LISBON, A CULTURAL MECCA - Lisbon suddenly became a European Mecca for all kinds of artistic and cultural ventures. But although Lisbon’s cosmopolitan culture is booming some say that a small town intimate feeling is still in place when walking through quarters like Alfama. An artist, impressed by Lisbon’s cultural renaissance, said: “It’s like a village, but our clients are from all over the world!”

CINALFAMA AWARDS - From this intimate yet international city comes the CinAlfama Lisbon International Film Awards. Fully open to diversity – all genres, lengths and subjects – we are looking for bravery and self-exposure. Some call our film nights sharing sessions. It’s all about intimacy: the films, the venue, the atmosphere – the Cinalfama Mystique!

We frequently kick of our nights with CINEMATIC PERFORMANCES. Last session we had the amazing Hungarian classical guitarist Sandor Mester improvising to the cult experimental short “At Land, by Maya Deren

The Cinalfama Awards are bestowed every two months in the live Cinalfama Awards’ Sessions, where the winners will be announced and the best Feature Film and best Short Film categories will be screened.
The winner films in each of these Cinalfama Sessions will automatically compete in the 2017 Cinalfama Annual Awards Session where the best of the year will be screened once more.

CINALFAMA, A LISBOA CULTURAL REFERENCE - In just one year we had 1900 spectators and 2153 films submitted from 115 countries. Cinalfama is now a big Lisbon cultural reference as you can see in clips from all the Sessions in our youtube channel: from the first and memorable in September 16 till the last one in July 17. You can also find clips from all our official selections.

AWARDS AND PRIZES - The filmmakers of the bimonthly winners for Short Film and Feature Film will be invited to present their films personally in our bimonthly sessions. We cover transfer from the airport, accommodation in central Lisbon and we invite to have dinner with us in the event night. Plus the annual winners in those categories are also awarded with a Flight Voucher Prize and a Trophy.

PARTNERS AND NETWORKING - We are working together with ECU Paris International Festival and all our selected winners will deserve a privileged selection viewing. Our multi-awarded film “The Elusive” is the first one to deserve that privilege and to win “best director award” and many more opportunities will come in the future.

THE CITY IN FILM AWARD - This event stemmed from a famous cineclub sessions in Lisbon. To reflect on the ever changing identity of the city has always been a main focus. More relevant than ever the subject of urban identity and the portrayal of the city in film will be subject for a specific annual award: "The City in Film" award.
You can submit your film to this specific annual category. All info about this particular prize: http://www.cinalfama.com/?page_id=1482

Awards & Prizes

A list of 8 prizes are awarded every two months and announced live in the Cinalfama Awards Sessions where the winners in the "Best Feature" and "Best Short" categories will be screened live. All the bimonthly winners will also compete in the annual awards awarded live in the Lisbon main event in September 2017.

• Best Medium or Feature Film
• Best Short Feature
• Best Documentary
• Best Directing
• Best Acting (female or male)
• Best Screenplay
• Best Debut Film
• Honorable Mentions

There are two awards given annually

• “City in Film Award” - best film around the theme
• Public's Choice Award - voted by the public in the annual award ceremony

The official selection is composed of the nominated films - a maximum of 4 in each category in every edition.

Both nominated and awarded films promotional material will be viewable in our site www.cinalfama.com and our social media pages. If the submitter willingly allows it can be integrally displayed.

The participants will not get feedback unless they submit their entry with a review request.

The selected and awarded films can download their laurels at the festival site.

All the films awarded "Best Feature Film" and "Best Short Film" in the bimonthly editions will be publicly screened in Lisbon in September 2017, with media coverage.
The films awarded in the Lisbon annual ceremony will receive a trophy.

Rules & Terms

Awards & Prizes

A list of 8 prizes are awarded every two months and announced live in the Cinalfama Awards Sessions where the winners in the "Best Feature" and "Best Short" categories will be screened live. All the bimonthly winners will also compete and the best screened in the annual awards bestowed live in the Lisbon main event in September 2018.
• Best Medium or Feature Film
• Best Short Feature
• Best Documentary
• Best Directing
• Best Acting (female or male)
• Best Screenplay
• Best Debut Film
• Honorable Mentions

There are two awards given annually
• “City in Film Award” - best film around the theme
• Public's Choice Award - voted by the public in the annual award ceremony

The official selection is composed of the nominated films - a maximum of 4 in each category in every edition.

Both nominated and awarded films promotional material will be viewable in our site www.cinalfama.com and our social media pages. If the submitter willingly allows it can be integrally displayed.

The participants will not get feedback unless they submit their entry with a review request.

The selected and awarded films can download their laurels at the festival site.

All the films awarded in the bimonthly sessions will compete in the annual event and the best screened once more in September 18, with media coverage. The films awarded in the Lisbon annual ceremony will Flight Voucher Prize and a Trophy.

Rules & Terms
Submissions
- 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 AWARDS accepts no responsibility, financial or otherwise, for any movie submitted to the festival.
- 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. 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. If we deem it appropriate, additional categories of awards may be presented as well.
- The Cinalfama Awards only accept online screeners. Please submit them via online platforms. We do not accept discs or any downloadable files.
Entry fees are nonrefundable.
- Multiple entries are allowed. You can submit more than one film to the same category. Any entry will be considered eligible in the next edition only if the film was not awarded in the previous edition.
- Submissions in languages other than English must be subtitled in English.
- We accept every kind of film released after 2012.
- Selected nominated films will be made public and notified and winners will be promoted in a clip on the live screening Cinalfama Sessions.
- We consider short films to be up to 30 minutes and medium or feature films to be 30 minutes or more.

Prizes
- The selected, nominated and awarded movies promotional material will be announced and viewable in our site (http://www.cinalfama.com) and in our social media pages. If the submitter willingly allows it can be integrally displayed.
- The participants will not get feedback unless they submit their entry with a review request. The selected and awarded films can download their laurels at the festival site
- The films awarded in the Lisbon annual ceremony will receive a trophy.
- A list of 8 prizes are awarded every two months and announced live in the Cinalfama Awards Sessions where the winners in the “Best Feature” and “Best Short” categories will be screened live. All the bimonthly winners will also compete and the best screened in the Annual Awards awarded live in the Lisbon main event in September 2018.
- The nominated and winner rightful owners of the rights, in each category and every edition, hereby authorize the film’s live screening in the Cinalfama Sessions. This authorization is an indispensable condition for the inclusion in the festival’s official selection.
- There can be, if the jury by its own quality so decides, two winners ex aequo in any of the categories.
- The official selection is composed by the nominated films, a maximum of four in each category in every edition, plus the honorable mentions.
- These are the categories for the monthly and yearly awards nominees:
BEST FEATURE FILM
BEST SHORT FILM
BEST DOCUMENTARY
BEST MUSIC (Score or Song)
For this specific award only the entries who meet the following criteria are considered:
a) Having entered the credit information concerning the work’s authorship.
and:
b) Musical works that have been produced or composed expressly for the film.
Or:
c) Music used with author permission.
Or:
d) Music used from public domain
BEST DIRECTING
BEST ACTING (Female or Male)
BEST SCREENPLAY
BEST DEBUT FILM
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Two awards will be given annually:
“City in Film Award” – best film around the theme
Public’s Choice Award – voted by the public in the Lisbon annual award ceremony

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).