About the Film Festival
The Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Festival is an annual outdoor event located in the heart of Lisbon's historic neighborhood, Alfama. For a week, we occupy the street with independent films from around the world.
OPEN CALL
We welcome submissions from independent directors, screenwriters, and composers who want to see their work screened at the white walls of Alfama.
ABOUT CINALFAMA
Cinalfama Lisboa International Film Festival celebrates the rich cultural and historical tapestry of one of the city's most iconic areas, providing a unique platform for independent filmmakers worldwide.
We aim to promote cultural and artistic diversity through cinema, highlighting works that address relevant, innovative, and provocative themes. With a carefully curated selection of films, our goal is to offer the audience an engaging and diverse cinematic experience.
To believe in an independent film festival in the streets of one of Lisbon's historic neighborhoods inevitably absorbed by gentrification is to persist and pursue a community utopia where cinema plays a restorative role.
In this context, Cinalfama has been developing a pilot program to collect stories and orality from residents and spaces in the neighborhood, in an attempt to rescue the essence of this population.
Several of the directors who make up the Cinalfama team, such as Pedro Costa, Leonor Teles, and Pedro Cabeleira, are taking part in this pressing project, whose collections are being screened at the Cinalfama Lisboa International Film Festival.
Cinalfama holds a second Open Call for the Film Observatory - regular competitive sessions three times a year (January, April, and October) - with different categories.
Sfilmmaker is our contract submission platform in China, and we look forward to your films.
Authorization Letter
1. The winners and nominees will have the opportunity to publicly screen their films at the Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Festival, in July.
2. The winners will receive a laurel and a certificate of participation and distinction (PDF document).
3. A trophy will be awarded to the selected directors.
4. The winners will have a privileged viewing by the ÉCU selection committee, with the possibility of being selected and awarded by the Festival.
5. Promotional materials for the nominated and winning films will be shared on our website and on our social networks.
6. The winner of the Animalfama competition will be automatically selected for the Oscar Qualifying Festival Cinanima.
7. The Guest Country of the Lisbon International Film Festival in 2025 is Brazil and the winner and eventual recipients of honorable mentions will be able to receive financial assistance for travel and accommodation in Lisbon (more news soon).
8. The best films in the City in Film Award section may be screened at the Arquiteturas Festival, in Porto.
Subject ：Unlimited
Video Format ：HDV MPEG4 MOV MPEG
Categories and fees
Cinalfama Grand Prize
Video length ：31 - 120
Cinalfama’s Grand Prize is the festival’s main award. We welcome films from all countries, genres, or durations.
City in Film Award
Video length ：1 - 30
Cinalfama’s City in Film Award welcomes all films that have the City has a key role in the narrative, theme or mood of the film.
Best Micro & No Budget Film
Video length ：31 - 150
Cinalfama’s Micro and No Budget Film section welcomes all films produced with few means and where self-sacrifice is turned into a strong cinematic catalyst. We are looking for the strength of cinematic ideas. We only accept films produced with a budget value of less 10.000€.
Best 1st Timers - Debut Film（Short）
Video length ：1 - 30
Cinalfama’s Lisbon 1st Timers section is an opening call to all debut filmmakers to amplify new cinematic voices.
Animalfama - Animated Films
Video length ：00 - 30
Cinalfama’s Animalfama is an international animation film section for a mature audience. Cinalfama will select 10 nominated and 1 winning film in this category.
Best Medium Length Film
Video length ：31 - 200
Cinalfama’s Medium Length Film section welcomes films with a 30 to 60 minutes duration: the type of work that doesn’t seem to fit the short film festival format nor the feature film valuable screening slots.
Best Original Soundtrack
Video length ：1 - 150
Rules - If music or additional film material used in your film is not original, then permission from the source must be obtained. The responsibility for this rests entirely with the filmmaker. Failure to obtain clearance could result in your film being withdrawn from the Festival. No separate sound files are allowed. Only music in the actual film, in its entirety, will be appraised.
Live Event
