Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival (34)

Festival start: 17 July 2026      Festival end: 26 July 2026

Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in Portugal, reaching its 34th edition in 2026.

The festival will be held from 17th to 26th July 2026 and its main objective is the promotion of audiovisual and film production, selected according to quality criteria, at an event which focuses not only on the discovery of new films and directors, but also on the legacy of cinema.

Fiction, animation, documentary, and experimental films, as well as music videos, no longer than 60 minutes (unless otherwise noted), produced in 2025 or 2026 are eligible for the various competitions.

Out-of-competition programmes will highlight not only a selection of worldwide contemporary short films but also the relations between shorts and features, music and film, or art and cinema.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

– Great Prize – to the best film in this competition;

– Fiction Award – to a distinguished fiction film;

– Animation Award – to a distinguished animation film;

– Manoel de Oliveira Award – to a distinguished documentary film;

– Vila do Conde Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards;

– International Competition Audience Award – to the film in this competition with the highest average.


PORTUGUESE COMPETITION

– Best Film Award – to the best film in this competition;

– Portuguese Competition Audience Award – to the film in this competition with the highest average.


EXPERIMENTAL COMPETITION

– Best Experimental Film Award – to the best film in this competition.


TAKE ONE! COMPETITION

– Best Film Award – to the best film in this competition;

– Best Director Award – to a distinguished filmmaker in this competition.


MY GENERATION COMPETITION

– My Generation Award – to the film in this competition with the highest audience voting average.


CURTINHAS COMPETITION

– Curtinhas Award – to the best film in this competition.


MUSIC VIDEOS COMPETITION

– Best Music Video Award – to the best music video in this competition.

Submitting a film to this festival implies the acceptance of the following:

1. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE

The 34th Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival, organised by Curtas Metragens – Cooperativa de Produção Cultural CRL, based in Vila do Conde, Portugal, will be held from 17th to 26th July 2026. Its main objective is the promotion of audiovisual and film production, selected according to quality criteria, at an event which focuses not only on the discovery of new films and directors, but also on the legacy of cinema.

2. ELIGIBILITY

Fiction, animation, documentary, and experimental films, as well as music videos, no longer than 60 minutes (unless otherwise noted), produced in 2025 or 2026 either in film (16 mm or 35 mm) or digital (DCP) are eligible for the various competitions. Please read section 3 to learn about the specific eligibility criteria of each competition.

3. COMPETITIVE PROGRAMMES, JURIES, AND AWARDS

The festival has the following competitions:

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Fiction, animation, and documentary up to 60 minutes. Only Portuguese premieres are eligible.

The jury of the International Competition is comprised of up to 5 renowned professionals designated by the festival board who will award the:
– Great Prize – to the best film in this competition;
– Fiction Award – to a distinguished fiction film;
– Animation Award – to a distinguished animation film;
– Manoel de Oliveira Award – to a distinguished documentary film.

PORTUGUESE COMPETITION

Fiction, animation, and documentary up to 60 minutes, by Portuguese directors or having a majority of Portuguese production. Only Portuguese premieres are eligible.

The same jury of the International Competition will award the:
– Best Film Award – to the best film in the Portuguese Competition.

Films in the Portuguese Competition are also eligible for the International Competition awards.

Oscar Qualifying Film Festival

Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival is part of the Oscar Qualifying Film Festival List, meaning that both the winners of the International Competition’s Great Prize and the Portuguese Competition’s Best Film Award become eligible for the Best Live Action Short Film and Best Animated Short Film categories at the Academy Awards®, therefore exempting from the obligation of a commercial release in the United States, and provided they comply with the Academy’s regulations.

Vila do Conde Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards

One of the winning films at the International or Portuguese Competitions will become eligible for a nomination at the European Film Academy’s European Film Awards.

Audience Award

In addition to the jury awards, the festival’s audience will award through voting the:
– International Competition Audience Award – to the film in the International Competition with the highest average;
– Portuguese Competition Audience Award – to the film in the Portuguese Competition with the highest average.

Vila do Conde Short Film Candidates for Ibershorts Award

The winners of the Portuguese Competition Audience Award and Best Film Award will become eligible for a nomination at the Ibershorts Award, an initiative of Festival de Málaga and Festhome.

EXPERIMENTAL COMPETITION

Experimental films up to 60 minutes. Only Portuguese premieres are eligible.

The jury of the Experimental Competition is comprised of up to 3 renowned professionals designated by the festival board who will award the:
– Best Experimental Film Award – to the best film in the Experimental Competition.

TAKE ONE! COMPETITION

Films up to 30 minutes from Portuguese higher education institutions or Portuguese directors studying at higher education institutions abroad.

The jury of the Take One! Competition is comprised of up to 3 renowned professionals designated by the festival board who will award the:
– Best Film Award – to the best film in the Take One! Competition;
– Best Director Award – to a distinguished filmmaker in the Take One! Competition.

MY GENERATION COMPETITION

Films for teenagers up to 30 minutes, selected by a group of students from local schools and universities. In addition to the selection, these students are responsible for writing the promotional materials, advertising, and introducing the screenings.

There is no open call for this competition. Films are suggested by the different selection committees to those students, who will in turn make the final selection.

The festival’s audience will award through voting the:
– My Generation Award – to the film in the My Generation Competition with the highest average.

CURTINHAS COMPETITION

Films for children aged three and over up to 30 minutes.

The jury of the Curtinhas Competition is comprised of a group of children aged 7 to 13 who will award the:
– Curtinhas Award – to the best film in the Curtinhas Competition.

MUSIC VIDEOS COMPETITION

Music videos up to 30 minutes of Portuguese artists or bands or directed by Portuguese filmmakers.

