍Musitelli Film & Digital grants an award equivalent to US $50,000 in film equipment rental for the production stage. The company’s catalogue ranges from cinema and digital cameras to lenses, lighting and grip equipment, cranes, dollies, and remote heads.

With a clear commitment to fostering the growth of the Uruguayan and regional film industry, COLOUR by Grup Mediapro supports and encourages the emergence of new voices and perspectives in Latin American cinema through a finishing award: one project will receive a comprehensive finishing package valued at USD 25,000. 

The Festival Internacional de Cine de San Pablo, la Mostra (Brasil), one of the most prestigious festivals in Latin America, will recognize and invite one project to participate in its Encontro de Ideias Audiovisuais in October 2027.

SELECTION PROCESS

The selection of projects will be carried out by the JIIFF Lab organization, which reserves the right to request further information if necessary.

The Working JIIFF organization will foster alliances with the corresponding institutions in order to gather support and accompany the participation of the selected duos.

The organization reserves the right to change the number of selected projects.

Each applicant will be notified of their selection by email. The applicant must confirm their participation within one week of receiving the notification. Otherwise, another project will be selected.

Once selected, the documentation of the projects in development for other programs or calls, as well as the final film materials, must include the JIIFF and Working JIIFF logos and the text: “JIIFF Lab 2027”.

For further information, please write to: wjiiff@joseignaciofilmfestival.com