EFÍMERA MOVING IMAGE FESTIVAL
International Open Call
EFÍMERA invites video artists and collectives to participate in the first edition of Efímera Moving Image Festival (EMIF), an annual international festival dedicated to video art and contemporary moving image practices, taking place in Murcia, Spain, in January 2027.
The open call welcomes artists of all ages and nationalities. Submissions may include video art, video installations, artists’ films, experimental cinema, audiovisual essays, audiovisual installations and performances, generative imagery, artificial intelligence, and other hybrid practices involving the moving image.
CURATORSHIP AS PART OF THE ARTWORK
Efímera Moving Image Festival moves beyond the conventional format of consecutive screenings. Selected works will become part of a curatorial project in which they engage in dialogue with one another, with the spaces they inhabit, and with the visitor’s experience.
Works may be projected or installed on architectural structures, furniture, objects, gardens, façades, or other unconventional surfaces. Each intervention will be conceived specifically in relation to its exhibition context.
By submitting their work, artists acknowledge that selected pieces may:
* Engage in dialogue with other selected works.
* Become part of collective installations.
* Be projected onto unconventional surfaces.
* Be integrated into spatial interventions.
* Form part of urban and architectural routes.
The conceptual and visual integrity of each work will be respected at all times. The content itself will not be altered; only the way in which it is presented and interacts with the surrounding space may be adapted.
PARTICIPATION
Each artist or collective may submit a maximum of two works, whether previously exhibited or not, with no restrictions on subject matter.
Works may be submitted in any language, provided that Spanish subtitles are available when necessary.
Selected works will be included in the festival programme and presented across different venues and spaces throughout the city of Murcia.
The EFÍMERA curatorial team will particularly value:
* Artistic quality and conceptual strength.
* Originality and formal experimentation.
* The ability to engage with the exhibition space.
* The potential to establish connections with other works.
* Relevance to the festival’s curatorial identity.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Applicants must submit a single PDF dossier, with a maximum file size of 10 MB, including:
* Artist statement and short biography.
* Description of the proposed work or works (maximum two).
* Between 5 and 10 images.
* Links to view the videos.
* Contact details.
Selected works should preferably be delivered as single-channel MP4 files in HD resolution. Although there are no restrictions on format, landscape orientation is recommended.
Each selected artist will also be required to submit a still frame from their work in TIFF format, prepared for A3 printing at 300 dpi. These images will form part of a collective exhibition of still frames presented during the festival.
DATES
Submission period: 2 October – 30 November 2026
Selected artists will be informed by 15 Decemer 2026
PARTICIPATION CONDITIONS AND PUBLICITY
For this first edition, the selection of a work does not initially include the payment of an artist participation fee. EFÍMERA is currently awaiting the outcome of several funding applications and grant opportunities, and these conditions may be revised should additional financial resources become available.
All selected artists and works will be included in the festival’s communication and promotional strategy. This will encompass press outreach to specialised media, visibility across EFÍMERA’s communication channels, promotion through social media and the festival website, as well as editorial content in XYZ, EFÍMERA’s magazine, and other publications and materials produced in connection with the festival.
Participation will also place selected works within the festival’s curatorial and professional context, encouraging visibility among artists, curators, cultural professionals, institutions, and audiences engaged with contemporary art and moving image practices.
SUBMISSIONS
Proposals should be sent to info@efimera.xyz with the following email subject line:
EMIF – Artist’s Name
The selection will be made by a specialised committee.