The jury of the Music Videos Competition is comprised of up to 3 renowned professionals designated by the festival board who will award the:
– Best Music Video Award – to the best music video in this competition.

The monetary prizes and/or services of each award will be disclosed until the announcement of the 34th Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival programme.

4. DEADLINES AND SUBMISSION FEES

The deadline for film submissions at the festival is 30th April 2026 for all competitions, except the Curtinhas Competition whose deadline is 15th April 2026.

Submission fees (except Take One!):
– Submissions completed and paid by 31st December 2025 – 20 EUR;
– Submissions completed and paid from 1st January to 28th February 2026 – 25 EUR;
– Submissions completed and paid from 1st March to 30th April 2026 – 30 EUR.

Take One! submission fee (only for films from Portuguese higher education institutions or Portuguese directors studying at higher education institutions abroad):
– Free.

The festival does not guarantee the viewing and assessment of films submitted after the dates set out above.

5. SUBMISSION

Film submissions at the festival shall be made through one of the following platforms:

FESTHOME
https://festhome.com/festival/curtas-vila-do-conde

Users shall abide by all steps and procedures specified in each platform. The costs associated with the use of the aforementioned platforms are at the user’s expense, as is his responsibility to comply with and provide all data required to complete the submission process.

Any queries shall be sent to the submissions desk at the festival, headed by Francisco Dias, either via the email submissions@curtas.pt, or the phone number +351 252 643 386.

6. SELECTION CRITERIA

The selection committees will consider all films submitted to the festival, provided they meet the eligibility requirements set out in sections 2 and 3 of these regulations, and have been completely and correctly submitted, especially with regard to sections 4 and 5.

For the International and Experimental Competitions, the respective selection committees will take into account a general quality criterion as well as a preference for world premieres. Films previously programmed in other Portuguese film festivals or that have had any other kind of public screening in Portugal will not be admitted.

For the Portuguese Competition, the respective selection committee will observe above all a quality criterion. Films previously programmed in other Portuguese film festivals or that have had any other kind of public screening in Portugal will not be admitted.

For the Take One! Competition, the respective selection committee will take into account a general quality criterion and a preference for Portuguese premieres, as well as maximum representation from different higher education institutions.

For the Music Videos Competition, the respective selection committee will observe above all a quality criterion.

Finally, for all competitions, films submitted to previous editions of the festival will not be admitted.

7. SELECTION

The festival board will notify the directors of the selected films or any related or interested part by 12th June 2026.

Following the selection notification and upon request, a mandatory form will be provided and shall be filled in. Among others, the following materials shall be attached to this form:
– At least one high resolution film still in digital format;
– The film’s dialog list (either in Portuguese and/or English) with the respective timecodes whenever possible, for subtitling purposes;
– A written permit from the director/producer/distributor for screening the film at the festival.

The absence of a selection notification from the festival board by the dates set out above means that the respective film has not been selected in competition at the 34th Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival. However, all efforts will be made so that all applicants are notified via email on the status of their films.

8. SCREENING COPIES

The deadline for the delivery of screening copies of the selected films at the festival is 17th June 2026, except the My Generation and Curtinhas Competitions whose deadline is 31st May 2026.

These copies shall be made available in one of the following formats:
– Film – 16 mm or 35 mm;
– Digital – DCP 2K or DCP 4K.

If there are no available copies in any of the required screening formats, please contact us right after the selection notification.

In case of a password protected DCP copy, it is mandatory to provide in advance a valid KDM key for the period of 17th to 26th July 2026.

Screening copies shall be provided with a backup alternative (either ProRes or H.264).

Compliance with the aforementioned is essential to ensure the best possible screening conditions of every film. The festival will not be held responsible for the conversion of files whose specifications are different from the ones stated above.

For the Portuguese and Take One! Competitions, the screening copies shall be subtitled in English. In case of films with dialogue in English, they shall include Portuguese subtitles. For specific cases involving other languages, please contact the festival.

9. TRANSPORTATION AND OTHER GENERAL PROVISIONS

Applicants must cover the transportation costs of the screening copies of the selected films to the festival. The inscription "SEM VALOR COMERCIAL/NO COMMERCIAL VALUE" shall be clearly displayed on the respective packages. No films sent at the festival’s expense will be accepted. They will be denied delivery, being automatically returned to their sender.

Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival will bear exclusively the transportation costs of the return of the copies after their festival screening.

The festival reserves the right to screen trailers of the selected films or excerpts no longer than 10% of the films’ length in TV channels and on their website or social media for marketing purposes.

The festival will not pay any screening fees for films in competition.

10. VIDEO LIBRARY

All films selected to the festival are eligible for inclusion in the Video Library, available exclusively to film industry professionals from 20th to 24th July 2026. It is up to the festival board to choose the films which will be part of the Video Library, with no guarantees that all films selected in the different competitions will be included.

11. FESTIVAL MOBILITY

The festival will branch out to a series of Portuguese cities from 27th July 2026 to 31st March 2027. Please point out in your selection form if you authorise your film’s participation in these screenings, as well as the festival keeping its screening copy during this period.

12. VOD OUTLET

Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival holds as its main purpose the promotion of original film production by holding screenings in cinemas, respecting each film’s technical and aesthetic features. However, in the face of unforeseen circumstances such as in the 29th edition, it may resort to VOD outlets as a way of screening its programme. If this will be the case, the festival will request prior authorisation for the inclusion of the selected films in online programmes, with the option of excluding certain territories.

13. PREDICAMENTS AND OMISSIONS

The festival board reserves the right to deliberate and decide on any issue omitted in these rules and regulations.

Vila do Conde, 21st July 2025