Curta-SE - Festival Iberoamericano De Cinema De Sergipe (25)

Festival start: 21 September 2026      Festival end: 27 September 2026

CURTA-SE 25 – The Ibero-American Film Festival of Sergipe is produced by AVBR PRODUÇÕES LTDA - ME and has as its mission to broaden public access to Ibero-American audiovisual production, to promote the exchange between filmmakers from Brazil and Ibero-America, to valorize the short film as a specific language, and to foster the creative economy and accessibility.

Ibero-American Digital Cinema: Films made by Ibero-American producers and/or directors who have lived in Brazil for more than 2 years, completed between 2024 and 2026, in the following categories:

a) Ibero-American Short Film – films with a running time of up to 20 minutes, in the genres of documentary, fiction, and animation, produced in countries of the Ibero-American region;

b) Sergipe Short Film – with a running time of up to 20 minutes, in the genres of documentary, fiction, and animation, with a director and producer from Sergipe or based in the state for more than 2 years;

c) Feature Film – with a running time of 70 minutes or more;

d) Trailer – Trailer for a short or feature film with a running time of up to 4 minutes;

e) Music Video – with a running time of up to 6 minutes.

AWARDS

- The winners of this edition will be determined by jurors invited by the festival, forming the official jury for: 1) Ibero-American and Sergipe short films; 2) Ibero-American feature films; 3) trailers and music videos.

- Curta-SE 25 will present the VER OU NÃO VER Trophy in the following categories:

. Ibero-American Short Film:
Best Ibero-American Short Film, Best Direction, Best Fiction, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Original Score.

. Sergipe Short Film:
Best Sergipe Short Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Original Score.

. Ibero-American Feature Film:
Best Ibero-American Feature Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Editing, and Best Original Score.

. Trailer:
Best Trailer

. Music Video:
Best Music Video

- The official juries may grant a Special Award or an Honorable Mention in the Ibero-American short and feature film categories, provided it is agreed upon with the festival's director. They may also abstain from granting any award or trophy when deemed necessary.

- The VER OU NÃO VER Trophy will also be awarded through an audience jury vote in the following categories:
Best Ibero-American Short Film, Best Sergipe Short Film, Best Ibero-American Feature Film, Best Music Video.

- Should any private company or government institution wish to establish a special award (service-based, financial, or trophy), they may do so according to their own criteria, with the prior consent of the Curta-Se 25 director.
The legal representatives of the selected audiovisual works will be notified in advance of any eventual inclusion of an award that implies the granting of exhibition rights or related rights.

- The Curta-SE 25 Festival may also directly grant financial awards for the main categories — such as Best Ibero-American Short Film (Official Jury) and Best Sergipe Short Film (Audience Jury), for example — should it secure partnerships and funding for this purpose.

DATE AND VENUE

Curta-SE 25 will be held from September 21 to 27, 2026, in the city of Aracaju-SE, Brazil, with traveling screenings on dates and in cities to be announced later.

SHOWCASES

- The festival consists of sections of Ibero-American short and feature films, Sergipe short films, trailers, and music videos, completed between 2024 and 2026, grouped into competitive showcases and special showcases.

- Competitive Showcases:

a) Ibero-American Short Film – films with a running time of up to 20 minutes, in the genres of documentary, fiction, and animation, produced in countries of the Ibero-American region (up to 20 films selected);

b) Sergipe Short Film – with a running time of up to 20 minutes, in the genres of documentary, fiction, and animation, with a director and producer from Sergipe or based in the state for more than 2 years (up to 10 films selected);

c) Feature Film – with a running time of 70 minutes or more (5 films selected);

d) Trailer – Trailer for a short or feature film with a running time of up to 4 minutes (up to 5 works selected);

e) Music Video – with a running time of up to 6 minutes (up to 10 works selected).

- The curatorial team will also program short and feature films in special and traveling showcases (out of competition).

REGISTRATION

- The registration period will run from April 8 to May 8, 2026.

- Registrations may be submitted through the enabled platform: Festhome.

- For registrations on the platforms, it is necessary to create an account, upload the film along with photos, and then register the title on the festival's page at the following links: Festhome –festhome.com/festival/curtase.

*Registrations with unavailable links or character errors will be invalidated.

- Sergipe Short Films, upon being registered in this category, are automatically also entered for selection in the Ibero-American Competitive Short Film Showcase, and may also check the fields referring to both categories in the registration form.

- No other means of submitting registrations and files will be accepted other than through the enabled platforms or Google Form link.

- Films in Spanish and European Portuguese must be subtitled in Brazilian Portuguese; subtitling is therefore both a selection criterion and the responsibility of the filmmaker.

- These regulations and further information will be available on the Curta-Se 25 website: https://curtase.com.br.

CURATION AND SELECTION

- The selection of titles in each category will be carried out by a committee appointed by the Festival's director, composed of professionals with extensive knowledge and experience in Brazilian and Ibero-American cinema.

- The list of selected works will be announced from July 17, 2026, on the website https://curtase.com.br and on the festival's social media channels.

- The Festival's organization will contact those responsible for the registrations of selected works — as indicated at the time of registration — for official communication and for procedures regarding the submission of screening copies and additional information.

SCREENING

- Selected films will be programmed according to the curatorial framework established by the festival's organization.

- Files for screening must be submitted via online transfer by July 31, 2026.

- Copies must be sent to the festival's organization in the following formats:

. MP4 file, H264 codec (Full HD or 2K);
. Open DCP (Digital Cinema Package) following the DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) standards, available at https://isdcf.com/dcnc/.
Dolby 5.1 sound, with the following channels: 1-L; 2-R; 3-C; 4-SW; 5-SL; 6-SR, or 2.0 (stereo).

- All copies must be identical to one another, and the production team must verify their proper functioning (audio/video synchronization, color, subtitles, etc.) before submission.

- DCP copies may preferably be sent directly by the finishing company for greater media quality assurance, or via a download link.

- subtitles and Accessibility:

. It is mandatory to submit subtitles in Portuguese (SDH preferred) and in Spanish for films spoken in Portuguese.

. It is mandatory to submit subtitles in Portuguese for films not spoken in Portuguese (SDH preferred).

. SDH (subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) is recommended for short and feature film competition entries. SDH must include character identification, important sounds for the plot, and other specifications. Production guidelines for SDH can be found in the Guide for Accessible Audiovisual Productions, published by the Ministry of Culture.

. Dialogue lists and subtitles must be consistent with the film and with correct spelling according to their linguistic purposes, ensuring the quality of the material.

. In addition to SDH, it is recommended to submit other accessibility resources — Brazilian Sign language (LIBRAS) and audio description — if the film includes them.

- Content Rating: In accordance with Ordinance 368/2014 of the Ministry of Justice, films screened at showcases and festivals must apply self-classification according to the "Practical Guide to Content Rating." It is mandatory to fill in the film's content rating on the registration form, in accordance with these standards. The event's organization is responsible for ensuring compliance with this requirement and may, if necessary, adjust the rating at the festival's discretion to comply with the regulations.