Culture regulates the Joaquim Jordà artistic residencies at the Reina Sofía

The Ministry of Culture has established the regulatory bases for the “Joaquim Jordà Artistic Residencies,” a public aid program for experimental and non-fiction film projects linked to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS). Order CLT/1155/2026, of October 27, signed by Minister Ernest Urtasun Domènech, is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) No. 272, of November 2, 2026 (official reference BOE-A-2026-22992). The regulation comes into force on November 3, one day after its publication.

The order establishes a competitive bidding regime “of a singular nature,” adapted to the specific needs of the museum and the specificity of the audiovisual field. It is based on Law 38/2003, of November 17, General Law on Subsidies, and its regulation (Royal Decree 887/2006), as well as Order CUL/2912/2010 regarding the bases of the Ministry of Culture and its public bodies; the museum’s competence derives from Article 3 of Law 34/2011, of October 4, regulating the MNCARS, and from its Statute, approved by Royal Decree 188/2013, of March 15.

The program aligns with general objective number 3 of the museum’s General Action Plan (PGA) 2025-2027 and fits within the framework of de minimis aid under Regulation (EU) 2023/2831. The invoked jurisdictional title is Article 149.1.13.ª and Article 149.2 of the Spanish Constitution.

Three stages between Madrid, Marseille, and Lisbon

The residencies are structured as a joint program of the MNCARS with the French festival FIDMarseille and the Portuguese Doclisboa, and integrate three phases:

• Research and development of the project at the MNCARS, in Madrid.
• Participation in the co-production platform FIDLab, held in early July within the framework of FIDMarseille; selected projects will be automatically evaluated by its independent jury.
• Participation in a thinking seminar at Doclisboa, in Lisbon, usually in October, with access to a selection of professional contacts.

The name pays tribute to filmmaker Joaquim Jordà (1935-2006), winner of the National Cinematography Award in 2006 and with work in the museum’s Collection, whose last retrospective during his lifetime was held at FIDMarseille in 2006 and whose early film “Portogallo, paese tranquilo” (1969) addressed the resistance to the Portuguese dictatorship.

Who can apply and how it is evaluated

Beneficiaries may be natural persons, national or foreign, of legal age, and groups or collectives without legal personality acting through a representative. Tax residence in Spain is not required; foreign applicants must provide a certificate of residence from their country.

The documentation includes a curriculum vitae, a sample of film practice with at least two feature-length or mid-length films—or four films of any duration presented in international festivals, museums, or art centers—and an explanatory memorandum of the project.

The evaluation is distributed over 100 points: up to 50 for the technical quality of the project, up to 30 for film experience and trajectory, and up to 20 for the academic and professional curriculum. Evaluation is carried out by an Advisory Committee with an international presence, consisting of a presidency—deputy director or department head of the museum—, a maximum of three members, and a secretary with a voice but no vote, with a balanced composition of women and men.

Deadlines, amounts, and obligations of the residents

Each call may grant a maximum of two grants, with an individual amount not exceeding 9,000 euros. The procedure is managed by the studies directorate of the MNCARS and resolved by the person holding the position of its director, with a maximum resolution period of six months from the publication of the extract of the call in the BOE.

• Application deadline: 20 days from the day following the publication of the extract, via the museum’s Electronic Office.
• Correction of exclusions and hearing process: 10 days in each case.
• Advance payment: up to 70% of the grant, without the need for a guarantee.
• Justification: one month from the end of execution, extendable up to half of the period.
• Final closing report: maximum 5,000 words or 20 pages.

Accommodation and subsistence—based on the amounts of Royal Decree 462/2002—, artistic production, dissemination, and travel will be eligible for subsidies. Beneficiaries must incorporate the logos of MNCARS, FIDMarseille, and Doclisboa, present the result at the three venues, and deliver a final high-resolution copy.

The guidelines provide stable legal coverage for a line of scholarships that until now lacked its own framework and positions the Reina Sofía Museum as a gateway to the international non-fiction film circuit. For creators and production companies, the text clarifies requirements, scales, and the calendar, with an application window of barely three weeks and a maximum allocation of 18,000 euros per call.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 272, of November 2, 2026, Sec. III. Other provisions, pp. 146960-146973 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-22992).