From January 24th to February 1st, the 16th edition of JIIFF took place. For a week in José Ignacio, filmmakers, industry professionals, and film-loving audiences gathered with a common goal: to reflect on, share, and enhance the cinematic experience on the big screen.
In 2026, six feature films were programmed in the official competition, and three out of competition. It was an honor to welcome Argentine director Gastón Solnicki and American actor Willem Dafoe to JIIFF and José Ignacio, where they presented the competition film The Souffleur; Uruguayan director and screenwriter Lucía Garibaldi, accompanied by actresses Sofía Gala and Martina Passeggi, to present Un Futuro Brillante; and screenwriter Santiago Fillol of Sirāt for a special closing night at the Bajada de los Pescadores.
After a week of uninterrupted screenings, the film that won the audience vote was Woman and Child, by Iranian director Saeed Roustayi.
The Short Film Competition attracts an ever-increasing number of Uruguayan filmmakers and producers with each edition. The 16th edition of JIIFF received over 60 submissions, from which seven were selected and presented in a special screening at Pavilion VIK, with all the teams in attendance. The jury, specially convened for this edition, awarded the December Prize to Bajamar, by Ignacio Giannini; and JIIFF audiences chose Lodo, by Joseph Specker Nyz, through their votes.
Working JIIFF, JIIFF's industry space, brought together more than 300 participants and guests from the local, regional, and international film industry in José Ignacio. They took part in activities designed to promote professional development and networking within the fiction film sector. Among the highlights was the free masterclass given by Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan to more than 200 industry professionals.
As part of its regular activities, JIIFF Lab hosted 16 professionals from across Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula who came to work on their feature film projects for five days. Simultaneously, Generación J welcomed 10 directors and screenwriters under 32 years old who are currently writing their first feature films. All of them participated in mentoring and networking sessions designed to stimulate and strengthen the development of their projects.
One of the highlights of the 2026 edition at Working JIIFF was the awarding of more than $130,000 in prizes, which positions the JIIFF industry space as one of the strongest and most value-generating platforms in the region, with international projection.
JIIFF reaffirms its commitment to contemporary cinema, the development of new audiences, and the strengthening of ties between creators, professionals, and the public. The festival continues to solidify its position as an international meeting place that fosters talent, promotes diverse perspectives, and establishes José Ignacio as a cultural landmark in the region.
Thank you for joining us and being part of this edition.
Each year, the winner of the Official Competition is chosen by JIIFF audiences through their votes. At the 16th edition, the audience favorite was Woman and Child, by Iranian filmmaker Saeed Roustayi. The film receives a work of art by Max Patissier, created especially for JIIFF..
The jury decided to award the December Prize for Best Short Film to Bajamar, by Ignacio Giannini. This year's jury consisted of Leticia Jorge (Uruguayan filmmaker and screenwriter), Lucía Puenzo (Argentine filmmaker and screenwriter), and María Marta Antin (Director of Institutional Relations and Communication at the Universidad del Cine and Director of Talents Buenos Aires). The Audience Award went to Lodo, by Joseph Specker Nyz.
Within the framework of Working JIIFF, the awards given to JIIFF Lab are a crucial boost for projects to advance their development and solidify into feature films. For the second consecutive year, the Pfeffer Fund of the South awarded $50,000 to one of the projects selected for JIIFF Lab, which in the 16th edition was won by Daemon (Chile), directed by Valeria Hofmann and produced by Úrsula Budnik.
The project "Las Ilusiones" (Argentina), directed by Ingrid Pokropek and produced by Segundo Álamos, won the Musitelli Film & Digital award, equivalent to $50,000 in film equipment rental. Driven by a passion for cinematic technology, Musitelli boasts the most comprehensive selection of cutting-edge equipment in Uruguay to help filmmakers bring their visions to life.
The jury of JIIFF Lab 2026 decided to award the Colour Prize to the project The Last King (Peru), directed by Víctor Checa and produced by Jimena Hospina. The prize, awarded by COLOUR by Grup Mediapro, is equivalent to $25,000 USD in a comprehensive finishing package.
The Mostra - São Paulo International Film Festival Award invites one of the lab's projects to participate in its industry space, Encontro de Ideias Audiovisuais. In the 2026 edition of JIIFF Lab, the award was given to the project Cómo se hace para volver (Mexico), by director Carlos Morales and producer Érika Calviño.
In this edition, the Generación J awards aimed to offer concrete opportunities for training, professional development, and specialized mentoring to the participating directors and screenwriters. James Snyder (Uruguay) won the Universidad del Cine (Argentina) award, which will allow him to participate in the next edition of Talents Buenos Aires. Mahiara Meret Sáenz Peña (Chile) won the New York Film Academy award for an online screenwriting course. And Micaela Tyler (Uruguay) won the ECAM (Spain) award, which consists of ad hoc mentoring for a project in development.
Argentine director Gaston Solnicki and American actor Willem Dafoe visited JIIFF and José Ignacio to present their film, The Souffleur, in Official Competition. They participated in a Q&A session with JIIFF attendees and also engaged in dialogue and exchanged ideas with festivalgoers in an intimate discussion at La Huella.
JIIFF welcomed Santiago Fillol, screenwriter of Sirāt, for the closing screening of the festival's 16th edition. At the Bajada de los Pescadores (Fishermen's Descent) event, which drew nearly two thousand spectators, Óliver Laxe's film graced the screen of the José Ignacio International Film Festival, bidding farewell until the next edition. "Quiet your mind, open your heart. Buena ceremonia para todos, muchas gracias" the screenwriter remarked before the screening.
Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan visited JIIFF to give a free masterclass on cinematography, designed specifically for cinematographers and students of this specialization from Uruguay and the region. More than 200 people participated in this activity at Pavilion VIK, which was supported by Labhouse and Musitelli.
A new edition of the film workshop for young people aged 8 to 18 was held. Over the course of a week, coinciding with the 16th edition of JIIFF, the students learned to film a short film, which was then screened on the festival's giant screen in a special showing for friends and family. Each year, the workshop's focus is on teamwork, learning about the different stages of the filmmaking process: research, creativity, development, scriptwriting, filming, editing, post-production, and screening.
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