It’s the intimate theater experience that sparkles spectator's and filmmakers' dreams and, no matter where the future takes us, will always be a big part of Cinalfama. For that reason, we’ve decided to postpone our next event to July 20th and 21st. A two-night session to showcase double the quality work we receive every single day.

Our longlasting bond with Alfama’s and Lisbon’s local life always welcomed ex-pats without belittling them with shallow touristic challenges. It’s that same local and open spirit we pledge to defend.

We want to wish our Cinalfama followers safe and hopeful days.

What is Cinalfama About
A highly renowned jury will select the best out of the films submitted to us in each of our four annual editions. Those films will be screened in world-famous Alfama in a most intimate event set in the oldest and more resilient cultural club in Lisbon. The entrance is free and films are subtitled in english.

We have some of the newest and more relevant Portugal cinematic voices in our jury. Amongst them are directors like Berlinale short film winner Leonor Teles and Locarno special mention recipient Pedro Cabeleira.

Alfama quarter, our home since 2009, has been undergoing unprecedented change. Challenging issues like tourism and local identity are now a big part of our urban concerns. The City in Film Award is a Cinalfama parallel section that will distinguish the best films related to the city or where the city plays a relevant role in the mood, theme or narrative of the film. All genres and durations are welcome.
The 2 Best films will be screened and awarded in Cinalfama's Spring Edition in July 2020.

A new call for entries is open in each of the year's four seasons. Cinalfama is fully open to all genres, themes and durations. We value bravery and self-exposure. Some call our events "sharing sessions". It's all about intimacy: the films; the venue; the atmosphere - the Cinalfama mystique!

Grupo Sportivo Adicense exists since 1914. World-famous fado singers started their career waiting tables in this historical institution. Adicense survived and still thrives amidst the everchanging urban landscape, much like Cinalfama.

City in Film Award - parallel section
Alfama quarter, our home since 2009, has been undergoing unprecedented change. Challenging issues like tourism and local identity are now a big part of our urban concerns. The City in Film Award is a Cinalfama parallel section that will distinguish the best films related to the city or where the city plays a relevant role in the mood, theme or narrative of the film. All genres and durations are welcome. The 2 Best films will be screened and awarded in Cinalfama's Spring Edition in July 2020.

Awards & Prizes

Here is an clip sampling some of our past awarded films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ErPtNZ8ijc
We invite the winning directors to present their work in Lisboa. We pay for the stay and invite you to join us for dinner in Alfama.

1) The selected, nominated and awarded movies promotional material will be announced and viewable in our site and in our social media pages.
2) The awarded films rightful owners of the rights, in each category of every edition, hereby authorise the film’s live screening in Cinalfama events. This authorisation is an indispensable condition for the inclusion in the festival’s official selection.
3) There can be, if the jury by its own quality so decides, two winners ex aequo in any of the categories.
4) The official selection is composed of winning films, the honorable mention recipientes and a number of other offcially selected works.
5) There are four anual Cinalfama events: the Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn editions.
6) There are six award categories in each of our 4 annual editions: Best Medium or Feature Film; Best Short Film; Best Debut Film; Best Directing; Best Acting and Best Screenplay
7) Two films will be award the City in Film Award, bestowed in our Spring Edition.

Script Competition
Rules and Submissions
- All entries must be original and the writer(s) must be the sole owners of the intellectual property
- All ages are eligible
- The material submitted must be in English
- All material submitted to other competitions or contests is eligible
- There are no limitations or restrictions as to date of authorship
- The material submitted must not be encumbered by any obligation to, or option held by, any third party prior to entering the competition
- Material should be submitted as a PDF file in standard screenplay format
- No limitations regarding title page content. Title and name of writer and contact information on cover page is standard
- All scripts are eligible for resubmission and each resubmission will stand alone in the screenplay contest and not replace the previous submission
- Script submissions are available in our festival platform pages such as Filmfreeway
​Prizes
- Cinalfama will award 8 winning scripts, regardless of their length.
- Winners will be announced in Cinalfama's summer edition in July 16th 2020
- All our winners will receive a trophy and a certificate
- The winner scripts will be announced and promoted in our site and social media
- Each of our 8 winners will be promoted in all of our partnered festivals.

