VÔti VÉi! - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantástico de Araçatuba (1)

Festival Start: 20 August 2026      Festival Ende: 23 August 2026

“Vôti Véi” is a typical expression from the city of Araçatuba and its surrounding region, in the countryside of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, used to express astonishment and surprise.

VÔTI VÉI! The Araçatuba International Fantastic Film Festival is dedicated to films within the fantastic genre, including fantasy, horror, and science fiction. The festival features competitive short film sections and special screenings of feature films, bringing together Brazilian and international productions.

The event will take place from August 20 to 23, 2026, at Teatro Castro Alves, in Araçatuba – SP, Brazil. It is the first festival dedicated to fantastic cinema in the Araçatuba region.

The official jury will award the Vôti Véi! Trophy and a Digital Certificate in the following categories:

Best Film – Vôti Brasil Section
Best Film – Cana Quente Section

The official jury will also award the prize with a Digital Certificate for the following category:

Best Film – Vôti Gringa Section (international films)

The official jury will also grant the following awards in the all Competitive Sections with a Digital Certificate:

Best Director
Best Cinematography
Best Screenplay
Best Art Direction
Best Editing
Best Sound Design

The Vôti Kids Section will feature an Audience Award for Best Film with a Digital Certificate.

The festival organization does not cover shipping costs and is not responsible for shipping the trophy to winners who are not present at the awards ceremony. The trophy may be sent via postal or delivery services at the recipient’s expense.

1 – SUBMISSION RULES

Submissions must be made through digital platform by May 13, 2026.

Films of the fantastic genre (horror, fantasy, science fiction and thriller) will be accepted.
For the competitive categories, short films with a maximum duration of 25 minutes (including credits) will be accepted.

Short films must have been completed from January 2024 onwards.

International films must include english or Portuguese subtitles.

Brazilian feature films may be submitted for non-competitive special screenings. Only feature films completed from 2025 onwards and longer than 70 minutes are eligible.

There is no limit to the number of submissions per filmmaker.

2 – CATEGORIES

COMPETITIVE:

Vôti Brasil Section - Short films made by Brazilian filmmakers and shot in Brazil.
Cana Quente Section - Short films shot in the countryside of the State of São Paulo by filmmakers from SP state (all cities, except coastal areas).

Vôti Gringa Section - International short films (produced outside Brazil).

NON-COMPETITIVE:

Vôti Kids Section - Short films aimed at children or rated for general audiences.

Special Screening - Brazilian feature films presented in a non-competitive format.

3 – awards

The official jury will award the Vôti Véi! Trophy and a Digital Certificate in the following categories:

Best Film – Vôti Brasil Section
Best Film – Cana Quente Section

The official jury will also award the prize with a Digital Certificate for the following category:

Best Film – Vôti Gringa Showcase (international films)

The official jury will also grant the following awards in the Competitive Sections with a Digital Certificate:

Best Direction
Best Cinematography
Best Screenplay
Best Art Direction
Best Editing
Best Sound Design

The Vôti Kids Section will feature an Audience Award for Best Film with a Digital Certificate.

The festival organization does not cover shipping costs and is not responsible for shipping the trophy to winners who are not present at the awards ceremony. The trophy may be sent via postal or delivery services at the recipient’s expense.

4 – SELECTED FILMS

Selected filmmakers will be contacted by the festival production team to submit:

Download link for the exhibition copy
Poster
Stills (photos)
Trailer
Technical sheet (credits)
Self-rating for Brazilian films according to the Brazilian Ministry of Justice Content Rating Practical Guide
Materials must be submitted within 5 days of the request.

The exhibition copy must be provided in the following format:
.mp4 (H264 codec)
Full HD resolution (1920×1080), regardless of aspect ratio
High quality, maximum file size: 3 GB
Brazilian films (Mostra Vôti Brasil) must provide SDH subtitles (.SRT).
International films must provide english or Portuguese subtitles (.SRT).

5 – GENERAL CONDITIONS

The festival does not pay screening fees for selected films.

Selected films may be screened in parallel or traveling festival programs in Araçatuba and nearby cities, subject to prior authorization from the filmmakers.

The festival may hold an online edition during the event period, subject to the filmmaker’s authorization.

Once selection is confirmed, the film may not be withdrawn from the program.

The festival does not accept advertising films, institutional films, or AI-generated films.

Works that promote prejudice, discrimination, hate speech, or violence may be rejected.

The festival organization may use excerpts from selected films for promotional materials.

The festival does not cover transportation or accommodation costs for invited filmmakers.

Filmmakers are fully responsible for the copyright of all elements used in their work.

Films that are publicly available on the internet (YouTube, Vimeo, or similar) at the time of selection may be disqualified.

The festival organization may adjust the content rating to comply with Brazilian regulations.

The festival may create new categories and/or awards based on the material received and will have the right to transfer some works submitted in the "Cana Quente" category to the "Mostra Vôti Brasil" category if necessary.

The festival organization may change dates or venue due to force majeure.

Araçatuba, April 2026.
VÔTI VÉI! – Araçatuba International Fantastic Film Festival