Mendi Film, Ternua and the Basque Language, Culture and Sports Ministry of the Bizkaia Regional Government are announcing the 7th edition of the Mendi Film Bizkaia Ternua Beka, the grant aimed at the creation of documentary film projects that seek to promote mountain culture through audiovisual means.
Mountain culture is understood from multiple perspectives, whether sporting, cultural or social, or through projects related to sustainability, ecology, and/or climate change. Priority will be given to young filmmakers, projects filmed wholly or partly within the historical territory of Bizkaia, and those with a local-global character. However, none of these three factors will be decisive in determining the award of the grant.
The grant consists of a financial contribution of €10,000 and a support programme, led by the creative producer Itziar García Zubiri, to develop the selected project.
The selection process will consist of two phases. In the first phase, the four finalist projects will be selected to proceed to the next phase. In the final selection phase, which will take place in person and/or online during the 19th edition of the BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia (4–13 December 2026), a jury comprising members of the audiovisual community and the mountaineering world will determine the project to be awarded the 7th Mendi Film Bizkaia Ternua Beka grant.
Mendi Film Beka - MendiTV
Trailer_ SUSTRAIAK, RAÍCES PERDIDAS_MENDI FILM BEKA 2025
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The grant is open to anyone aged 18 or over, with no restrictions based on nationality or country of residence.
Projects may be submitted either individually or as a group.
There is no limit to the number of projects each participant may submit for the grant.
Entries must not be a shortened or extended version of another film made prior to this call for entries.
Members of BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia, as well as any sponsors or partners involved in the selection process for the winning project, are expressly excluded from the competition.
Receiving the Mendi Film Bizkaia – Ternua Beka grant does not preclude the possibility of receiving other funding for the same project. Such funding must be compatible with the grant’s sponsors, the Basque Language, Culture and Sports Ministry of the Bizkaia Regional Government and the company Ternua. In any case, BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia must always validate the compatibility of other potential sponsors.
GRANT RULES (Click read more)
CONDITIONS TO BE MET BY THE PROJECT
The project idea must be original.
Themes of the projects submitted: mountain sports (mountaineering, climbing, hiking, skiing, mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, caving, slacklining, paragliding, and others), adventure, exploration, nature, other cultural, artistic, linguistic, social, or economic activities, ecology, sustainability, and/or climate change. All must be carried out in a mountain setting.
The applicant must submit a certificate of intellectual property rights proving ownership of the idea and/or script forming the basis of the project.
Submitted projects must be in the development or production phase. Projects that have already been completed will not be accepted.
The grant recipient shall provide Mendi Film with the necessary information and material, including a trailer, for the promotion of the work through the festival’s own and external communication channels, whilst granting permission for its publication.
The film awarded the grant, as well as the trailer, must include in the opening and closing credits, in full screen for 5 seconds (fading in from black and fading out to black), the logos of Mendi Film, Ternua and the Bizkaia Regional Government, accompanied by the title: MENDI FILM BIZKAIA TERNUA BEKA 2027.
To ensure the works are accessible to as many people as possible, they must be subtitled in Basque, English, and Spanish.
Mendi Film, Ternua and the Bizkaia Regional Government will present the winning project, wherever it is screened, under the following title: MENDI FILM BIZKAIA TERNUA GRANT 2027 WINNER.
The film resulting from the project selected to receive the grant will be premiered at the 20th edition of the BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia, to be held in December 2027.
The grant recipients undertake to state that the film has been funded by the MENDI FILM BIZKAIA TERNUA BEKA 2027 grant in all publications relating to the project, whether on social media or in the press. In communications generated by grant recipients on social media, they undertake to include the hashtags #MendiFilmBeka2027 #Bizkaia #Ternua and #mendifilm in all posts related to the film, as well as to tag them on:
X: @Bizkaia | @BizkaiaKultura
FB: @BizkaikoForuAldundia | @BizkaiaKultura | @ternua.officialpage | @mendifilmfestival
IG: @BizkaiaGazteak | @ternuaoficial | @mendifilm
Furthermore, they undertake to create a minimum of 5 posts throughout the production, completion, and distribution of the work. The festival will highlight these posts by sharing them on social media in the order they are published.
Mendi Film will decide whether, following the premiere, the film will be included in the Mendi Tour 2028. Participation in these Mendi Tours is subject to the signing of a contract between the individual or legal entity that has registered the documentary and Mendi Film.
Any additional commercial exploitation or use of the work shall require the prior and express consent of the author, with the relevant agreements being signed where applicable.