Soundtrack Competition
Rules and Submission
- No restrictions on duration or genre -
- No separate sound files are allowed. Only music in the actual film, in its entirety, will be upraised
- Only films completed on or after 1st January 2016 are eligible
- If the film is not in English, then it must have hard coded English subtitles.
- There are two different awards in this music competition:
Best Original Soundtrack - If music or additional film material used in your film is not original, then permission from 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. In this event, CINALFAMA will not be liable to refund the fee or return the materials entered.
Best Use of Non-Original Soundtrack - there are no ownership or authorship rules to this award that will be attributed to the director of the film.

Rules & Terms

1) The entrant/submitter/moviemaker hereby certifies that he possesses the right(s) and all of the proper clearances to submit the movie, including, but not limited to image rights, talent releases, soundtrack and/or source music releases; and assumes all responsibility for their material. The CINALFAMA LISBON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS accepts no responsibility, financial or otherwise, for any movie submitted to the festival.
2) Every entry/submission will be judged based on its directing, acting, technical, and artistic merits, as related to the submission. All decisions made by the judge(s) are considered final and incontestable.
3 We reserve the right not to give all of the possible awards if we don’t receive enough entries in a particular category or if none of the submissions meet our high judging standards.
4) The Cinalfama Awards only accept online screeners. Please submit them via FilmFreeway. We do not accept discs or any downloadable files.
5) The average entry fee is 8€. Check specific prices in any of our suggested online platforms.
6) Entry fees are nonrefundable.
7) Multiple entries are allowed. You can submit more than one film to the same category.
8) Any entry will be considered eligible in the next edition only if the film was not awarded in the previous edition.
9) Submissions in languages other than English must be subtitled in English.
10) The english subtitles must be embeded in the film film. No aditional srt files will be accepted.
11) We accept every kind of film released after 2012.
12) We consider short films to be up to 30 minutes and medium or feature films to be 30 minutes or more.
13) Cinalfama reserves the right to disqualify any film whose submitter might be in any way linked to illicit or criminal acts, proven or otherwise.
9 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • META XINEMA

    We're so thankful with João Gomes and all the talented Cinalfama team for making the Portuguese premiere of our short film "Iku Manieva" a memorable event for us in a true special night . Great people, great films, greatest experience!

    January 2018
    Helpful
    Cinalfama 01 (1)
    Response from festival:

    And what a wonder "Iku Manieva" is! Thank you for your words but most of all for allowing us to screen such inspiring work.

  • Vladimir Beldian

    Good festival! Thank you and good luck!

    October 2017
    Helpful
    Cinalfama 01 (1)
    Response from festival:

    Thank you very much Vladimir! Cheers

  • David Desideri

    I'm very honored to win my first award for the best music at this very special festival ! This means a lot to us. Unfortunately the festival didn't send me an e-mail telling me that I was official selected or that our film won an award ! So there was no communication between me and the festival. Anyway we are glad to be part of "Cinalfama"! Muito obrigado!

    May 2017
    Helpful
    Cinalfama 01 (1)
    Response from festival:

    Glad you've got to know us in Lisboa after all David.
    And thank you for your "A Greek in Berlin". We wont forget it;)

  • Zhilin Liu

    Honored to run. I hope it blooms here. Thank you for your film festival, thanks to Lisbon, hoping to work with!

    May 2017
    Helpful
    Cinalfama 01 (1)
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so so much Zhilin!

  • uli decker

    Communitcation with the festival was very friendly, nice and smooth. Unfortunately couldn't go there to recieve my prize as travel expenses etc. cannot be covered, which was a pity, but I understand that the festival is small and does not have the funds to pay for transport etc. of the filmmakers. Friends who attended the festival though liked the atmosphere very much. Overall a good experience!

    December 2016
    Helpful
    Cinalfama 01 (1)
    Response from festival:

    Your film was duly honoured by your your friends and film representatives. It was a honour! We do pay for the meals, transfer from and to the airport and accomodation even with very low funds (maybe we'll be capable of covering trip costs in the near future).