Preamble
IndieLisboa - International Film Festival aims to contribute to the discovery and revelation in Portugal of new films and new creative voices in the world of independent cinema, both national and international.
Article 1
(Objective)
IndieLisboa aims to stimulate the public exhibition of films that are not distributed or shown on traditional cinema circuits in Portugal. The festival gives preference to films unreleased in Portugal.
Article 2
(Date)
The 23rd IndieLisboa will take place between April 30 and May 10, 2026.
Article 3
(Sections)
3.1. The festival's competitive sections are:
International Competition - an international competition for feature and short films made up of films never before publicly presented in Portugal and completed in 2025 or 2026. Fiction, animation, documentaries or experimental works can compete, as first, second or third works, in a clear commitment to emerging filmmakers;
National Competition - competition made up of feature and short films produced in Portugal, or made by artists with permanent residence in Portugal, finished in 2025 or 2026, preferably in world and/or national premiere;
Silvester - competition for works by filmmakers with more than 3 films in their career and who find uniqueness to be their norm. Under the banner of Silvester, we show works that reject established formulas, that awaken new languages and whose rebelliousness reflects the spirit of the festival;
Brand New - a competition dedicated to the discovery of new talent in Portugal, whether they are film students, self-taught people or people from other areas who are emerging into cinematographic art;
IndieMusic - a section made up mostly of documentaries about music and the people who make it;
Smart7 - a competition born out of a cooperation alliance between 7 festivals from 7 different European countries, with a selection of 7 films chosen to represent all the member countries.
3.2 The festival's non-competitive sections are:
IndieJúnior - a section built especially with a children's/youth audience in mind (from 6 months to 15 years old) with animation, fiction and documentary films.
Director's Cut - a section made up of cinema classics, masterpieces, and obscure gems;
Mouth of Madness - the films in this section march fearlessly to the edge of the cliff, in festive demonstrations of defiance of the rules;
Rhizome - a section that presents a range of works highlighting relevant current issues, renowned filmmakers and previews. A programme that mobilizes the festival's wider community around cinema as entertainment, reflection and debate.
Article 4
(How to apply)
4.1. All films that meet the following conditions are eligible to IndieLisboa's International Competition:
- Short films (up to 59 minutes) or feature films (60 minutes or more) of fiction, animation, documentaries or experimental films;
- First, second and third works (excluding works made in schools); (*)
- Produced in 2025 or 2026;
- Having their first public presentation in Portugal at this festival.
(*) In the case of short films, if a feature film has already been made, the short will be included in the Silvestre section and not in the International Competition.
4.2. All films under the following conditions are eligible for the Silvestre Competition:
- Short films (up to 59 minutes) or feature films (60 minutes or more) of fiction, animation, documentaries or experimental films;
- From the fourth work produced (excluding works made in schools);
- Produced in 2025 or 2026;
- Having their first public presentation in Portugal at this festival.
4.3 All films that meet the following conditions are eligible to the National Competition:
- Short films (up to 59 minutes) or feature films (60 minutes or more) of fiction, animation, documentaries or experimental films;
- Produced in 2025 or 2026;
- Films produced in Portugal, or made by artists with permanent residence in Portugal;
- Having their first public presentation in Portugal at this festival.
4.4. All films that meet the following conditions may be submitted in the IndieJunior Section:
- Short (up to 59 minutes) fiction, animation, documentary or experimental films;
- Produced in 2025 or 2026;
- The films must be registered in the IndieJunior category on the FilmFreeway platform;
- Have their first public presentation in Lisbon at this festival.
4.5. The remaining sections of the festival are open to entries:
- Fiction, animation, documentary and experimental short or feature films;
- No restriction on the number of films previously made by the director;
- Produced in 2025 or 2026;
- Preferably presented for the first time in Portugal at this festival.
4.6. The festival may decide, exceptionally, to select films that do not meet some of these conditions.
Article 5
(Subtitling)
5.1. Submitted films must have a viewing link subtitled in English when they are non-English language.
5.2 The selected films must have a screening copy subtitled in English (when they are non-English language), except for the films selected for the IndieJúnior section (they must have a non-subtitled screening copy).
5.3 Portuguese films with all the dialogue in English must have a screening copy subtitled in Portuguese.
5.4 Feature films selected for the national competition must submit the dialogue list in Portuguese in a separate file (formatted at 40 characters per line), so that the descriptive subtitling in Portuguese can be prepared.
5. 5 The other Portuguese films spoken in multiple languages or in a language other than Portuguese must also submit a list of dialogues in Portuguese in a separate file (formatted at 40 characters per line).
Article 6
(Juries and prizes)
6.1. The festival's official juries, made up of personalities from the film industry, culture and/or civil society, are:
a) The International Feature Film Competition Jury will award the Feature Film Grand Prize and the Special Jury Award.
b) The International Short Film Competition Jury will award the Short Film Grand Prize and two Special Jury Awards.
c) The National Competition Jury will award the following prizes: Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Short Film and New Talent.
d) The Brand New Jury will award the Brand New Award.
e) The Silvester Jury will award the Silvester Prize for Best Feature Film and the Silvester Award for Best Short Film.
f) The IndieMusic Jury will award the IndieMusic Award.
6.2 The juries may also award special mentions when justified.
6.3 There are also several unofficial juries that award prizes, in addition to the audience prizes for feature films, short films and IndieJunior.
