Medellin Vertical Week Is Taking Free Entries for Vertical Films, With a Possible Route to Cannes in 2027
A new Colombian festival for native 9:16 film wants shorts, music videos and genre projects by 30 October 2026. Entry is free, and AI tools are allowed.
A festival built entirely around the phone-shaped screen is about to hold its first edition, and it is asking for work now. Medellin Vertical Week runs from 25 to 29 November 2026 in Medellin, Colombia, and its call for entries closes on 30 October 2026. Submitting costs nothing. The festival is dedicated to native 9:16 storytelling across short films, series, music videos, advertising, gaming, animation and the technology behind them.
The prize on offer is exposure, and the page is honest that it is not cash. Selected genre films are considered for the Fantastic Vertical Cinema Showcase at the Fantastic Pavilion during the Marche du Film at the 2027 Cannes Film Festival. That is a screening opportunity at an industry market, not a funded award, so weigh it as visibility and not income. Entry runs through the festival's page on Festhome, where you register and submit.
What you submit
There are three open-call routes, each with the same 30 October 2026 deadline and no fee.
Vertical Cinema takes finished standalone short films in any genre or format, including fiction, documentary, hybrid and animation. Runtime is 30 seconds to 4 minutes on the call page, though the festival's general rules allow up to 10 minutes and say longer pieces are considered only in exceptional cases. Films must be subtitled in English, and in Spanish too if the original language is something else.
Vertical Music takes finished vertical music videos of any genre. Length is open and depends on the song.
Fantastic Vertical Challenge is the demanding one. It is for people from Latin American and Caribbean countries (Puerto Rico included) who will make a horror, suspense, thriller, sci-fi or fantasy piece of 30 seconds to 4 minutes during the festival itself. Projects must not have started filming when you apply, and everything must be shot in Medellin. You submit a short deck with a director's statement and a production proposal. Edited films are due by 27 November 2026.
Technical requirements for films: 9:16 vertical, 1080 x 1920 or 2160 x 3840 or higher, MP4 or MOV, H.264 or H.265. Any camera is fine, phones included.
Prize structure
There are no cash prizes listed. Benefits depend on the route. Genre shorts chosen for the festival, including those from the Challenge, are considered for the Cannes showcase in 2027. Challenge teams also get festival accreditation, promotion of their projects and networking access. Organisers will provide editing facilities and support equipment for Challenge teams.
Notification is listed as 15 November 2026.
Terms worth reading
The Challenge is not free to take part in once you are selected. Participants cover their own travel to Medellin, lodging, and every other cost of the stay, and must assemble their own crew. Accreditation covers only the team members you list after selection, and anyone who joins later must register separately. Check that budget before you apply.
On rights, Vertical Cinema asks that the applicant holds the distribution and exhibition rights. Vertical Music asks that you are the producer or hold the rights to screen or distribute. The page published no broad licence grab or ownership transfer, but it also published no full terms text, so read the rules inside the submission form before you pay attention to anything else.
On AI, the page is permissive. Vertical Cinema and Vertical Music both state that AI use is allowed. Challenge projects may use AI tools if the use is justified and supports the footage shot in Medellin.
The page lists no cutoff time or timezone for 30 October 2026, so submit with a day in hand. The page also carried a notice about a hardware incident affecting Festhome's servers, so do not leave uploads to the last hours.
Official page and entry: Medellin Vertical Week on Festhome. Festival site: medellinverticalweek.com.