Cali en Corto: The Independent Film Festival That Sneaks Between Salsa and the Fair

What is Cali en Corto and how it sneaked into the city's DNA

There is a moment in Cali, between September and October, when the city starts to smell like mango and light rain, and the streets fill with a different buzz. It is not just the salsa playing on every corner or the preparations for the Feria de Cali in December. It is the hum of projectors, the creak of old seats, and the murmur of people who come not to dance, but to watch. That is Cali en Corto, the Cali International Short Film Festival, which in 2026 celebrates its 18th edition from September 23 to 26.

Born in 2008 as a bet by a group of local filmmakers who wanted a space for Colombian short films, the festival grew to become a must-attend event for those seeking something beyond the party scene. While the Mulato Salsa Fest fills the dance floors and the Feria de Cali attracts crowds with orchestras, Cali en Corto operates in the cracks: in independent cinemas, neighborhood cultural centers, and even on soccer fields in popular neighborhoods. It is the festival that proves that in Cali, not everything is salsa, even though sometimes it seems like it.

What makes Cali en Corto unique is not just the quality of the short films — which is there, and plenty of it — but its ability to insert itself into the city's daily life. While other film festivals in Colombia focus on Bogotá or Medellín, this one clings to Cali like a vine. And in 2026, with the Ruta Americana de la Salsa bringing more than 20 Latin American cities to the capital of Valle del Cauca, the contrast between dance and cinema becomes more interesting than ever.

Event details: dates, venues, and key programming

When and where?

The 18th edition of Cali en Corto will take place from September 23 to 26, 2026. The main venues are:

• Cinemateca La Tertulia: The festival's historic venue, at Avenida Colombia # 5-105 Oeste, in the San Antonio neighborhood. Here, the official competitions and the most outstanding international shorts are screened.
• Teatro al Aire Libre Los Cristales: An open-air stage on Cerro de la Bandera, ideal for nighttime screenings with a view of the city. Getting there is an experience in itself: you go up by cable car.
• Centro Cultural de Cali: At Carrera 5 with Calle 6, in the historic center. Workshops, talks, and panels with guest directors are held here.
• Alternative venues in neighborhoods: This year, the festival expands to spaces like the Casa de la Cultura de Siloé, the Biblioteca del Barrio Comuna 20, and the Salón Comunal de la Comuna 1 (Alfonso López).

Programming: beyond the screenings

Cali en Corto is not just about sitting down to watch movies. The programming includes:

• Official Competition of Colombian Short Films: Around 30 shorts selected from hundreds of submissions. They are screened in thematic blocks: fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental.
• International Competition: Shorts from countries like Argentina, Mexico, Spain, France, and Japan. Last year, there was a surprise with an Iranian short that won the audience award.
• Training workshops: From "How to make a short film with your cell phone" to "Screenwriting for non-screenwriters." Workshops are free but with limited capacity, and are held at the Centro Cultural de Cali.
• Talks with directors: Informal conversations where filmmakers tell how they financed their projects, what inspired them, and how they survive in the industry.
• Short film night in Siloé: An outdoor screening on the soccer field of the Siloé neighborhood, with chairs borrowed from the community action board and sound from a borrowed speaker. It is, without a doubt, the most authentic night of the festival.

The secret detail: screenings in remote neighborhoods

This is what few people know. While tourists and the press concentrate on La Tertulia and Teatro Los Cristales, the heart of the festival beats in the popular neighborhoods. For several editions now, Cali en Corto has brought screenings to neighborhoods like Comuna 20 (Siloé), Comuna 1 (Alfonso López, Tierra Blanca), and Comuna 13 (El Retiro). These are not improvised events: there is curation, discussion after each film, and often the presence of the director. It is an exercise in democratizing cinema that few festivals in Colombia do with such consistency.

In 2026, the novelty is that there will be a special screening at the Biblioteca Pública del Barrio Comuna 20, a space that was once an abandoned warehouse and is now a cultural center managed by the community. There, a selection of short films made by young people from the same neighborhood will be shown, from a workshop the festival organized months earlier. It is cinema made from within, for within.

Prices and how to get tickets

How much does it cost?

One of the best pieces of news: most of Cali en Corto's activities are free. Outdoor screenings in neighborhoods, workshops, and talks have no cost. Only the screenings at Cinemateca La Tertulia and Teatro Los Cristales have a symbolic fee:

• General admission per screening: $8,000 COP (approximately 2 USD at the June 2026 exchange rate).
• Pass for the entire festival (4 days): $25,000 COP (about 6 USD). Includes access to all screenings at La Tertulia and Los Cristales.
• Workshops: Free, but require prior registration. It is recommended to arrive early because spots fill up quickly.

Prices are reference for June 2026 and may be subject to change. It is recommended to verify directly on the festival's official website or on Cali en Corto's social media before purchasing.

Where to get tickets?

• Box office at Cinemateca La Tertulia: Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Online: Through the ticket sales platform that the festival enables each year (usually announced on Instagram and Facebook).
• In the neighborhoods: Free screenings do not require a ticket. Just show up and grab a seat. But be careful: in Siloé, for example, people start arriving at 5:00 p.m. to secure a chair.

How to get there: getting around Cali during the festival

By MIO (the public transport system)

The MIO is the most economical option, though not always the fastest. For the main venues:

• To Cinemateca La Tertulia: Take the San Antonio station (Troncal 1 line) and walk 10 minutes up the hill. Or from the Fray Damián station, go down Avenida Colombia.
• To Teatro Los Cristales: Take the feeder route that goes up to Cerro de la Bandera from the Universidades station. The cable car has an additional cost of $2,500 COP.
• To Centro Cultural de Cali: Plaza de Cayzedo station (Troncal 1 or 2). It is one block away.
• To Siloé: Take the P21 feeder route from the Belalcázar station. The bus drops you off at the entrance of the neighborhood, and from there you have to walk up about 15 minutes.

By taxi or ride-hailing app

Taxis in Cali are relatively cheap. A trip from downtown to San Antonio costs around $8,000 COP (2 USD). From the Granada neighborhood to Siloé, about $15,000 COP (4 USD). Recommendation: use apps like Didi or Uber to have a fixed price, especially if you are going up to Los Cristales or Siloé, where taxi drivers often charge more if they see the passenger is a tourist.

By bicycle

Cali has a Sunday ciclovía (Sundays from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) that connects the south with downtown. If the festival falls on a Sunday, it is a nice option to get to La Tertulia. But be careful: going up to San Antonio by bike is demanding. Better to leave it at the bottom and walk.

Tips for attendees: how to experience the festival like a local

1. Arrive early at La Tertulia: The screenings