# RULES – 16th Edition Almería Western Film Festival
Submission period: March 16 to June 14, 2026
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# 1. Festival Objectives
The 16th edition of the Almería Western Film Festival (AWFF), organized by the City Council of Tabernas, aims to promote and disseminate cinematic works within the western genre, in its broadest sense, contributing to the knowledge of world cinema.
At the same time, the Festival highlights the territory where it takes place: the Tabernas Desert and the municipality of Tabernas, which have served as inspiration and setting for an important international film production across different genres for more than 75 years. This represents a valuable cultural heritage that was recognized as a Treasure of European Film Culture by the European Film Academy in 2020.
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# 2. Festival Dates and Submission Deadline
The 16th edition of the Almería Western Film Festival will take place from Thursday, October 8 to Monday, October 12, 2026, in the municipality of Tabernas and at the film sets Oasys MiniHollywood and Fort Bravo Texas Hollywood.
All film works (feature films, short films, and documentaries) must be submitted between Monday, March 16 and Sunday, June 14, 2026, exclusively through the platforms Festhome and FilmFreeway. Submissions made through other channels will not be accepted under any circumstances.
Submitted works may not be withdrawn during the selection process, nor after having been officially selected for the Festival.
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# 3. Logline of the 2026 Edition
Almería Western Film Festival has a dual commitment: on the one hand, to recall the major milestones of the western genre throughout history; on the other, to reclaim and connect the traditional themes and iconography of the genre with today’s socio-cultural and environmental reality.
The 2026 edition will focus on diversity and the bridge as a symbol of intercultural connection between narratives and cinematic languages from different geographical regions: the neo-western as a reinterpretation of the archetypes and foundational plots of the classic western; the contemporary western set in the present and portraying the clash between tradition and modernity, as well as rural and war conflicts and their migratory implications; the existential western in Northern Europe and Eastern European countries; the revisionist American western that questions the colonial narrative; the rural and creole western, the revolutionary western, and the Argentine gaucho western in Latin America; and the hybridization of genres present in western-chanbara and/or martial arts westerns from Japan and Korea.
Works that offer a renewed, experimental, and disruptive perspective on these elements will be particularly valued.
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# 4. Official Section
## 4.1 Official Western Feature Film Section | International Scope
Fiction and documentary films, live-action or animated, of Spanish or international nationality, with a minimum duration of 60 minutes, produced after January 1, 2025.
Works must belong to the western or neo-western genre, the latter understood as an adaptation of the themes, plots, character archetypes, and iconography of the genre to a contemporary setting.
Films may have premiered at other national or international festivals held prior to AWFF; however, the selection committee will positively value premieres at AWFF (world, European, national, or regional).
Work-in-progress submissions are accepted. This status must be indicated during the submission process on the platform by selecting the corresponding option or by including it in parentheses after the title.
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## 4.2 Official Western Short Film Section | International Scope
Spanish or international short films with western or neo-western themes, fiction or documentary, with a maximum duration of 20 minutes including credits and a premiere date after January 1, 2025.
They may have premiered at other national or international festivals prior to AWFF; however, the Selection Committee will positively value a premiere or exclusive premiere at AWFF.
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# 5. Parallel Sections
## 5.1 Film Schools and Universities Section | International Scope
Spanish or international short films with western or neo-western themes, fiction, documentary, or experimental, with a maximum duration of 15 minutes including credits and a premiere date after January 1, 2024.
The following requirements are mandatory: the director must be at least 18 years old at the time of submission, and the works must have been created and produced within the academic context of an audiovisual or film training institution.
Therefore, the submission must include a copy of the director’s ID and a certificate issued by the educational institution or university.
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## 5.2 Outlaw Section | International Scope
National and international independent productions that experiment with the boundaries of the western genre. The maximum duration is 15 minutes including credits and the premiere date must be after January 1, 2025.
