Monstro – Jacareí Fantastic Film Festival (7)

Festival start: 13 August 2027      Festival end: 22 August 2027

MONSTRO – Jacareí Fantastic Film Festival is a festival dedicated to the appreciation, promotion and celebration of fantastic cinema, bringing together Brazilian, Latin American and international productions that explore different ways of imagining, provoking, frightening and surprising audiences.

With space for horror, fantasy, science fiction, surrealism, trash, gore, underground and experimental cinema, as well as hybrid forms and languages, the festival seeks to showcase diverse and original works while bringing filmmakers, artists, audiovisual professionals and audiences together.

Held in Jacareí, in the Paraíba Valley of São Paulo, MONSTRO also values local and regional film production, creating opportunities for emerging filmmakers, students and independent creators to present their work and expand their presence within the fantastic film circuit.

In addition to film screenings, the festival promotes activities that bring audiences closer to the audiovisual universe, including discussions, talks, meetings, cultural activities and special screenings, contributing to audience development and the circulation of fantastic cinema.

Above all, MONSTRO is a space for films that go beyond the conventional, celebrating creativity, imagination, the strange, the absurd and all the possibilities that emerge when cinema dares to go beyond reality.

* MONSTRO Trophy 2027 (Main Awards)

* Technical Awards

* Thematic Showcase Awards

* Honorable Mentions (Jury and Curatorial Team)

OFFICIAL FESTIVAL REGULATIONS
MONSTRO – 7th Jacareí Fantastic Film Festival 2027
1. PURPOSE

MONSTRO – Jacareí Fantastic Film Festival aims to promote, showcase, and recognize audiovisual works within the fantastic genre, including horror, fantasy, science fiction, surrealism, trash, gore, underground, experimental cinema, and hybrid forms of cinematic expression, encouraging national, Latin American, and international film production.

2. ACCEPTED FILMS AND RUNNING TIME CLASSIFICATION
2.1 SHORT FILMS / ANIMATION / DOCUMENTARY

Films with a maximum running time of 25 (twenty-five) minutes, including credits, will be considered.

2.2 FEATURE FILMS

Films with a running time exceeding 70 (seventy) minutes, including credits, will be considered.

Feature films may be included in non-competitive showcases or special screenings at the discretion of the Festival Curatorship.

3. ORIGIN OF THE WORKS

The festival accepts works from:

Brazil
Latin America
International countries

The following categories are exceptions:

Brazilian Folklore – exclusively for Brazilian productions
Regional – exclusively for productions from the Vale do Paraíba Paulista region

The Curatorship may transfer films between categories whenever deemed necessary for better artistic or technical suitability.

4. PRODUCTION PERIOD

Only films produced on or after January 1, 2026, will be accepted.

5. SUBMISSION AND LIMITS

Each director may submit up to 3 (three) works.

Of these, only 1 (one) work per director may be selected for the official competitive program.

6. SUBMISSION PERIOD

Regular submissions for the 7th edition of the Monstro Festival will be open from January 1 to May 1, 2027.

Submissions made during this period will be subject to the general rules of these regulations and may compete in the official competitive showcases, according to the Curatorship's selection.

7. LANGUAGE AND SUBTITLING

Films in languages other than Portuguese must contain Brazilian Portuguese subtitles.

The responsibility for providing accurate subtitles lies exclusively with the filmmaker or rights holder.

8. ACCESSIBILITY

The festival encourages the inclusion of accessibility resources, such as:

Closed captions / descriptive subtitles
Audio description
Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpretation
9. SUBMISSION PLATFORMS

Submissions will be accepted exclusively through the FilmFreeway and Festhome platforms.

10. THEMATIC REQUIREMENTS

Only works that fall within the fantastic cinema genre will be accepted, including horror, fantasy, science fiction, and their aesthetic and narrative variations.

Films that do not fit the festival's thematic scope will be automatically disqualified.

11. TECHNICAL FORMAT

Submitted works must meet the following technical requirements:

Format: MP4, H.264 codec
Minimum resolution: Full HD 1920×1080
Maximum file size: 10 GB
12. DELIVERY OF SELECTED FILMS

Selected films must be submitted through a file-sharing or storage link exclusively via Google Drive, Vimeo, or Dropbox.

