Applications are accepted in the period between May 11th and July 3rd 2009, and only by the use of the digital application form available on the website.

All film makers from Central America or foreigners with at least 5 years of residency in one of those countries can participate in the following categories:

Fiction Feature Film
Short Fiction Film
Documentary Feature
Short Documentary
Educational Documentary
Film Report
Experimental Film
Video Clip
Animation Film

The registered documentaries will automatically take part in the Telesur Award for the Central American Documentary. 
All works about “Hunger and Malnutrition in Central America”, regardless of their genre, will be taken in account for the special award of this topic.

The following prizes are going to be awarded to Central American works:

Best Director
Best Cinematographer
Best Script Writer
Best Producer
Best Sound Engineer
Best Editor
Best Art Director
Best Actor
Best Actress

The international works are competing in the categories:

Foreign Short Fiction Film
Foreign Fiction Feature Film
Foreign Documentary Feature
Foreign Short Documentary

All audiovisual material of the genres mentioned before and produced in between 2008-2009 can participate in the ICARO festival.

Application procedure for Central American film makers:

Fill in the application form online at www.festivalicaro.com in between May 11th and July 3rd 2009.
Additionally you need to submit three copies of your work on DVD NTSC to the local ICARO office at latest on July 3rd 2009.
The DVDs have to be labeled correctly and accompanied by promotion materials in case to be needed.
The national ICARO festivals are taking place in the months of August and September 2009, where a jury is selecting the films for the regional competition in November in Guatemala City.
The jury for the Official Selection in each Central American country will be composed by internationally recognized film makers: one national, one Central American and one international

Application procedure for international participants:

Fill in the application form online at www.festivalicaro.com in between May 11th and July 3rd 2009.
Send in three DVDs NTSC copies and the promotion material to:
                   Festival Ícaro/Casa Comal
                   15 AVE. “A” 14-11 zona 10.
                   Oakland. Ciudad de Guatemala.
                   Guatemala. C.A. 01010

You have to specify “SIN VALOR COMERCIAL PARA USOS CULTURALES” (“NO COMERCIAL VALUE OF CULTURAL PURPOSE ONLY”) in order to make sure that no taxes have to be paid by the recipient.

The festival won’t cover any customs charges.

All film submissions have to be in Spanish or with Spanish subtitles.

The film material must have reached Guatemala by July 3rd 2009 at latest.

All film submissions, except for the 35 mm copies, are going to be kept at Media Centre of the Casa Comal Film School and can be used for academic activities or nonprofit screenings.

The nominated and awarded works of both the Central American and International category are being part of the touring exhibition of the ICARO Festival and can be screened at any festival or international show with nonprofit character. These works are forming part of the program of the national ICARO Festivals in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama in 2010.

The members of the official jury of the 12th ICARO Festival are non citizens of Central America and internationally recognized for their achievements in the film business. The jury decision is irrevocable.

The nominations list will be published on November 25th at the website of the ICARO Festival.

The festival organization team is reserving their right to withdraw works from the competition, which whether intentionally or not provided wrong information in the subscription of their work.
On October 1st 2009 the Official Film Program Selection of the 12th ICARO Festival will be online.

The jury decision is irrevocable.  Casa Comal no interferes with the jury decision.
The ICARO awards are going to be announced at the Closing Cermony & Award Show on November 26th 2009 in the Miguel Ángel Asturias Cultural Centre.
The Casa Comal will conserve the statues of the ICARO award, which weren’t handed over during the Closing ceremony, for six month. The producers/directors of the awarded films have to initiate its sending at their embassies or pay themselves the expenses for the courier service.

For further information call one of the following telephone numbers, or write us an email.
Tel: (502) 2367-3162, (503) 2367-0980, (502) 2367-1783
Email: recepcion@festivalicaro.com 

Local agencies of the ICARO Festival in Central America: 

Costa Rica
Escuela de Ciencias de la Comunicación Colectiva
de la Universidad de Costa Rica.
Edificio Ciencias Sociales.
Contact: Ana Xochitl Alarcón
Telephone and Fax: (506) 2224-3702
Email: Anaxochitl@gmail.com  

El Salvador
Audiovisuales de la UCA
Boulevard Los Próceres, San Salvador,  01168
Contact: Carlos Corado
Telephone:  (503) 2210-6684
Fax: (503) 2210-6981
Email: ccorado@comper.uca.edu.sv

Honduras:
Get directly in contact with CASA COMAL in GUATEMALA

Nicaragua
Luna Films
Rubenia D 23, del parque una cuadra arriba
Managua, Nicaragua
Contact: Martha Clarissa Hernández and María José Álvarez.
Telephone: (505) 2897393 and (502) 8765963.
Email: clarissa@ibw.com.ni or circe@ibw.com.ni

Panamá
Grupo Experimental de Cine Universitario
Campus Central de la Universidad de Panamá
Avenida José de Fábrega, contiguo L Complejo Hospitalario del Seguro Social.
Contact: Roberto Enrique King
Telephone and Fax: (507) 264 27 37
Email: reking@cwpanama.net  or robertoenriqueking@gmail.com