Starting from 2003, Open Doors has been championing filmmaking from regions where independent cinema is especially challenging, building bridges for collaboration across regions, countries and continents. Through Open Doors' public and professional programs, we aim to provide a space where talents find support in every step of their creative and professional journey and where discussion and reinvention of today’s cinema can happen among free voices.
The ultimate goal of the Open Doors is to contribute to the development of a more collaborative worldwide film community without borders, while making the independent scene stronger and more sustainable.
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Locarno Open Doors
Terra#LAB 2026 is an international film development laboratory that will take place in Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain, from December 8–11, 2026. The call for applications is open until June 30, 2026, and is aimed at filmmakers developing their first or second feature-length film.
The program accepts feature film projects in the writing, development, or pre-production stages. It welcomes a wide range of cinematic approaches, including fiction, documentary, animation, experimental works, essay films, and other feature-length formats. The call is international, allowing submissions from filmmakers worldwide.
Terra#LAB provides creative and professional mentoring designed to strengthen both the artistic and strategic dimensions of selected projects. The laboratory focuses on script development, project advancement, funding strategies, pre-production planning, and audience design. A minimum of seven projects will be selected, with particular attention given to women filmmakers and emerging directors, especially those under the age of 30. Selected participants receive support for travel and accommodation during the laboratory.
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TERRA#LAB
Vanguardia: Film Project Incubator – Ícaro Industria 2026 is an international film development program based in Guatemala, focused on strengthening early-stage audiovisual projects through training, mentorship, and tools for financing and co-production opportunities. The call is open to Spanish-speaking directors, screenwriters, and producers from around the world with feature film projects in fiction, documentary, or animation.
The application period will be open from April 19 to May 19, 2026. Selected projects will participate in an online training program from June 6 to July 5, 2026, including sessions on project development, production structures, budgeting, financing, project presentation materials, pitching, artificial intelligence tools, and immersive storytelling. The program will conclude with a pitch presentation on July 5, 2026, where one project will be selected to participate in the International Co-production Meeting as part of Ícaro Industria 2026, taking place in November in Guatemala City.
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CUTTING-EDGE INCUBATOR
The Residència de Guions is a development lab for feature film scripts (including animation) and documentaries in Catalan or Spanish, with a strong cultural connection to Catalonia. It is open to screenwriters of any nationality. The 2025 call was open from January 30 to March 3. Selected projects receive a €12,600 grant to focus on script development between September 2025 and May 2026. Participants work with expert mentors, receive training, foster collaboration among authors, and connect with the Catalan and international film industry. Application is free. The aim is to enhance the quality and international reach of Catalan cinema by supporting emerging talent.
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THE RESIDENCE
The Malaga Festival is calling for aid for audiovisual creation for the eleventh consecutive year with the aim of encouraging and energizing audiovisual creation in Malaga. These grants are aimed at projects for the making of action, animation or documentary short films with a maximum duration of 30 minutes and free themes.
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Audiovisual Creation Grants - Málaga