The authors of the awarded audiovisual work authorise the festival to use, reproduce, disseminate, print, publish and broadcast through any media the name of the director, performers and technical crew, their stage names, photographs and images represented by any visual medium, biographies, etc., for the purpose of carrying out, directly or indirectly, promotional and communication activities relating to said work.
The festival organisers are exempt from any liability arising from potential problems with the functioning of the Internet that prevent the normal running of the competition for reasons beyond its control, and in particular due to external acts of bad faith. Nor shall they be liable for transmission or broadcasting problems or the loss of emails not attributable to the festival.
APPLICATION
Application submission period
From 21 April
to 30 September 2026
Initial documentation to be provided
Attach the information requested in the form
The four finalist projects must submit the following documentation by 19 October 2026:
- A detailed breakdown of the total budget, indicating:
- The percentage allocated to the Historical Territory of Bizkaia
- The percentage allocated to the Basque Autonomous Community
- Funding and distribution plan:
- A brief description of the resources planned to carry out the project, whether these are the applicant’s own funds, grants, private investment, negotiation of broadcasting rights following the film’s run at Mendi Film, or other sources.
- If a confirmed source of funding is available at the time of application, please state the name of the funding body, the geographical scope of the grant and the amount.
The project awarded the MENDI FILM BIZKAIA TERNUA BEKA 2027 grant must submit the following documentation by 1 October 2027:
- Final project dossier, masters and promotional materials:
- Master copy of the final work and promotional trailer. Minimum HD resolution. Codecs: Apple Pro Res 422 and h264 (2 versions).
- .srt files with subtitles in Basque, English, and Spanish.
- The film’s poster in portrait format. Minimum dimensions of 2000x3500 pixels.
- At least 10 photographs taken during the production process. The photographs must have minimum dimensions of 3500x2000 pixels.
- Final updated work plan.
- Final budget broken down by item.
- Invoices for the material and human resources used in the production of the work.
- Press kit containing publications to date and the communication plan.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted via the form available at https://mendifilmfestival.com, accepting the terms and conditions of participation and providing the requested personal details.
PROJECT SELECTION
In the first phase, the jury will shortlist 4 projects.
The four finalist projects will be presented by their directors in person and/or online to the jury during a session specifically set aside for this purpose at the 19th edition of the BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia. The date of this session will be communicated to those involved at least two months in advance.
The winning project will be announced publicly during the 19th edition of the BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia, in December 2026.
CREATIVE MENTORSHIP
This will consist of four 2-hour sessions, each addressing the following aspects:
- Script/direction: review of the narrative treatment and support in defining the visual approach, point of view and tone of the project.
- Production: the approach to personnel, timelines and costs required to execute the project through to its final edit.
- Editing: a guided viewing of an initial rough cut of the project; script in the editing process.
- Distribution/promotion: some key points on what to do with the projects beyond their premiere at Mendi Film.
SUBMISSION OF THE FILM FILE
The screening file for the film to be premiered at the BBK Mendi Film Bilbao-Bizkaia 2027 must be submitted by 1 October 2027 to the address provided by the festival organisers.
TAX OBLIGATIONS AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION for non-Spanish residents
The grant award is subject to current Spanish tax legislation. As this is income earned in Spain, Non-Resident Income Tax (IRNR) will apply, as it is classified as income from employment.
The awarding body will withhold the applicable IRNR tax in accordance with the regulations. To ensure the correct application of this withholding and to benefit from any provisions under double taxation agreements, the scholarship recipient must submit the following documentation within the timeframe specified following the award:
1. An up-to-date Certificate of Tax Residence, issued by the competent tax authority in their country of residence.
2. A valid official identification document (passport or identity card from their country).
3. A sworn statement confirming their status as a non-resident in Spanish territory.
Should the required documentation not be provided within the established timeframe and in the prescribed manner, the awarding body will apply the standard withholding rate provided for in Spanish regulations for non-residents, currently set at 24%, without prejudice to any subsequent adjustments the beneficiary may make with the Spanish Tax Authorities.
ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Participation in the scholarship implies full acceptance of these terms and conditions. The Organising Committee reserves the right to make amendments to these terms and conditions, provided such amendments are justified and do not disadvantage the participants, and provided they are duly communicated to the participants during the call for applications. Likewise, the Committee shall decide on any unforeseen circumstances that may arise and which are not covered by these terms and conditions. For further information or if you have any queries, please write to us at
Bilbao, 21 April 2026