The following will not be accepted:

Broken or expired links
Files without download access
Links with invalid passwords or inaccessible files
Incompatible platforms, such as TeraBox or similar services without direct file access

It is the filmmaker's responsibility to test the link beforehand and ensure that it is fully accessible.

12.1 MANDATORY MATERIALS – OFFICIAL SELECTION

Selected filmmakers must provide:

3 film stills
1 poster
1 director's photograph
Short biography
Complete technical credits
Brazilian Portuguese subtitles for international productions

Failure to submit the required materials within the established deadline may result in disqualification.

13. JURY AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Jury will be composed of invited professionals from the audiovisual field.

The evaluation criteria will include:

Suitability to the fantastic cinema genre
Originality
Narrative construction
Direction
Acting
Cinematography
Production design
Editing
Sound
Original score / soundtrack
Visual effects
Overall technical quality

The Jury's decision is final and irrevocable, and no appeal will be accepted.

14. MONSTRO TROPHY 2027 – FINALISTS AND JUDGING

The Monstro Trophy 2027 will be awarded by a Jury specially invited for the competition.

The Festival Curatorship will be responsible for selecting the finalists for the Monstro Trophy 2027 from among the films participating in the official competitive showcases.

Exceptionally, the Curatorship may nominate additional finalists based on artistic, technical, or narrative merit when it considers that a particular work demonstrates exceptional relevance to the Monstro Trophy competition.

The list of finalists will be submitted to the Monstro Trophy Jury, which will be exclusively responsible for evaluating the finalist works and determining the winners.

The Jury will select 1 (one) winner in each of the following categories:

Monstro Trophy 2027 – Best Short Film
Monstro Trophy 2027 – Best Animation
Monstro Trophy 2027 – Best Documentary

The three categories are independent. There will be no overall ranking or distribution of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place among the finalist films.

At its discretion, the Jury may grant Honorable Mentions to films or professionals who stand out for their artistic or technical relevance, or for any other aspect deemed worthy of recognition.

The final decision regarding the winners belongs exclusively to the Jury. The Festival Curatorship may not interfere with the voting process or final results.

Being selected as a finalist does not guarantee an award.

15. TECHNICAL AWARDS

The Monstro Festival may grant the following technical awards:

Direction
Screenplay
Cinematography
Production Design
Editing
Sound
Original Score / Soundtrack
Visual Effects (VFX)
Makeup / Practical Effects
Costume Design
Acting

The same work may receive more than one award, including the Monstro Trophy, technical awards, and special awards from thematic showcases.

16. SPECIAL AWARDS – THEMATIC SHOWCASES
Vale Monstro Showcase – Vale do Paraíba Paulista
Raízes Showcase – Brazilian Folklore
Novos Olhares Showcase – Student Films
Náusea Total Showcase – Grotesque, Gore and Related Works
17. HONORABLE MENTIONS

Honorable Mentions may be granted by either the Jury or the Festival Curatorship.

Honorable Mentions granted by the Jury will be determined exclusively by the jurors.

Honorable Mentions granted by the Curatorship will be special recognitions independent of the competitive awards and may recognize artistic, technical, creative, cultural, or other aspects of relevance to fantastic cinema.

There will be no maximum limit on the number of Honorable Mentions that may be granted. The Jury and Curatorship shall determine their number and nature at their discretion.

Honorable Mentions will be granted exclusively in the form of digital certificates.

18. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Jurors and members of the Festival Curatorship who have a direct connection to a competing work must inform the festival organization of any potential conflict of interest.

The organization may determine that the involved member shall not participate in the evaluation, nomination, or voting related to the work in question.

19. TIES

In the event of a tie in any Jury vote, a new vote will be held among the tied works.

If the tie persists, the President of the Jury, or, in their absence, a juror previously designated by the festival organization, shall have the casting vote.

20. AWARD DELIVERY

Winners are expected to receive their physical trophies in person during the festival event. If this is not possible, they may request subsequent delivery.

