FIDBA is biggest Documentary Film Festival of Iberoamerica, and the first International Documentary Film Festival in Argentina, space where cinema of the real, films with the same vocation, dialogue with one another and address the diversity of forms and particular tasks that take reality as material. From this premise, the FIDBA is planned as an annual event in which they will present a selection of new directors, revisit the films of prominent authors and will recover works and films unknown to mainstream audiences.

LINK is the industry area of FIDBA wich is one of the biggest documentary meetings of Latin America. With different areas of work: WORK IN PROGRESS, WIP MEETINGS, TERRITORIES, DOCLAB, ONE TO ONE MEETINGS, and conferences and masterclasses

FIDBA also aims to be a meeting place for authors to widen our perception of reality and ways of expressing it and thinking it out through film, but also the arts, new media formats and new narratives ranging from photography to installations, from documentary theater to transmedia storytelling, not to mention the intersections between reality and fiction. The Festival is open, in short, to all documentary works that are a reflection and an effort to understand reality.

Facing a market that prevails and makes all relations a part of a great show, the documentary film maintains and reaffirms its character, for making every moment and letting rule for things not easily controlled, must necessarily invent forms for always unresolved issues: the documentary is unable to reduce the world to a previous device. And though the procedures are provided, and by nature, insecure, unstable and fragile, that is exactly their strength and driving force: to be there to allow the construction of new maps and to explore over those that are not entirely known to us yet.

OFFICIAL PRIZES

International Documentary Feature Films competition :
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 10.000

International Documentary Short Films Competition :
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $3.000

National Documentary Short Films Competition :
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $3.000

Latin American Documentary Feature Film Competition
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5000

International Documentary Feature Film Competition "new filmmakers"
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5000

International Competition New Narratives (experimental cinema)
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5000

Argentine Documentary Feature Film Competition
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5000

Thematic Panorama Competition (Music, Sports, Architecture, Cinema)
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5000

International Fiction Feature Film Competition "Fictions of the real"
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5.000

International Feature Film Competition "Queer Doc" (Documentaries LGTBQI)
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5.000

International Competition Docs VR
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5.000

International Documentary Competition on Human Rights
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5000

International Documentary Competition related to childhood and adolescence
1st Place Fidba Award statuette, diploma, and $ 5000

All years, FIDBA will propose different awards from different partners, depending on the competition, the prize always will be for the first place, like SIGNIS WORLD, ARGENTINIAN ASSOCIATION OF DOCUMENTARIES, ARGENTINIAN ASSOCIATION OF DOP, ARGENTINIAN ASSOCIATION OF SOUND ENGINEERS, ARGENTINIAN ASSOCIATION OF EDITORS, CINE.AR

FIDBA Rules and Regulations 2024

1- General Terms
The 12th International Documentary Film Festival of Buenos Aires will be held in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina from 3 to 13th of October 2024.

REGISTRATION:

1.2- Eligibility
Submissions are open to Argentine and foreign documentary features and short-length films, All productions must have been completed after January 1, 2021.

1.3- Sections
The program of the Festival will include competition sections. Submitters will choose the appropriate section for the film, but this can be changed if the Selection Committee finds it necessary.

1.4- Entry
Submissions should be done only through authorized digital platforms. Once the entry form is completed, it will be legally considered as a sworn statement and as a testimony of the producer's knowledge and acceptance of the present Rules.

1.5- Participation
Participation in the Festival entails the acceptance of the present Rules.
Once submitted and selected, a film cannot be removed from the Festival lineup.
All people related to the selected films agree not to make public their participation until the lineup is announced by FIDBA.

2- Competitions

a) International Documentary Feature Films competition
For national and international films over 40 minutes long.

b) International Documentary Short Films Competition
International films no Longer than 40 minutes in length.

c) National Documentary Short Films Competition
For Argentine films no Longer than 40 minutes in length.

d) Latin American Documentary Feature Film Competition
For Latin American Films documentaries are over 40 minutes long.

e) International Documentary Feature Film Competition "new filmmakers"
For national and international films over 40 minutes. Only for filmmakers who present their first or second non-fiction movie.

f) International Competition New Narratives (experimental cinema)
For experimental films of any nationality and duration.

g) Argentine Documentary Feature Film Competition :
Only for Argentinian Documentary Feature Films.

h) Thematic Panorama Competition (Music, Sports, Architecture, Cinema)
For national and international documentaries that address any of the following themes: Music, Sports, Architecture, Cinema. (over 40 minutes)

i) International Fiction Feature Film Competition "Fictions of the real"
For fiction feature films that have a narrative or thematic search that matches them with the documentary. National and international films (over 40 minutes).

j) International Feature Film Competition "LATERAL" (Documentaries LGTBQI)
For national and international documentaries that address the LGTBQI theme. (over 40 minutes)

k) International Competition Docs VR
For Virtual Reality documentaries and immersive content. (For works of any duration)

l) International Documentary Competition on Human Rights
For documentaries on human rights (environment, migration, politics, etc). movies from all over the world will be accepted. (over 40 minutes)

m) International Documentary Competition related to childhood and adolescence
For nonfiction films related to childhood and youth. Movies from any country and footage are accepted.

***All Argentine documentaries must be entered in the ARGENTINE FILMS category, regardless of their theme or footage.
DO NOT REGISTER YOUR FILM if the film is not PREMIER in the City of Buenos Aires, that is, it has had its premiere in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) or has been previously presented at a festival in the same city or premiered in a cinema. Will not be considered admissible to participate in official competitions or other FIDBA spaces.

