SONICA EKRANO is a DOCUMENTARY film festival dedicated to the music, musicians, sounds and movements at the edges of massification and popularity, and the only one if its kind in Portugal.

SONICA EKRANO allows access to exceptional films portraying artists, sounds, local and global movements, which often slip through the cracks of the wide variety of audiovisual media on offer in our present day - because history is still often created away from the spotlights of the media - in the present as in the past, where these histories sometimes lay dormant for decades until their (re)discovery.

The name SONICA EKRANO, written in Esperanto (meaning “Sound Screen” in English), seeks to reflect both music and cinema as “universal languages”, while also honoring the strong esperantist tradition in the south bank of the Tagus river, particularly in Barreiro, the city which hosts the festival.

SONICA EKRANO is a member of the Music Film Festival Network (MFFN), founded in 2019. MFFN intends to provide an opportunity for the creative teams behind music film festivals to exchange experiences and best practices, promote music films, expand existing audiences and build new ones.

Awards & Prizes

AUDIENCE AWARD
Best film from the competitive section, voted for by the audience. Cash prize of 300€ awarded to the director/producer/legal representatives.

Only feature films completed after January 1st 2023, and which have not been screened in Portugal prior to SONICA EKRANO are eligible for the competitive section.

Rules & Terms

TERMS
- Only feature films (>50min) completed after January 1st 2023, and which have not been screened in Portugal are eligible for the competitive section.
- Films which have been completed before 2023 and/or have premiered in Portugal, as well as short films (under 50min) may be selected as part of thematic cycles or special sessions, but not eligible for any award or prize for the time being.
- Films which are freely watchable online in the 3 months that precede the festival are not eligible for screening.
- Films must be entered in their original language, and either Portuguese or English subtitles must be available.

REGISTRATION PROCESS
- Films must be entered by their directors, producers/distributors or legal representatives.
- Applicants are welcome to browse the programme of the festival's past editions in order to grasp the artistic direction of the festival (which in itself is constantly open to redefinition) at sonicaekrano.com

SELECTION
- The selection committee is composed by three members of the festival team.
- Applicants whose films are selected will be notified via email.
- When a film has been selected to be screened at the festival and an oral or written approval has been given by the film’s representative, it cannot be withdrawn.
- The complete programme of the festival will be communicated and uploaded on the website sonicaekrano.com and the festival’s and the organisation's social networks at least one month before the festival starts.

PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL
- When getting your selection notice, you must provide the files listed below to the following address : sonicaekrano@outra.pt
- a selection of pictures of the documentary (minimal resolution of 300 dpi / copyrights must be written in the files’ titles) ;
- a picture of the documentary director (minimal resolution of 300 dpi / copyrights must be written in the files’ titles) and a small biography ;
- the file for the film trailer or teaser ;
- a synopsis of the film ;
- any other material that you deem interesting for the promotion of the screening.

- The participants allow SONICA EKRANO to use a short extract of the film (up to 2 minutes) to promote the screening. The extract may be included in the festival’s trailer which will be broadcasted on the internet and in the festival places up to two weeks before the festival before each film.
- This short extract may also be used in promotional videos published on the social medias of the organisation.
- This short extract may also be included in the promotional video sent to the press in the form of a password protected Vimeo link compiling short excerpts of all the films screened.

SUBTITLES
- The directors or representatives of the selected films agree to forward an .srt file with English and Portuguese (if available) subtitles for the film (even when the film is spoken in English).
- The festival may create Portuguese subtitles for some films, in which case SONICA EKRANO will be their sole owner. An agreement between the two parties will have to be established for their use outside SONICA EKRANO.

SCREENING
- The festival sets the date, time and place of each screening for all the selected films.
- Films which enter the competitive section will be screened twice.
- Format: Hi-res .mp4 or .mov are preferable. DCP is not an option for the time being.

SCREENING FEES
- All selected films (whether in or outside the competitive section) will be paid a screening fee:
- Feature films in the competitive section: 125€ / 2 sessions
- Feature films outside the competitive section: 100€ / 1 session
- Short films: 50€ / 1 session

DIRECTORS' INVITATION
- In exceptional cases, some of the directors may be invited by the festival to present their film to the audience and do a Q&A following the screening.

VOTING
- Each member of the audience attending a competitive screening is given a vote card and has to give between 1 to 5 points to the film. At the end of the festival, all cards are processed by the festival’s team. The film receiving most points, in proportion to the number of people voting, will be awarded the audience prize.

AWARDED FILMS
- Awarded films will be reported on the festival and the organization's websites, social networks and newsletter at the end of the festival.
- Selection and award laurels will be sent by the SONICA EKRANO team no later than one month after the festival ends.