FAMILY FILM PROJECT

Archive, Memory, Ethnography - International Film Festival

The Family Film Project is an international film festival held annually in Porto, Portugal, since 2012.

Dedicated to alternative forms of cinematic expression, the festival emphasizes the experimental and archaeological dimensions of the moving image, seeking to highlight the challenges of cinema in its dual testimonial and artistic nature—whether through ethnographic-experimental film, archival and found-footage cinema, the aesthetic reappropriation of home movies, or the hybridization between film and the performing arts.

In addition to its regular competitive section, the program always includes a special focus on internationally renowned filmmakers, artists, and scholars, such as Jonas Mekas (2012), Péter Forgács (2013), Alina Marazzi (2015), João Canijo (2016), Regina Guimarães (2017), Bill Nichols (2018), Daniel Blaufuks (2018), Jaimie Baron (2019), Cláudia Varejão (2019), Harun Farocki (2020), Ruben Östlund (2021), Catarina Alves Costa (2022), Naomi Kawase (2023), Ben Russell (2024), Jay Rosenblatt (2025), among many others.

The competitive screenings are traditionally organized into three thematic strands: Lives and Places (focusing on aesthetic approaches to everyday life, habitats, and biographical narratives);
Memory and Archive (dedicated to temporality and the poetic reappropriation of testimonies and found footage); and Connections (centered on relational, interpersonal, and intercultural dynamics).
The competition also usually includes sections devoted to Fiction and Animation.

With its diverse lines of action, the festival situates itself at the conceptual boundaries between cinema, other art forms, and critical thought. Beyond its film screenings, the Family Film Project organizes a wide range of parallel cultural events: exhibitions and installations (often extending beyond the festival dates), film-concerts, site-specific performances across the city (Private Collection), as well as masterclasses, conferences, and book releases devoted to the ethnographic, anthropological, and aesthetic dimensions of cinema and the arts.

Awards & Prizes

The Family Film Project awards three prizes to the films selected in the official competition.

Rules & Terms

DEADLINES AND DATES
Submission period: December 22, 2025 to June 8, 2026 (00:00 GMT)
Selection Notification: September 8, 2026
Festival Dates: October 13-17, 2026

THEMES AND GENRES
- Documentary, experimental, fiction or animation genre;
- Films using found footage;
- Family records and home movies;
- Self-portraits or works about identities;
- Films around intimacy, privacy and family ties;
- Social or community landscapes;
- The family as problematic;
- Private spaces and familiar landscapes;

CONDITIONS OF ADMISSION
- Production date should not exceed three years;
- There is no limit on the duration of the works;
- Each author/director is limited to submitting two works;
- Films must be submitted with English subtitles embedded.

SUBSCRIPTION
- The application must be made through the FilmFreeway platform:
https://filmfreeway.com/FamilyFilmProject

RULES
https://familyfilmproject.com/en/festival/rules/

It is mandatory, in the submission process, that the following information be made available through the platform:

- Synopsis (max. 250 words);
- 3 photos from the film in high resolution (minimum 300 dpi; jpeg);
- 1 movie poster (if any);
- 1 photograph of the director;
- Biography of the director (max. 250 words.);
- Trailer (link);
- Link with password for viewing the film.

Alternatively, the aforementioned contents can be sent to the following email address: registration@familyfilmproject.com.

Incomplete proposals and/or that do not comply with the requirements established in this regulation will not be considered.

NOTIFICATION
If the film is selected, the author/producer will be notified by email by September 30th.
The authors/directors or producers will be contacted to send a version of the film with the highest quality. The film must be accompanied by the following:
- Letter of authorization for exhibition.

If the film is not selected, the author/producer will be notified via FilmFreeway by September 30th.
Submission fees are non-refundable.
The Family Film Project is not obligated to provide feedback, comments or justifications regarding the selection process.

SHIPPING FORMAT
- DCP version + MOV or MP4 version (with PRORES or h264 compression, in maximum quality);
- Movie subtitled in English (embedded subtitles).

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Fragments of selected works may be used to promote the festival via TV, radio or internet.
The selected films will be able to integrate extensions organized within the scope of the festival.
The festival does not pay screening fees for films selected for competition.
The submission of films to the FAMILY FILM PROJECT presupposes knowledge and acceptance of these regulations.

DOUBTS
registration@familyfilmproject.com

12 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • ATAKAN YILMAZ

    A big thank you to the warm-hearted team who answered every one of our questions with care!
    It was a real pleasure to be part of this festival with our film Hi Mom, It’s Me Lou Lou!

    December 2025
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  • Gargantua Film Distribution

    Thank you for screening CITY OF POETS! See you next edition!

    October 2025
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  • MADAKTO PICTURES

    On behalf of Madakto Pictures, we are honored to be a part of this prestigious film festival. It is truly inspiring to see so much talent and creativity gathered in one place. Thank you to the organizers and everyone involved for providing such a wonderful platform to share our work and connect with fellow filmmakers. We wish all participants the best and look forward to celebrating the art of cinema together.

    December 2024
    Helpful
  • Glenn Dumortier

    This is an absolute fantastic festival, organized by fantastic people. If you have a love for archive material: don't hesitate, just submit or go. Really proud I won the archive and memory award. Thank you so much and hopefully we'll meet again.

    November 2023
    Helpful
  • Laurence MICHEL

    The welcome from the festival team was very warm, very good organization, and my film "4801 nights" received the Grand Jury Prize! What could be better? I am very honored, thank you!

    October 2023
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