All shipping, freight, and logistics costs shall be the sole responsibility of the award recipient or director.

21. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND RESULTS

The official list of selected films will be announced on Instagram @festivalmonstro and by email.

The Monstro Trophy finalists will be announced during the festival at a time determined by the organization.

The winners of the Monstro Trophy, technical awards, and special awards will be announced during the festival.

The official list of winners may subsequently be published on the festival's official Instagram account and by email.

22. AWARDS AND CERTIFICATES

The main awards will preferably be presented in the form of physical trophies.

If in-person delivery or shipment of the trophy is not possible, digital certificates may be issued to the winners at the discretion of the festival organization.

Honorable Mentions will be granted exclusively in the form of digital certificates.

23. EXPENSES

The festival is not responsible for:

Transportation
Accommodation
Meals
24. COPYRIGHT

The filmmaker or rights holder declares that they possess all necessary rights to the submitted work, including copyright, music and sound recording rights, and image rights, releasing the festival from any related legal liability.

25. SCREENING AUTHORIZATION

By submitting a work to the Monstro Festival, the filmmaker or rights holder declares that they have authorization for its public screening and, if selected, grants the festival free authorization to screen the work as part of the festival's official program.

Submission does not constitute a transfer of intellectual property rights over the work.

26. IMAGE USE AND PROMOTION

The festival may use excerpts, stills, posters, and submitted materials for institutional, promotional, and publicity purposes.

Selected films will become part of the festival's cultural archive for non-commercial and educational purposes.

27. FESTIVAL FORMAT

The festival may take place in person, online, or in a hybrid format.

The organization may change dates, structure, and programming for technical, operational, or force majeure reasons.

28. SELECTION AND WITHDRAWAL OF WORKS

The Curatorship has full autonomy over film selection and program composition.

After official selection has been confirmed, withdrawal of a work from the program will be subject to evaluation by the festival organization, particularly when the program, promotional materials, or other content related to the work has already been published.

Technical problems, improper submission, or failure to comply with these regulations may result in disqualification.

29. CONDUCT AND CONTENT

The following types of content will not be accepted:

Hate speech
Prejudice
Discriminatory violence

The organization may disqualify works or participants in cases of inappropriate conduct.

30. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – AI

The festival accepts the partial use of Artificial Intelligence tools, provided that they are integrated into a substantial human creative process.

Works that are entirely generated by AI will not be accepted.

AI may be used for:

Visual effects
Post-production
Production design / set design

Essential elements such as direction, screenplay, and artistic language must be created by humans.

The use of AI must be disclosed at the time of submission.

31. PARALLEL SHOWCASES

The festival may create, modify, or discontinue parallel showcases, whether competitive or non-competitive, at the discretion of the Curatorship.

32. MONSTRO PREMIERE – SPECIAL SCREENING

The Monstro Premiere is a special screening of the Monstro Festival exclusively dedicated to films that are festival premieres, meaning films that will have their first screening at a film festival during the 7th edition of the Monstro Festival.

To participate in the Monstro Premiere, the film must not have previously been screened or presented at any other film festival, in Brazil or abroad, up to the date of submission.

The person responsible for the submission must declare that the film meets the premiere requirements established for this special screening.

Films submitted to the Monstro Premiere will participate exclusively in this special screening and will not automatically be eligible for the Festival's competitive awards, unless expressly determined otherwise by the Curatorship.

If a film selected for the Monstro Premiere is subsequently screened or presented at another festival before its screening at the Monstro Festival, the responsible party must immediately notify the festival organization.

In such a case, the film will be automatically disqualified from the Monstro Premiere and removed from the program, losing its festival premiere status.

Participation in the Monstro Premiere implies the commitment of the rights holder to preserve the film's festival premiere status until its screening at the Monstro Festival.

Films selected for the Monstro Premiere will have their first festival screening at the Monstro Festival 2027.

33. UNFORESEEN MATTERS

Any matters not covered by these regulations shall be decided exclusively by the festival organization.

Contact: festivalmonstrojacarei@gmail.com