***The Selection Committee reserves the right to schedule a film in a contest different from the one in which it was registered.

3- Awards
All years, FIDBA will propose different awards, depending on the competition, the prize always will be for the first place. And the jury can add two mentions. Indeed other prices are available, like SIGNIS WORLD, ARGENTINIAN ASSOCIATION OF DOCUMENTARIES, ARGENTINIAN ASSOCIATION OF DOP, ARGENTINIAN ASSOCIATION OF SOUND ENGINEERS, ARGENTINIAN ASSOCIATION OF EDITORS.
All the prizes are expressed in Argentinian currency. The Jury may propose up to two special mentions per category.

3.2- Mention of Participation
The producers and distributors of films participating in the Competitions shall include the phrase “Selección Oficial Internacional”/“International Official Selection”, in all their film advertising and press material, using the logo of the Festival. This commitment applies to both theatre releases and DVD and Blu-ray releases.
The producers and distributors of award-winning films shall mention such award(s) in all their film advertising and press material, using the logo of the Festival. This commitment applies to both theatre releases and DVD and Blu-ray releases.
The logo will be available on the Festival’s website.

4- Submission Information and Materials Required for the Selection Process

4.1- Required Materials
Completed Entry Form at the platform, a link to the film for online viewing ( such as Vimeo, youtube, etc).
Films must have Spanish or English Subtitles if it is not Spanish spoken.
Please fill every single gap in the Entry Form.
Don`t forget to indicate if the work is a final cut, a rough cut, or a work in progress.

If the film es selected to integrate the film fest, the responsible for the film MUST PROVIDE SPANISH SUBTITLES in SRT format and ENGLISH SRT, dialogue list in the date that the festival indicates.

4.2- Submission deadlines and Entry Fees; International feature films and experimental films of any length. The fees for the submission of films are established at different times on the platform. The selection committee is under no obligation to view films submitted after the deadline.

Argentine Films submission is Free.

5- Selected Films

5.1- Catalogue
With the purpose of issuing an accurate catalog, the Festival requires, for each selected film, a duly completed entry form, and the following materials: film synopsis, director's biography, and filmography, one film still, and the full artistic and technical credits. The required materials shall be submitted as soon as possible upon acceptance of the invitation to participate in the Festival and before the deadline, which will be duly notified. Editorial decisions are entirely at the discretion of the Festival.

5.2- Excerpts for Promotional Purposes
The Festival may use excerpts from national or foreign films – with a maximum length of 3 minutes – for promotional purposes (excerpts from short films used promotionally will not exceed 10% of their total running time).
Should a producer fail to submit the required film excerpts, the Festival may copy one or more fragments from the movie for promotional use during the Festival.
For the promotion of the Festival lineup and each of the selected films, the Festival may upload digital photos of films and film clips (of a maximum of 3 minutes) onto the Festival's website.

5.3- Video Library
The selected films will be available on the Festival’s online Video Library for a predetermined period. The video library is only accessible to Festival accredited press members and guests. By entering the Festival, rights holders give permission for their films to be included in the video library, unless stated otherwise on their entry form.
For these purposes, the producers of films in the Festival lineup shall provide extra copies in the format that will be duly specified.

5.4- Screening Schedule
The film programming and the screening days and times are decided by the Festival Organizers.

5.5- Screening Format
Festival screening formats are:
DCP only digital transfer
MOV, MP4 (Codec H.264) File.
Maximum Bitrate: 12 mbps

The submission of works in other video formats requires the authorization of the Festival.
Once the screening format has been informed to the Festival Organizers, it may not be changed.

5.6- Language and Subtitles in case of selection
Selected films will be screened in their original version.

Foreign Films:
If the film is selected to integrate the film fest, the responsible for the film MUST PROVIDE SPANISH SUBTITLES in SRT format and ENGLISH SRT, both in the date that the festival indicates.
Screening copies should have no subtitled printed on them.

Argentine Films:
An English-subtitled screening copy is preferred if available. If no English-subtitled copy should be available, the Festival may request a list of the script lines in English (with time codes).

7- About These Rules
Participation in the Festival entails the acceptance of the present Rules. In the event of any conflict (concerning the organization or operation) not covered in these regulations, it will be resolved by the Festival Organizers.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Muy agradecido por los dos primeros premios. El FIDBA ya es un espacio familiar. Espero que podamos seguir compartiendo estos encuentros. Gracias

    December 2022
  • Fernando Moreira

    Stunning experience. It was such a pleasure to be part of the history of the biggest documentary film festival in Argentina and one of the most important in Latin America! Grateful for the opportunity of screening my shor doc [Emptiness crossing us]. Thank you FIDBA!

    December 2021
  • Muchas gracias.
    Felices de ser parte de FIDBA

    December 2021
  • Cagdas Celtikli

    Un Festival sumamente importante e increíble. Muy buena comunicación y selección. Participamos en la competencia LGBTQI* con nuestro film "grietas en el patriarcado" o "Cracks in the Patriarchy". Decidieron a pesar de la pandemia y el hecho de no poder hacer un Festival presencial, hacer un Festival muy bien organizado, accesible y grande online. Creemos que es muy importante seguir visibilizando el arte, y justamente el cine documental en este tiempo tan particular. Muchísimas gracias a todo el equipo por seleccionarnos, la comunicación, la buena onda y su trabajo.

    October 2020
  • Quentin Lestienne

    Great festival and communication, they are serious here.
    I was so happy to participate with my short documentary in the focus section - Planeta Tierra.

    October 2020