{"id":11172,"date":"2023-02-08T19:21:30","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T19:21:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indielisboa.com\/?page_id=11172"},"modified":"2026-08-03T14:48:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T13:48:28","slug":"rules-and-terms","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/indielisboa.com\/en\/festival\/rules-and-terms\/","title":{"rendered":"Rules and Terms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CALL FOR ENTRIES 2027<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Submissions<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Preamble<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 1
<\/strong>(Objective)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 2
<\/strong>(Date)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n


The 24th IndieLisboa will take place between April 29 and May 9, 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 3
<\/strong>(Sections)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

3.1. The festival’s competitive sections are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International Competition<\/strong> \u2014 an international competition for feature and short films made up of films never before publicly presented in Portugal and completed in 2026 or 2027. Fiction, animation, documentaries or experimental works may compete, as first, second or third works, in a clear commitment to emerging filmmakers;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Competition<\/strong> \u2014 a competition made up of feature and short films produced in Portugal, or made by artists with permanent residence in Portugal, finished in 2026 or 2027, preferably in world and\/or national premiere;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silvestre<\/strong> \u2014 a competition for works by filmmakers with more than 3 films in their career who find uniqueness to be their norm. Under the banner of Silvestre, we show works that reject established formulas, awaken new languages and whose rebelliousness reflects the spirit of the festival;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brand New<\/strong> \u2014 a competition dedicated to the discovery of new talent in Portugal, whether film students, self-taught, or coming from other fields into filmmaking;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IndieMusic<\/strong> \u2014 a section made up mostly of documentaries about music and the people who make it;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smart7<\/strong> \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3.2 The festival’s non-competitive sections are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IndieJ\u00fanior<\/strong> \u2014 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;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Director’s Cut<\/strong> \u2014 a section made up of cinema classics, masterpieces and obscure gems;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mouth of Madness<\/strong> \u2014 the films in this section march fearlessly to the edge of the cliff, in festive demonstrations of defiance of the rules;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rhizome<\/strong> \u2014 a section presenting a range of works that highlight relevant current issues, renowned filmmakers and previews. A program that mobilizes the festival’s wider community around cinema as entertainment, reflection and debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 4 <\/strong>
(How to apply)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

4.1. All films that meet the following conditions are eligible to IndieLisboa’s International Competition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– 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 2026 or 2027;
– Having their first public presentation in Portugal at this festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(*) 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.2. All films under the following conditions are eligible for the Silvestre Competition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– 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 2026 or 2027;
– Having their first public presentation in Portugal at this festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.3 All films that meet the following conditions are eligible to the National Competition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Short films (up to 59 minutes) or feature films (60 minutes or more) of fiction, animation, documentaries or experimental films;
– Produced in 2026 or 2027;
– Films produced in Portugal, or made by artists with permanent residence in Portugal;
– Having their first public presentation in Portugal at this festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.4. All films that meet the following conditions may be submitted in the IndieJunior Section:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Short (up to 59 minutes) fiction, animation, documentary or experimental films;
– Produced in 2026 or 2027;
– The films must be registered in the IndieJunior category on the FilmFreeway platform;\u00a0
– Priority is given to films making their public debut in Lisbon at this festival, but due to the educational nature of the section, exceptions may be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.5. The remaining sections of the festival are open to entries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– Fiction, animation, documentary and experimental short or feature films;
– No restriction on the number of films previously made by the director;
– Produced in 2026 or 2027;
– Preferably presented for the first time in Portugal at this festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.6. The festival may decide, exceptionally, to select films that do not meet some of these conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 5 <\/strong>
(Subtitling)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

5.1. Submitted films must have a viewing link subtitled in English when they are in a non-English language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.2. Selected films must have a screening copy subtitled in English (when they are in a non-English language), except for films selected for the IndieJ\u00fanior section, which must have a non-subtitled screening copy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.3. Portuguese films with all the dialogue in English must have a screening copy subtitled in Portuguese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5.5. Other Portuguese films spoken in multiple languages, or in a language other than Portuguese, must also submit a dialogue list in Portuguese in a separate file (formatted at 40 characters per line).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 6 <\/strong>
(Juries and prizes)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

6.1. The festival’s official juries, made up of personalities from the film industry, culture and\/or civil society, are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

a) The International Feature Film Competition Jury will award the Feature Film Grand Prize (\u20ac15,000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

b) The International Short Film Competition Jury will award the Short Film Grand Prize (\u20ac4,000) and two Special Jury Awards (\u20ac500 each).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

c) The National Competition Jury will award the following prizes: Best Feature Film (\u20ac5,000), Best Director (\u20ac1,000), Best Short Film (\u20ac2,000) and New Talent (post-production services).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

d) The Brand New Jury will award the Brand New Award (\u20ac1,000 + promotion and sales by Portugal Film + scholarship by ULHT).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

e) The Silvestre Jury will award the Silvestre Prize for Best Feature Film (\u20ac1,500) and the Silvestre Prize for Best Short Film (\u20ac1,000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

f) The IndieMusic Jury will award the IndieMusic Award (\u20ac1,000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.2. The juries may also award special mentions when justified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.3. There are also several unofficial juries that award prizes, in addition to the audience prizes for feature films, short films and IndieJ\u00fanior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.5. The prizes awarded by the official juries are intended for the production of the film, with the following exceptions: a) Best Director Award and New Talent Award awarded in the context of the National Competition (awarded to the director); b) Brand New Award (awarded to the director); c) Audience Awards (awarded to the director).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 provided. Any additional bank charges arising from the operation are the responsibility of the winning person or entity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6.8. The awards and prizes may, in exceptional circumstances, be subject to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 7 <\/strong>
(Registration)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

7.1. Entries will be made exclusively at filmfreeway.com\/IndieLisboa until December 18, 2026. As far as international feature films are concerned, the final entry deadline (November 19 to December 18) applies exclusively to films completed after November 1, 2026, and a deadline waiver request must be sent by email to program@indielisboa.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, 2027. If this does not happen, the film in question may not be considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7.3. If applicable, please indicate whether the version of the film entered is a work in progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 8 <\/strong>
(Registration payment)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

8.1. When registering, payment must be made according to the deadline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Bird | August 3 to September 14, 2026<\/strong>
international shorts: \u20ac20
international features: \u20ac30
national shorts and features: free
IndieJ\u00fanior (children and youth section): \u20ac10<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regular Deadline | September 15 to November 18, 2026<\/strong>
international shorts: \u20ac25
international features: \u20ac50
national shorts: \u20ac5
national features: \u20ac10
IndieJ\u00fanior (children and youth section): \u20ac17<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late Deadline | November 19 to December 18, 2026<\/strong>
international shorts: \u20ac30
international features: \u20ac50 with deadline waiver (only for films completed after November 1);
national shorts: \u20ac5
national features: \u20ac10
IndieJ\u00fanior (children and youth section): \u20ac25<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8.2. The cost applies to each film entered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 9<\/strong>
(Re-registration)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n


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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article 10<\/strong>
(Selection)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

10.1. The official selection will be announced no later than one month before the start of the festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10.2. After the selection has been announced and until they have been screened at the festival, the selected films may not have any other public screenings in Portugal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10.3. After acceptance of the selection for any section of IndieLisboa, the film in question may not be withdrawn from the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10.4. Once the selection has been accepted, the following elements must be sent to program@indielisboa.com within 15 days:<\/p>\n\n\n\n