Abyssal Sound Lab
2025 Open Call
18th CINETORO Experimental Film Festival
About the Lab
Sound as a primary material in audiovisual construction is the central focus of the 2025 edition of the 18th CINETORO Experimental Film Festival. For this reason, within our academic component, we are opening the call for the Abyssal Lab: a four (4) day in-person workshop held within the framework of the festival.
This workshop centers its processes on active, informed, and deep listening, field practices, and the understanding of sound as a fundamental element in the creation of audiovisual works. The Lab is aimed at projects in pre-production or development stages that explore artistic approaches and pathways around music and/or sound.
Eligibility
Teams of two (2) people (Director and Sound Designer or Editor) with audiovisual projects in pre-production or development.
Mentored and Led by
Carolina Lucio
Estudió música con énfasis en ingeniería de sonido. Se ha desempeñado como diseñadora sonora de trabajos de cine, televisión e instalación audiovisual enfocándose principalmente en el campo de la animación experimental. Ha colaborado con varios artistas nacionales entre los cuales se destacan Cecilia Traslaviña, Juan Camilo González, Carlos Santa, Claudia Salamanca y Bibiana Rojas. Paralelamente al diseño sonoro ejerce como docente del área de sonido en programas de pregrado y posgrado en varias instituciones educativas de Bogotá como la Universidad Javeriana, La Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano y La Universidad Nacional.
Mercedes Gaviria
Film director trained at Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires. She also took part in the Film Program at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. Her debut feature, Como el cielo después de llover, premiered at Visions du Réel and went on to screen at several festivals, where it received the Young Critics Award for Best Film at the Gijón International Film Festival, a Special Mention from the Young Critics at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, and Best Director at the Cali Film Festival.
In 2021, her short film Otacustas premiered at FID Marseille and opened Doc Buenos Aires. As a sound director, she received the Best Sound Award at BAFICI for Las hijas del fuego by Albertina Carri and Canal 54 by Lucas Larriera. She currently teaches in the Documentary Master’s Program at EICTV and at the TALLER DE CINE of Invasión Cine.
Key Dates 2025 Edition
Open call: August 4 – September 7, 2025.
Announcement of Selected Projects: September 20, 2025.
Lab Dates: October 29 – November 2, 2025
Eligibility Criteria
Teams must consist of two people: a Director and a Sound Designer or Editor.
Projects must be in pre-production or development.
Each project must have a clear focus on sound as the central element of its artistic proposal.
Submission Process
To participate, applicants must complete the online registration form at https://forms.gle/EN8kp3aQAbaKbEqn7.
All fields in the form, as well as any additional written material, must be submitted in Spanish.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all links to audiovisual samples or documents remain active through the selection date.
Incomplete submissions or proposals received after the deadline (September 7, 2025) will not be accepted.
Selection Process
The selection of projects will be carried out by CINETORO’s Artistic Director and Academic Director, together with workshop leaders Carolina Lucio and Mercedes Gaviria.
The main criteria for evaluating the projects will be
The artistic quality of the proposal.
The project’s sonic potential and the way sound is integrated into it.
The project’s stage of development (development or pre-production).
The team’s profiles and professional background.
Participation Process
Selected projects will be notified by email and asked to confirm their participation.
If selected, participants must pay a one-time fee of 500,000 Colombian pesos (VAT included) per team to secure their spot. This fee covers:
Two accreditations (Director and Sound Designer or Editor) with full access to the festival program.
Full participation in the lab and the scheduled field trips.
Local transportation for sessions held in rural areas of Toro.
Important: Selected teams are responsible for covering their travel expenses to Toro, Valle del Cauca, as well as their accommodation and meals. The festival will be happy to assist with logistics to ensure an excellent experience during the event.