These works will only compete for the Audience Award for Best Short Film and, where applicable, for the RTVA Award for Andalusian Creation.
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# 6. Evaluation and Selection Process
AWFF will seek to assemble a selection of films representing new international paths of the western genre. Therefore, the Festival will aim for a balance between films from all continents, both historical and contemporary, reflecting gender equality and diversity and offering new perspectives that revitalize the western genre.
A Selection Committee will evaluate all submitted works and choose the finalists between June 15 and June 30, 2026.
The committee’s decision will be final and proposals for evaluation submitted after the closing date for submissions (June 14) will not be considered.
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# 7. Selection Notification, Confidentiality Commitment and Premiere Status
The Festival organization will notify the producers and/or representatives of the selected works, as well as the section in which they will be included.
The estimated notification period will be from June 15 to July 15, 2026.
The film team agrees to maintain confidentiality regarding the selection until the Festival publicly announces all official sections through its website and other media channels in mid-September 2026. Failure to comply with this condition may result in the film being disqualified and removed from the official competition.
Likewise, if the submission specified a status of international, national, or regional premiere at AWFF and this condition was crucial for its selection and inclusion in a particular section, the film team agrees to maintain this premiere status until the Festival dates. Failure to comply with this condition may also result in disqualification and removal from the official competition.
Non-selected works: the Festival is not committed to sending individual notifications of non-selection. Participants will receive a “Not Selected” notification through the platform used for submission (Festhome or FilmFreeway).
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# 8. Delivery of Materials for Selected Films
Selected films must meet the following conditions in addition to those already stated.
Screening copies must meet the technical requirements of each section of the Festival, preferably in digital .mov or .mp4 format. Works that do not meet the necessary technical standards for public screening may be rejected.
Participants agree not to withdraw their films from the Official Section once they have been selected and the producers or representatives have been notified.
Once the selection has been communicated in any of the competitive sections, participants will have 15 calendar days from the date of notification, between June 15 and July 15, 2026, to send the screening copies via download link to the following email address:
[comunicacion@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es](mailto:comunicacion@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es)
The Festival reserves the right to remove from the competition any works that do not arrive within the established period.
Films may be screened in original version with Spanish subtitles or with English subtitles in the case of Spanish-language films, or exceptionally dubbed into Spanish. Participants must provide the subtitles embedded in the image when sending the screening copies. Failure to comply with this condition may exclude a work from final participation in the Festival.
Participants must also send all promotional materials (press kit) of the selected work in a single .zip file between June 15 and July 15, 2026 via WeTransfer to the following address:
[comunicacion@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es](mailto:comunicacion@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es)
Required promotional materials:
* Official poster of the film
* Three promotional stills in high resolution
* Technical and artistic credits
* Synopsis in Spanish and English
* Age rating recommendation
* Photo and bio-filmography of the director (maximum five lines)
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# 9. Screening Dates and Festival Invitation
The Festival organization will publish the screening schedule of the selected films from September 20 onwards through the website and social media channels. Representatives of the works should check these channels to learn the screening dates, as they will not be communicated individually.
The Festival organization will not cover the travel expenses of representatives who decide to attend the screening of their film, although it may offer one or two nights of accommodation for one representative, subject to availability.
The Guest Department will provide a guideline document for those who decide to attend the Festival, including a list of hotels and restaurants, as well as contact details for taxis or other means of transportation. The booking and payment of these services will be the responsibility of the participants.
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# 10. Awards and Juries
The Festival organization will appoint a professional Jury that will grant the following awards in the different sections.
## 10.1 Official Competitive Feature Film Section
Jury Award for Best Western Feature Film
Granted by the Jury of the Official Feature Film Section to the best fiction or documentary feature-length film. The organization reserves the right to split this award into two categories: “Best Western Film” and “Special Jury Award for Best Neo-Western.”
