The Caribbean International Film and Environment Festival, Isla Verde, founded in 2022 by actor, director, and 2024 National Film Award winner Jorge Perugorría, opens the call for its fourth edition, which will be held on Isla de la Juventud from April 5 to 11, 2026.
The festival reaffirms its competitive nature, welcoming feature films and short films that promote the conservation and protection of the environment, while documenting the active relationship between human beings and nature.
Raising visibility, raising awareness, and promotion of the development of sustainable solutions through the seventh art is the hallmark of Isla Verde, a space that, in addition to its competitive sections, will include conferences, workshops, concerts, training sessions, exhibitions, thematic cycles, and multiple cultural and community activities.
Organized by the Project for Local Development Isla Verde, Four Wives, the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Man, and the Gorría Workshop Gallery, the Festival seeks to provide, through cinema, a critical perspective on the environmental challenges currently facing the Caribbean, establishing itself as a creative and vital space to promote joint environmental action.
In 2026, the festival—the central platform of the Project for Local Development Isla Verde—will once again transform the Isle of Youth into the epicenter of projects, conferences, and exchanges related to sustainability, the circular economy, ecotourism, and the conservation of natural resources.
The call for entries for the 4th International Caribbean Film and Environment Festival, Isla Verde, will be open from October 6, 2025 to February 6, 2026.
Competitive Sections
Best Feature Film (Fiction/Documentary/Animation)
Single award for the best feature film addressing environmental themes in a broad sense, including the relationship between humans and their environment. Works produced between 2024 and 2025 from any country in the world are eligible.
Best Short Film (Fiction/Documentary/Animation)
Single award for the best short film exploring environmental themes in a broad sense. Works produced between 2024 and 2025 from any country in the world are eligible.
Special Jury Prize
This award will be granted, exceptionally, to the work (feature or short film) with the greatest impact and reach in addressing environmental themes, with particular consideration given to its aesthetic and creative quality.
Call for Entries: FILM IN PROGRESS
In partnership with Orizzonti HUB – Italy Cuba, the Festival opens for the second time this competitive section, aimed at supporting audiovisual projects in the post-production stage.
The Film in Progress Award will contribute to the completion of feature films and short films, fiction or documentary, that promote environmental conservation and document the relationship between human beings and nature.
Selected projects will receive post-production awards and gain international visibility at a festival evaluated by filmmakers, researchers, and scientists. Priority will be given to independent, low-budget productions with a strong authorial signature.
Information about the awards in this category will be shared at a later date.
Guidelines: Film in progress
- Feature films and short films, fiction and documentary, of any nationality in the post-production stage, with at least a first edited cut (minimum 45 minutes for feature films), may participate.
- Registration must be completed electronically through our official form.
- Projects must include a detailed dossier with specific needs and any existing partnerships or agreements.
- If not in Spanish, the submitted copy must include Spanish subtitles.
- The jury will be composed of renowned national and international figures from cinema, visual arts, and scientific research
Selection Official: Regulations
- Feature films and short films produced between 2024 and 2025 that address environmental themes and the relationship between human beings and nature may compete.
- International productions must be submitted without prior screenings in Cuba (except for national films).
- Materials will be accepted from October 6, 2025, until February 6, 2026 (23:59 Havana time).
- Works must be submitted in their original version with Spanish subtitles.
- Screening formats: DCP (unencrypted) and MP4 or MOV files (H264 codec), 1080p resolution or higher.
- The Festival may use photos and excerpts from the films for promotional purposes.
- The jury’s decision will be final and unappealable.
- The Festival will not cover screening rights for films selected in the competition.
- Official selection results will be announced on February 20, 2026.
- All requested materials must be complete and delivered by the deadline of February 6, 2026. Incomplete submissions will invalidate participation.
- Registration will be formalized through the following link: REGISTRATION FORM.
For more information, please write to:
comunicacion@islaverdefestival.com
coordinacion@fourwivescuba.com
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