Fantaspoa, the International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre, was established in 2005 with the mission of showcasing fantastic films in Brazil.

At Fantaspoa, we feature five official competition sections:
- International Feature Film Competition
- Short Film Competition, including live-action/animation and
national/international categories, as well as the prestigious Méliès D'Argent
competition.
- Ibero-American Feature Film Competition
- Low Budgets, Great Films Competition (for features)
- Midnight Movie Competition (for features)

Additionally, each festival edition includes exclusive special programming sections. The festival presents 18 prestigious awards across various categories, including the renowned Lifetime Achievement Award—an honor previously bestowed upon celebrated auteurs in the fantastic genre, such as Roger Corman, Christina Lindberg, Larry Wilson, Luigi Cozzi, Lamberto Bava, Ruggero Deodato, Claudio Simonetti, Stuart Gordon, David Schmoeller, Frank Henenlotter, Lloyd Kaufman, Simon Boswell, Bill Plympton, Katt Shea, Jeff Lieberman, IGG Nabwana, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Mark L. Lester, and Takashi Shimizu.
Fantaspoa hosts over 100 international guests annually, fostering interaction between filmmakers and audiences through engaging post-screening Q&A sessions. These initiatives—combined with industry workshops and lectures—play a vital role in encouraging the study, dissemination, and production of cinema in Brazil.

A Hub for Fantastic Filmmaking
Spanning over 21 successful years, Fantaspoa has cemented itself as the largest genre festival in Latin America and the leading film event in Porto Alegre. Experts even consider it one of the city's most significant artistic events of the year.
For many filmmakers, attending Fantaspoa is more than just an event—it’s a bonding experience. The festival fosters lasting friendships and collaborations, leading to numerous films created by filmmakers who met at the Festival—some even shot their films during the festival itself!
Fun fact: Over 150 festival attendees have tattooed the Fantaspoa logo. (Completely optional, of course!)

Global Recognition
Fantaspoa is widely regarded as Brazil’s premier platform for showcasing outstanding films in the fantastic genre. It is the only South American festival to be a member of the Méliès – European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (EFFFF), an organization that unites 33 of the world’s most important fantastic genre film festivals. Moreover, Fantaspoa stands alone outside of Europe in awarding the prestigious Méliès D'Argent for Best European Short Film of the Year.