“Carlo Simi” Award for Technical-Artistic Contribution to the Western Genre
Granted by the Jury of the Official Feature Film Section to a professional from either the technical or artistic team who has contributed to the promotion and renewal of the international western genre.
Best Performance Award
Granted by the Jury of the Official Feature Film Section to an actress or actor performing a leading or supporting role in one of the films in competition. The organization reserves the right to divide this award into two categories: “Best Actress” and “Best Actor,” or alternatively “Best Leading Performance” and “Best Supporting Performance.”
“First Bullet” Award for Discovery in the Western Genre
Granted by the Jury to a director, department head, or performer for their first work within the western genre.
Audience Award for Best Feature Film
Granted by the audience attending screenings of feature films programmed in the Official Section, Panorama Section, and Outlaw Section.
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## 10.2 Official Competitive Short Film Section
Jury Award for Best Western Short Film
Granted by the Jury of the Official Short Film Section to the best fiction or documentary short film.
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Granted by the audience attending screenings of short films programmed in the Official Section and the Outlaw Section.
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## 10.3 Other Awards
Best Film School or University Short Film Award
Granted to the best fiction, documentary, or experimental short film produced within a Film School or University, where the director has studied audiovisual or film-related studies.
Canal Sur Radio and Television (RTVA) Award for Andalusian Audiovisual Creation
Granted to an Andalusian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, or producer, or to the best audiovisual work in any category (feature film, short film, documentary, and/or Outlaw Section). The works must be produced or created by Andalusians and belong to the western genre.
RC Service Award for Best Cinematography in a Spanish Production
The RCservice Award for Best Cinematography in a Spanish production consists of a €750 discount on digital cinema camera equipment granted to the production company of the work.
There is no minimum budget requirement for applying the discount. The equipment must be used within a maximum period of twelve months after the AWFF closing ceremony (October 11, 2026).
Awards consist of a festival trophy and special prizes provided by collaborating entities. No cash prizes will be awarded.
The Jury’s decision will be final and not subject to appeal.
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# 11. Exclusive Submission Platforms
Feature films and short films must be submitted between March 16 and June 14, 2026 exclusively through Festhome and FilmFreeway:
[https://filmmakers.festhome.com/festival/awff](https://filmmakers.festhome.com/festival/awff)
[https://filmfreeway.com/ALMERIAWESTERNFILMFESTIVAL](https://filmfreeway.com/ALMERIAWESTERNFILMFESTIVAL)
Submissions sent through other channels will not be accepted.
All participants must complete the submission form with all required information.
Once a film has been accepted for participation, it may not be withdrawn from its screening during the Festival.
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# 12. Final Considerations
Submitting a film implies acceptance of these rules and of any decisions made by the Festival Organization regarding situations not covered herein.
The Festival Organization reserves the right to cancel or postpone the event in cases of force majeure.
The in-person celebration of the Festival will depend on authorization from governmental and/or health authorities and will follow any recommended safety protocols.
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# 13. Festival Venues and Contact Information
The main headquarters of the Festival is located in the municipality of Tabernas.
Tabernas Municipal Theatre
C/ Rodríguez Carmona, 2–22
04200 Tabernas, Spain
La Serrata Hall
C/ Rodríguez Carmona, 13
04200 Tabernas, Spain
Mini Hollywood Oasys Film Set
N-340a, km 464
04200 Tabernas, Almería, Spain
Fort Bravo Texas Hollywood Film Set
Paraje del Unihay, s/n
04200 Tabernas, Almería, Spain
Other Spaces
Plaza de la Glorieta
Town Hall Square
Los Pinos leisure and picnic area
Contact
Tabernas City Council
Calle Mirlo, 1
04200 Tabernas (Almería), Spain
Tel. (+34) 950 36 50 02
Website
[www.almeriawesternfilmfestival.es](http://www.almeriawesternfilmfestival.es)
Email
[info@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es](mailto:info@almeriawesternfilmfestival.es)
Office hours
Monday to Friday, approximately from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
