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.

Awards & Prizes

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 2026 is Poland 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.

Rules & Terms

The person responsible for submitting the film certifies that they have all the rights and all the authorizations necessary to submit the film, including but not limited to image rights, talent release, soundtrack, and music; and assumes all responsibility for their material.

Cinalfama will not accept responsibility, financial or otherwise, for any film submitted to the festival.

Every entry/submission will be judged on its acting, directing, technical, and artistic merits in relation to the submission. All decisions made by the jury will be considered final and incontestable.

We reserve the right not to award all the designated prizes if we feel we have not received entries that guarantee our quality standards.

Two ex aequo winners may be nominated in any of the categories if the jury so decides.

Cinalfama only accepts online screeners. Please submit your film via one of the online platforms or the form on the festival website. We will not accept discs or any other downloadable files.

Cinalfama favors the projection of files exported in Pro Res.

Submission fees are non-refundable.

Multiple entries are authorized. You can submit more than one film in the same category.

All submitted films will be eligible for the next edition if they have not won awards in previous editions.

Submissions in languages other than English must be subtitled in English. These subtitles must be embedded in the film. We will not accept additional srt files.

Only films completed after 2021 will be accepted.

SUBMISSION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Short films will be considered films of up to 30 minutes and medium-length or feature films of more than 30 minutes.

Cinalfama reserves the right to disqualify any film whose submitter may be linked in any way to any illicit or criminal act, whether this link is proven or not.

Promotional materials for the selected, nominated, and awarded films will be announced and visible on our website (http://www.cinalfama.com) and our social networks.

All submitted films will be eligible for the next edition if they have not been awarded in previous editions.

The rights holders of the winning films, in each category of all editions, hereby authorize the public screening of the film at Cinalfama events as well as the use of relevant content on our social media platforms. This authorization is indispensable for their inclusion in the festival’s official selection.
6 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Nuno Gonçalves

    Excellent Festival. I enjoyed the ambience, the hospitality and the quality of the films. To see very nice films in Alfama is definitely a must-do experience.

    August 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Courageous work like yours is what Cinalfama is constantly looking for Nuno! We are delighted to have met you and await future endeavors.

  • John Ervin

    What a great opportunity Cinalfama Lisbon provided for my feature screenplay "Washington State of Mind!" That opportunity? Promoting and showcasing a political-paranormal themed script in time for the upcoming U.S. election. Thanks to Cinalfama "Washington State of Mind" is closer to production (after the election, of course). I will be sure to submit more film and script to future editions of the festival.

    August 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Congratulations on your original and dense screenplay John. We'll be rooting for the film's production!

  • Maxime Bertiaux

    Thanks again to Cinalfama, for rewarding my film. The organizers are honest in their selection categories, I was greeted with a warm welcome, and the outdoor screening in the Alfama neighborhood is a beautiful experience. I highly recommend this festival.

    August 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    What a magical ride "Le Dernier Nerf" is. It's deliriously creative. Stay relentlessly free Maxime and we will be sure to follow you in your journey.

  • Atefeh Kheirabadi

    We have the pleasure of having the short film 7+1 Fragments selected and win an honorable mention. It was a good Communicationwuth Cianlfama Team. Thanks for having us.

    August 2023
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your words Atefeh. You and Mehrad made an all-embracing powerful statement. We will be thrilled to follow your future work!

  • güldem durmaz

    an authentic commitment to cinema sharing.

    August 2022
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Dear Güldem your creative chemistry with Denis Lavant is amazing and we are honoured to have received your trust.