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
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
JIIFF Lab 2027, organized as part of the José Ignacio International Film Festival in Uruguay, is a development lab for fiction feature film projects from Ibero-American countries. The call is open to national and international applicants and provides a space for project development, pitching, co-production, and professional networking.
The call has an initial application deadline of October 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., and a final deadline of November 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. The opening date is not specified.
The in-person stage of the lab will take place from January 27 to 31, 2027, preceded by two online sessions during January 2027, whose exact dates are not specified.
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JIIFF LAB
PITCH LAB – DOC.LAB Coimbra 2026 is a development and pitching lab for feature-length documentaries, taking place in Coimbra, Portugal, from March 16 to 20, 2026. It targets projects in the development stage that already have a teaser, offering filmmakers the opportunity to present their ideas to industry professionals and receive specialized feedback.
The call is open to international submissions, allowing filmmakers from any country to participate. Projects must be documentaries, with the main focus on pitching, while participants also work on structuring and strengthening their projects during the lab.
The application deadline is January 23, 2026. Interested applicants are required to submit their project dossier and teaser according to the program’s specifications. This lab provides an ideal platform for filmmakers seeking support, visibility, and professional connections for their feature-length documentary projects in development.
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PITCH LAB – DOC.LAB Coimbra
The 4th Ópera Prima LAB Films & Series is part of the 66th edition of the Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI), which will take place from April 6 to 11, 2027, in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
This international call is aimed at feature film and series projects in fiction, documentary, animation, and hybrid genres, at early stages of development. It is open to participants from Ibero-American, South American, and Caribbean countries, including territories with languages other than Spanish and Portuguese.
The laboratory aims to strengthen the creative and professional development of selected projects by providing a space for training, guidance, and connections with the audiovisual industry.
Applications will be open from November 17, 2026, to January 10, 2027, closing at 11:59 p.m., Colombia time. Participation is free, and the festival covers accommodation for selected participants, while travel expenses to Cartagena are the responsibility of each participant.
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Ópera Prima LAB Films & Series - FICCI
