The Ibiza Film Festival, Ibicine, will launch in 2026 the First Ibicine ScriptLab, a script laboratory-residence designed to support emerging talent and contribute to the professionalization of the audiovisual sector. The initiative will be aimed at fiction feature film projects, both live-action and animation, and will allow working from the initial phase of the idea to the complete development of the script.
The ScriptLab is promoted by Dicho y Hecho Producciones SL, organizer of the festival, with the aim of accompanying novice and experienced screenwriters in the creative and strategic process of their projects, facilitating writing in direct connection with professionals and key players in the audiovisual industry, both nationally and internationally.
The laboratory will select five projects, with no gender or thematic restrictions. Each of them will receive personalized mentoring, workshops, coaching sessions and specialized training, which will be developed in a first online phase during March 2026 and will culminate in person in Ibiza, in residency format, from April 8 to 12, 2026, coinciding with the Ibicine Festival. In addition, the organization guarantees the selection of at least one project from the Balearic Islands, thus reinforcing its commitment to the audiovisual fabric of the archipelago.
The director of Ibicine, Helher Escribano, highlights the innovative nature of the laboratory: “This is the first time that a script laboratory allows ideas to be registered as a starting point. The objective is to help dust off projects that are often left in a drawer because they require a large investment of time”. In this sense, he adds that the selected participants “will be able to start with an initial idea and end up with a feature film script, a pitch developed with professional support and, in some cases, even with awards”.
Selection in two phases
The call will be open from December 17, 2025 to January 15, 2026. In the first phase, applicants must submit a synopsis and a statement of intent, which will allow the selection committee to assess the originality, authorial vision and potential of the project.
From all the proposals received, a pre-selection of 20 projects will be made, from which a second submission will be requested with the sequenced treatment and a dialogued sequence. Finally, on March 10, 2026, the five selected projects will be announced and will then begin online mentoring prior to the residency in Ibiza.
Mentoring and industry connection
The selected projects will be mentored by renowned professionals, such as producer Luis Manso, winner of several Goya awards; screenwriter Jorge Naranjo, with experience in film and series for platforms such as Netflix; and screenwriter and producer Teresa Fernández-Valdés, linked to some of the most relevant series on Spanish television. This team is joined by international experts, including professionals from the Festival de Roteiro Audiovisual de Porto Alegre (FRAPA), Latin America’s leading script market.
The lab will culminate with a pitch day for the five finalist projects in front of audiovisual industry professionals, followed by One to One meetings, to be held on April 10, 2026 at the Teatro España in Santa Eulària des Riu. The presentation of the industry awards will take place during the Astarté Awards Gala 2026, on April 11, at the Can Ventosa Cultural Center, in the city of Eivissa.
Awards and international projection
Thanks to the agreement signed with FRAPA, the winning project of the pitch will obtain a direct place in FRAPA 2026, to be held in Porto Alegre (Brazil), with accommodation and full accreditation. In addition, the five finalist projects will have access to FRAPA 2026 One to One online meetings. The winning project will also be invited to Ibicine 2027 to present its progress and will have the possibility of premiering the film in future editions of the festival.
Open enrollment
The complete rules, requirements and necessary documentation can be consulted on the festival’s official website, www.ibicine.com. Registration will be done exclusively through the online form and costs 50 euros per project. Each person may submit as many projects as he or she wishes, as long as they are unpublished, correspond to feature-length fiction films of at least 60 minutes and are presented directly by the author.
