1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1. Festival Imigratoria

The Imigratoria – Immigrant Film Festival is a film festival dedicated to films about migration or created by immigrant filmmakers of any nationality.

More than a film festival, we aim to give visibility to immigrant stories and filmmakers, celebrating voices that cross borders and transform audiovisual storytelling into a territory of belonging, resistance, and reinvention.

1.2. Festival Imigratoria will take place on May 8, 9 and 10, 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal. 

1.3. Submitting a film to the Festival implies full knowledge and acceptance of these regulations.

1.4. The decisions of the selection committee and jury are final and not subject to appeal.

2. ELIGIBILITY

2.1. Short films of up to 30 minutes will be accepted, from any country and of any genre (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental).

2.2. Only films completed after January 1, 2022 are eligible.

2.3. Each filmmaker may submit up to 3 works.

2.4. All submitted films must include subtitles.

• Films spoken in Portuguese: English subtitles required

• Films spoken in English: Portuguese subtitles required

• Films in other languages: Portuguese and English subtitles required
   

2.5. Films must either address immigration-related themes and/or be created by immigrants.

Immigration-related themes include:

• Stories portraying immigrant characters

• Narratives addressing geographic displacement, whether forced or voluntary, temporary or permanent

• Films exploring identity, cultural, political, or emotional aspects of the immigrant experience

• Stories about adaptation to new cultures, belonging, nostalgia, cultural shock, or rebuilding roots in a new place

• Works addressing borders, migration policies, xenophobia, racism, diasporas, exile, integration, or related issues

• Fictional or documentary films portraying the everyday life, challenges, and transformations experienced by immigrants
   

Works created by immigrants include those that meet at least one of the following:

• Directed by an immigrant

• Written by an immigrant

• Led by an immigrant actor or immigrant character
   

For the purposes of this Festival, an immigrant is defined as anyone who lives (or lived during the film’s production) outside their country of birth, regardless of legal nationality, length of residence, or documentation status.

3. SECTIONS, JURY AND AWARDS

3.1. Festival Sections

Festival Imigratoria will feature the following sections:
 

• Brazilian Immigrant Cinema: short films created, written and/or starring Brazilian immigrants

• Immigrant Women’s Cinema: short films created, written and/or starring immigrant women of any nationality

• International Immigrant Cinema: short films created, written and/or starring immigrants of any nationality
   

3.2. Awards

The Festival will award:
 

• Best Brazilian Immigrant Film

• Best Immigrant Women’s Film

• Best International Immigrant Film

• Audience Award for Best Film

• Honorable Mentions (at the jury’s discretion)
   

3.3. Jury

The competition juries will be composed of nationally and internationally recognized cultural and artistic professionals selected by the Festival.

3.4. Prizes

Festival Imigratoria awards consist of a certificate and additional prizes to be announced on the Festival website.
Additional prizes may also be offered by sponsors and/or partners wishing to support immigrant filmmakers. Selected producers will be informed in advance should participation involve exhibition rights or similar agreements.

4. SUBMISSION

4.1. Submission Period and Fees

Submissions open on March 10, 2026 and close on April 5, 2026 at 23:59 (Lisbon time).

The submission is free.

The Festival reserves the right to reject any film that does not meet the eligibility criteria.

Films will be evaluated by a curatorial committee composed of professionals from cinema, humanities, and rights-related fields.

4.2. Submission Method and Materials

4.2.1. Films must be submitted through the official submission form. Only complete applications will be considered.

4.2.2. The film link must be accessible to the selection committee. If password-protected, the password must be provided.

4.2.3 If selected, the Festival will request a screening file in ProRes or H.264 format, with 2K or 4K resolution.

4.3. For questions regarding submissions, please contact:
contato@imigratoria.com

4.4. Submitted films must guarantee they hold all image and soundtrack exhibition rights for festival and public screenings, exempting Festival Imigratoria from any related rights payments.

5. SELECTION 

5.1. Selection Announcement
The list of selected films will be publicly announced by May 1, 2026 on the Festival website:
www.imigratoria.com/festival
After selection, it is the responsibility of the contact person to inform the Festival of any changes made to the screening version.