Organized in partnership with Fundación Diciembre, founded by JIIFF benefactors Sandra Sakai and Ricardo Torres, this competitive section of the José Ignacio International Film Festival seeks to discover new Uruguayan film talent. At the festival's 16th edition, seven films slated for release in 2025 were selected for their official Uruguayan premieres at JIIFF.
The official prize, a trip to the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, including participation in the Short Film Corner | Rendez-vous Industry activities, was awarded to Bajamar, directed and produced by Ignacio Giannini.
The jury responsible for awarding the prize was specially convened by JIIFF for the 16th edition of the festival, and was made up of Leticia Jorge (Uruguayan filmmaker and screenwriter), Lucía Puenzo (Argentine filmmaker and screenwriter), and María Marta Antin (Director of Institutional Relations and Communication of the University of Cinema and Director of Talents Buenos Aires).
Furthermore, JIIFF is part of the family of leading international film festivals that qualify for the Oscars® and is the first festival in Uruguay to be included on the Academy Award® Qualifying Festivals list. Being included on this list means that the winner of the December Award in the 2026 Short Film Competition can be directly considered by the Academy® for the Animated, Documentary, and Live Action Short Film categories.
The winning short film also receives the distribution consulting award from Radiator IP Sales. This sales agent has worked with more than 200 short films and feature films to date, selected and awarded at major international festivals such as Cannes, Clermont-Ferrand, and Venice, among others.
Meanwhile, the Audience Award, chosen by JIIFF viewers through their votes, went to Lodo, directed by Joseph Specker Nyz and produced by Piero Sabini..
Director: Diego Acosta & Nicolás Sequeira Producer: Alfonso Trelles
Director: Hekla Egils
Producer: Paula Castro Fraga
Director and Producer: Manu Rosa
Director and Producer: Ignacio Giannini
Director: Elías De Martino
Producer: Luciana Tejería
Director and Producer: Boki
Director: Joseph Specker Nyz
Producer: Piero Sabini
Uruguayan director, screenwriter, and producer. She has made three feature films: Agarrame fuerte (Tribeca, 2024), Alelí (Biarritz, 2019), and Tanta Agua (Berlinale, 2013), the latter of which was screened in the 4th edition of the José Ignacio International Film Festival. She has also directed several short films, all of which premiered at international festivals. Agarrame fuerte competed in 2025 for the Goya Award for Best Ibero-American Film. In 2024, she received the National Literature Prize for her book ¡Paciencia! She teaches film and studied literature.
Lucía Puenzo is an Argentine filmmaker, screenwriter, and novelist. She made her directorial debut with XXY (2007), which won the Grand Prize at Critics’ Week in Cannes and the Goya Award for Best Foreign Film. Granta magazine named her one of the Best Young Spanish-Language Novelists. She adapted her own novels for the screen in films such as The Fish Child (2009) and Wakolda (2013), earning more than 20 international awards. Her film The Fall (2022) won the International Emmy Award for Best TV Movie, and The Impacted (2024) reaffirmed her as a vanguard voice in Latin American cinema. For television, she co-created Cromo (2015, Netflix) and series such as La Jauría, Miss 89, and No One Saw Us Leave. In 2025, she shot Pepita, the Pistolera.
Architect from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) with a Master’s degree in Communication Management for Organizations from Universidad Austral. Since 1991, she has led the Communication Department of the Universidad del Cine, defining institutional strategies and strengthening its public image. She is also responsible for two key professio- nal training initiatives: Talents Buenos Aires (a forum for young film professionals, created in 2004 with Berlinale Talents and the Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival) and FUC Lab (a pioneering platform for Latin American professionals). She has participated as a juror at renowned in- ternational film festivals.
Fundación Diciembre is an initiative that supports and promotes projects in the areas of education and social inclusion. Fundación Diciembre aims to contribute to the improvement and promotion of values such as freedom, solidarity, equality, and respect for diversity. Its projects include support for organizations that promote educational debate, public schools in vulnerable areas, organizations with field projects in areas of extreme poverty, and projects that promote freedom of expression.
All short films, having been officially selected at JIIFF, will also be included in the Short Film Corner Market Catalogue and will receive accreditation for two people to the Cannes Film Festival. This will grant them access to the Short Film Corner market, including networking opportunities, meetings, and conferences, as well as the chance to view films and attend activities during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
The Jury will be in charge of selecting the Winning Film in the Short Film Competition and, if they deem it appropriate, awarding a Special Mention. Their decision will be announced at the closing ceremony of the 14th José Ignacio International Film Festival.
All selected works also participate for the Audience Award, which is given to the film most voted for by the viewers of JIIFF 2026.
Carlos Vignolo
The piece awarded by Fundación Diciembre is a creation by Uruguayan artist Carlos Vignolo. With roots in industrial design and drawing, he has been experimenting with different materials since the 1980s. This extensive exploration of forms and techniques has culminated in his masterful handling of wood sculpture. Created especially for the winner of the JIIFF 2026 Short Film Competition, the piece is made of black acacia and is inspired by the waves of José Ignacio, where the artist has surfed since childhood.