6.4 People who have a direct interest in the production and/or exploitation of the films presented in the respective competitions may not sit on the juries.
6.5. The prizes awarded by the official juries are intended for the production of the film, with the following exceptions: a) Special Jury Prize (awarded to the international distributor, or to the producer when there is no sales agent); b) Best Director Award and New Talent Award awarded in the context of the National Competition (awarded to the director); c) Brand New Award (awarded to the director); d) Audience Awards (awarded to the director).
6.6 Payment of the prizes will be made according to the bank details on the prize certificate, and IndieLisboa will not be held responsible for any incorrect information. Any additional bank charges arising from the operation are the responsibility of the winning person or entity.
6.7 Payment of prizes may be made up to 180 days after the end of the festival and upon receipt of the duly completed and signed certificate.
Article 7
(Registration)
7.1 Entries will be made exclusively at filmfreeway.com/IndieLisboa until December 19, 2025. As far as international feature films are concerned, the final entry deadline (Nov 20th to Dec 19th) applies exclusively to films completed after November 1st 2025.
7.2 Entries must include the film's viewing file via direct digital upload to FilmFreeway or a link from Vimeo or YouTube. The film's viewing link and password must remain active until April 2, 2026. If this does not happen, the film in question may not be considered.
7.3 If applicable, please indicate whether the version of the film entered is a work in progress.
7.4 The festival guarantees that all submitted films will be viewed and considered. The festival is not responsible for the statistics of viewing platforms that it does not control.
Article 8
(Registration payment)
8.1. When registering, payment must be made according to the deadline:
Early Bird | August 1 to September 15, 2025
international shorts 10€
international features 30€
national shorts and features: free
Regular Deadline | September 16 to November 19, 2025
international shorts 17€
international features 50€
national shorts: 5€
national features: 10€
Late Deadline | November 20 to December 19, 2025
international shorts 25€
international features 50€ waiver only (only for films completed after November 1)
national shorts: 5€
national features: 10€
8.2. The cost applies to each film entered.
Article 9
(Re-registration)
If the project has been submitted and considered in previous editions of IndieLisboa, it may be re-registered only if significant changes have been made and if all applicable eligibility requirements are met at the time of re-registration.
Article 10
(Selection)
10.1 The official selection will be announced no later than one month before the start of the festival.
10.2 After the selection has been announced and until it has been screened at the festival, the selected films may not have any other public screenings in Portugal.
10.3 After acceptance of the selection for any section of IndieLisboa, the film in question may not be withdrawn from the program.
10.4 Once the selection has been accepted, the following elements must be sent to program@indielisboa.com within 15 days of being notified of the selection:
English subtitles with timecodes in .srt format;
List of dialogues in Portuguese for the feature films in the national competition (in a separate file, formatted at 40 characters per line), so that the descriptive subtitles can be prepared in Portuguese;
Promotional images and digital version of the poster;
Technical and artistic file;
Screening authorization;
Trailer and excerpts;
EPK (electronic press kit);
Synopsis (up to 450 characters with spaces);
Biography (up to 450 characters with spaces):
Link to download the film file for internal and press use.
10.5 By April 3rd, 2026, the following must be sent to IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Casa do Cinema, Rua da Rosa, 277, 2º, 1200 - 385 Lisboa, Portugal:
Screening copy of the selected film (in the requested screening format);
Posters, postcards and other promotional materials for the film.
Article 11
(Transportation and screening copies)
11.1 The cost of sending the materials for selection will be borne by the person or entity submitting the film, as well as any return of these materials.
11.2 IndieLisboa is responsible for the import and export transportation costs of the screening copies, in the case of physical screening copies, as well as their insurance. If the film is exported to another festival, IndieLisboa is only responsible for paying for the import of the film.
11.3 All screening copies must remain at the festival until the end of the festival, and will only be returned after the festival closes and, in some cases, with permission, up to one month after the festival closes.
11.4 The festival guarantees the insurance of all screening copies from the moment they are received until they are returned.
Article 12
(Publicity)
The person responsible for producing (and/or holding the rights to show the film at festivals) the film that has received an award(s) at this festival undertakes to mention IndieLisboa and use its logo in all publicity and press/promotional material that is produced after the film has received an award.
Article 13
(Extensions)
The selected films may be included in an extension of the festival within four months of the event.
IndieLisboa/IndieJúnior extension: Circulation and screenings in some Portuguese cities of films shown during IndieLisboa. Non-commercial screenings that usually take place in partnership with municipal auditoriums and film clubs, with a focus on decentralization.
Article 14
(Acceptance)
Participation in the festival implies knowledge and acceptance of the entire content of these regulations, as well as the reading and acceptance of IndieLisboa’s Code of Conduct, available at https://indielisboa.com/en/code-of-conduct/.
This code aims to ensure a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for everyone involved — including the organization, participants, guests, audience, volunteers, partner entities, among others. Any person who engages in harassment, discrimination, intimidation, or violence, contrary to the principles defined in the Code of Conduct, may have their access to the festival’s venues and activities revoked, without prior notice or right to a refund.
The Code of Conduct also establishes the appropriate channels and procedures for reporting unwanted behavior, ensuring confidentiality and a serious response.
Article 15
(Omitted cases)
The festival management will decide on all matters not covered by these regulations, in accordance with international film festival rules.
