Maria Joana (2)

Festival start: 03 June 2026      Festival end: 07 June 2026

Primeiro festival de cinema canábico do Brasil chega na segunda edição ampliando a janela de Temas.

The 2nd Maria Joana Cannabis Film Festival will grant symbolic and honorary awards, defined according to submission categories, thematic axes, and curatorial principles.

Main Awards

Shrimp Award for Best Film – the Festival’s top award, honoring the film that best combines cinematic language, theme, and political-cultural impact.

Maria Joana Award for Best National Short Film.

Maria Joana Award for Best International Short Film.

Harvest Award for Best Feature Film.

Thematic Axis Awards

Smoke Award – Cinema and Culture.

Seed Award – Public Policies.

Chlorophyll Award – Science and Technology.

Root Award – Activism.

Artistic and Technical Awards

Breeze Award for Best Direction.

Rolled Award for Best Screenplay.

Mouthpiece Award for Best Cinematography.

Terpene Award for Best Sound / Original Score.

Cure Award for Best Editing.

Special Awards

Audience Choice Award – Free Session.

Maria Joana Special Mention.

Harm Reduction Award (Ethical Mention).

Additional awards or mentions may be granted by partners or sponsors, at the discretion of the Festival organization and curatorship.

2nd MARIA JOANA CANNABIS FILM FESTIVAL

Free Submissions

Submission period: January 20 to March 20, 2026
Notification of selected films: March 03, 2026
Festival dates: June 03 to 07, 2026
Location: Florianópolis – Santa Catarina – Brazil

The Maria Joana Cannabis Film Festival, first of his kind in Brazil, is dedicated to the exhibition, circulation, and promotion of audiovisual works that address, directly or indirectly, cannabis culture and its political, social, historical, scientific, medicinal, industrial, spiritual, and artistic dimensions.

The Festival proposes the critical occupation of cultural and public spaces through independent, experimental, and innovative cinema, affirming audiovisual practice as a tool for debate, emancipation, and political imagination.

FESTIVAL PROGRAM AND SECTIONS

The program of the 2nd Maria Joana Cannabis Film Festival – 2026 will be structured around the following sections:

• Brazilian Short Films Competition: screening digital works with a maximum duration of 20 minutes, produced in Brazil, from any year.

• International Short Films Competition: screening digital works with a maximum duration of 20 minutes, produced worldwide, from any year.

• Feature Films Competition: screening digital works with a minimum duration of 52 minutes, produced in Brazil or internationally, from any year.

• Invited Films Section.
The festival program may be organized according to Thematic

Axes, which guide the curatorial approach and public debate:

• Cinema and Culture – artistic, experimental,
fictional, or documentary narratives that engage with cannabis culture, social imaginaries, territories, bodies, and dissident aesthetics;

• Public Policies – films addressing legislation, prohibition, decriminalization, structural racism, mass incarceration, harm reduction, and institutional disputes;

• Science and Technology – works related to scientific research, medicinal use, technological innovation, health, biotechnology, and traditional knowledge;

• Activism – productions focused on social movements, collective action, grassroots education, militancy, and strategies of political and cultural resistance.

Films may dialogue with one or more axes. This classification is indicative and non-exclusive.

SUBMISSIONS

Submissions are free of charge and must be made exclusively through the Festhome platform:

https://filmmakers.festhome.com/pt/festival/maria-joana-festival-de-cinema-canabico

Submissions sent by email or physical media will not be accepted.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• Brazilian and international films are eligible.

• Short films: maximum duration of 20 minutes, including credits.

• Feature films: minimum duration of 52 minutes, including credits.

• Films completed from any year.

• All genres, formats, and audiovisual languages are accepted.

By submitting a film, the applicant declares that they hold all exhibition rights for images, sounds, music, and intellectual property contained in the work, exempting the Festival from any legal responsibility.

SELECTION

• Films will be selected by the Festival Curatorial Committee.

• Up to 400 minutes of films may be selected for the competitive short film programs.

• Additional films may be included in thematic or special programs upon agreement with the filmmakers.

• The official list of selected films will be announced by March 03, 2026.

All selection criteria are the exclusive responsibility of the Festival Curatorship.

SCREENING FORMAT AND DELIVERY

• Selected films must be delivered in digital format, preferably DCP, with H.264 (.mp4) also accepted.

• Detailed technical specifications will be provided upon selection.

• Film delivery will be made exclusively online.

SCREENING AND PROMOTIONAL RIGHTS

By submitting a film, filmmakers authorize:

• The screening of the film during the Maria Joana Cannabis Film Festival 2026;

• The use of up to 30 seconds of footage, trailers, stills, and film information for promotional and institutional purposes;

• The non-commercial exhibition of the film in cultural and educational activities organized by the Festival for up to 12 months after the event.

JURY

The jury will be composed of professionals from cinema, culture, research, and the arts, invited by the Festival organization.

Jury decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Awards

The 2nd Maria Joana Cannabis Film Festival will grant symbolic and honorary awards, defined according to submission categories, thematic axes, and curatorial principles.


Main awards

• Shrimp Award for Best Film – the Festival’s top award, honoring the film that best combines cinematic language, theme, and political-cultural impact.

• Maria Joana Award for Best National Short Film.

• Maria Joana Award for Best International Short Film.
• Harvest Award for Best Feature Film.

Thematic Axis awards

• Smoke Award – Cinema and Culture.

• Seed Award – Public Policies.

• Chlorophyll Award – Science and Technology.

• Root Award – Activism.

Artistic and Technical awards

• Breeze Award for Best Direction.

• Rolled Award for Best Screenplay.

• Mouthpiece Award for Best Cinematography.

• Terpene Award for Best Sound / Original Score.

• Cure Award for Best Editing.
Special awards

• Audience Choice Award – Free Session.

• Maria Joana Special Mention.

• Harm Reduction Award (Ethical Mention).

Additional awards or mentions may be granted by partners or sponsors, at the discretion of the Festival organization and curatorship.

ORGANIZATION

The Maria Joana Cannabis Film Festival is an independent initiative organized by Cinemática Limitada (CNPJ 31.474.756/0001-04), with cultural partners, collectives, artists, and institutions collaborating on the event.

All partners and supporters will be duly credited in official Festival materials.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

• Submission of a film implies full acceptance of these regulations.

• Any cases not covered herein will be resolved by the Festival organization and curatorship.

• The Festival reserves the right to modify dates or information due to force majeure, with official notice.

For further information:

Official website: www.mariajoana.art
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mariajoa.art.br

© 2026
Maria Joana Cannabis Film Festival – 2nd Edition
Florianópolis – SC – Brazil