MEDELLÍN — The mobile film festival SMARTFILMS announced the launch of its third edition in the “City of the Eternal Primavera” on March 17, 2026. The initiative aims to democratize cinema and foster local creative talent through technology and audiovisual narratives. The program’s goal is to train 4,000 participants in the technical skills required to produce films using mobile devices.

The launch is supported by the Alcaldía de Medellín (Medellín mayor’s office), which is providing 3,300 training slots, the Área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá (Aburrá Valley metropolitan area) with 300 slots, and the Cámara de Comercio de Medellín para Antioquia with 250 slots. Additional strategic partners include EPM and Fenalco Antioquia, organizations that focus on regional innovation and commercial development. The official opening, led by CEO Yesenia Valencia, took place at the Poblado branch of the Chamber of Commerce,

“SMARTFILMS is not just a festival; it is a platform that demonstrates that to tell a great story, one only needs a good idea and the device everyone carries in their pocket.”

The 2026 program utilizes a four-phase methodology designed to transition creators into digital entrepreneurs. The first phase involves mass training for 4,000 individuals in mobile audiovisual production. In the second phase, 400 selected participants will attend a specialized bootcamp at the Cámara de Comercio de Medellín para Antioquia featuring industry experts. The third phase focuses on business skills for 40 finalists, covering marketing, digital advertising, budgeting, and legal contracts.

In the final stage, participants must produce advertising content for three local neighborhood businesses to assist in their digital transition. Financial incentives include prizes of $10 million COP for first place, $5 million COP for second place, and $3 million COP for third place. Additionally, finalists receive seed capital of $1.5 million COP per person for recording equipment. Registration is managed through the cineconcelular.com platform.

The festival reports a significant regional economic impact, generating 115 direct jobs and over 300 indirect jobs. The direct positions include 33 payroll staff and 82 contractors based in Medellín. Since its inception, the model has trained 8,000 people and led to the creation of 120 businesses nationwide. These creative enterprises currently report monthly revenues ranging from $2 million COP to $10 million COP.

The 2026 version of the project seeks to expand its reach across all districts of the metropolitan area to stimulate the development of cultural companies and social transformation. Documentation from the organizers highlights a 0% desertion rate among participants over the last two years.

The Deputy Minister of Connectivity and Digitalization, Iván Antonio Mantilla, explained that the country is five years behind in allocating 700 MHz band spectrum for better mobile Internet coverage and therefore the government wants to rectify the spectrum deficit so that operators can guarantee better quality in the services they provide for the benefit of Colombians.

“In the second half of this year, the 700 MHz band auction will be executed. Rural areas will be prioritized to provision Internet coverage,” explained Mantilla.

The vice minister’s announcement was made last Saturday during the “Construyendo País” (Building The Country) workshop number 23, the first carried out in the department of Boyacá, which took place in the municipality of Aquitania and under the direction of President Iván Duque.

Likewise, the deputy minister explained that no new commercial or community radio transmission licenses have been granted for over 10 years, which is why the government has decided to move forward in this regard.

“When we arrived, we found 4,500 stalled requests that had not been addressed. Today, Boyacá has 99 stations between commercial and community licensees, and there are many more frequencies to award,” said the official. In this regard, the ministry confirmed that the municipality of Tota will have a public interest radio station in 2019 to strengthen access to information by its population and promote its ecotourism agenda.

The third announcement of MinTIC in the workshop had to do with the delivery of Digital Television for All (DTT) in areas where there is still no coverage. In April a digital television station that will give service to several municipalities of Boyacá like Nuevo Colón, Jenesano, Ramiriquí and Ciénega will be opened.

Finally, the entity announced that, in May of this year, the first Digital Entrepreneurship workshop will be held for Aquitania and nearby municipalities.