Submissions are now open for the next edition of the Playa Film Festival. The sixth edition of the festival will celebrate 50 years of Aruba’s National Anthem and Flag with a variety of creative activities.
One of the highlights is ‘Mi baranca stima’ (“My beloved rock”), a film workshop and competition specially designed for secondary schools. Students will learn how to create a short documentary expressing their love for Aruba. All documentaries will be screened at Playa, where a panel of judges will select the winner for the best ‘Mi baranca stima’ documentary.
In the most recent school competition, EPB San Nicolas won the award for Best School Short Story. Secondary schools interested in participating can email info@cinearuba.com for more information.
The ‘Di Aruba’ competition category will return, focusing on original films that promote Aruban culture. This category highlights Papiamento-language productions and authentic stories having their world premiere at the Playa Film Festival. Three awards will be presented: Best Aruban Short Film, Best Authentic Aruban Story, and Outstanding Aruban Performance.
This year, Blachinan Blanco by Ronney Dotel won the audience award for Best Aruban Short Film.
The theme for Playa 2026 will be “Aruba Dushi Tera”, emphasizing Aruba’s Anthem and Flag. The festival’s visual designs will feature the blue and yellow colors of the Aruban flag.
The festival will also introduce several new competition categories alongside the popular Kingdom of Shorts, Playa’s most attended section. During the fifth edition, both Kingdom of Shorts screenings were sold out.
Sunny by German Gruber Jr. from Curaçao took home all major awards, including Best Short Film.
The Kingdom of Shorts category features short films from Aruba, Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and the Netherlands, all premiering in Aruba at the Playa Film Festival.
Filmmakers can submit their films until the end of June 2026 for consideration. Submissions are accepted exclusively through FilmFreeway. Entry does not guarantee inclusion in the festival program. Playa follows the same selection process as international festivals: all films are reviewed, and those most relevant to the program and the festival will be officially selected.
For submissions and detailed information, visit filmfreeway.com/playafilmfestival.
It is recommended to read all information carefully before submitting, as next year will also feature online screenings.
The festival will return during the first weekend of October next year at Caribbean Cinemas.
Submissions for local fiction and documentary films are completely free.
Press release: Fundacion CINEARUBA
