1. General Information

1.1 Doclisboa seeks to imagine reality through new cinematic forms of perception, reflection and action, placing filmmaking into dialogue with its history to question the present of cinema.
Doclisboa is interested in films that are rigorous about their conceptual and formal implications; films that experiment with cinema’s artistic and political possibilities and refuse to be categorized; films that engage with and mirror the complexity of the world.
Doclisboa offers a ground where cinema and the contemporary are investigated as acts of being together in, and with, time.

1.2 Doclisboa’21 – 19th International Film Festival – will take place from 21st to 31st October 2021.

1.3 Doclisboa guests are not covered by the insurance of the festival.

1.4 All entries of films made to Doclisboa presuppose knowledge of and acceptance of these regulations.

1.5 For information regarding participation in the Arché Laboratory please check its own regulations, here.

2. Eligibility

2.1 The Selection Committee is looking for films with cinematographic qualities bringing forth, as a whole, the point of view of their authors.

2.2 Only films concluded after the 1st September 2020 and never before screened in Portugal are eligible for the competitive categories. World and International premieres are preferred.

2.3 Films submitted to previous editions of the festival which were not selected and films that do not fulfill the item 2.2 won’t be considered for the 2021 edition of Doclisboa.

3. Competitive Sections, Juries and Awards

3.1 Competitive Sections

• International Competition – open to films of every length.

• Portuguese Competition – open to films of every length, directed by Portuguese filmmakers or with production country Portugal.

• Green Years – open to European-produced films of every length. Section dedicated especially to students or authors who are taking the first steps on film direction. World or International premiere required.

3.2 Juries
The competition juries will comprise nationally and internationally renowned Portuguese and international personalities from the cultural world.

3.3 Awards

3.3.1 The Doclisboa awards consist of a trophy and a monetary sum and/or technical services. The following awards are attributed to the film director(s):

International Competition
• City of Lisbon Award for Best Film (10.000€)
• Special Jury Award

Portuguese Competition
• Award for Best Film
• Portuguese Authors Society Special Jury Award (2.500€)
• ETIC Schools Award for Best Film (1.500€ in technical services)
• Fernando Lopes – Midas Films and Doclisboa Award (2.000€)

Green Years Competition
• Award for Best Film
• Special Jury Award
• Award for Best Portuguese Film (Participation grant for Doc’s Kingdom – International Seminar on Documentary Film)

Cross-Sectional Awards
• New Talent TVCine Channels Award for Best First Feature-Length Film (over 60’) from a selection comprising all sections with the exception of the retrospectives and Cinema of Urgency (3.500€ – includes the acquisition of the television rights for Portugal)
• Volvo Award for best short-film (up to 40’) rom a selection comprising all sections with the exception of the retrospectives and Cinema of Urgency (the winner is automatically pre-selected to the Oscar© for Best Short Documentary) (1.000€)
• Audience Award for Best Portuguese Film comprising competitions, New Visions, Heart Beat and From the Earth to the Moon (1.000€)

Until the announcement of the final program of the 19th Doclisboa, the amounts in cash or in kind attributable to each award that are still to be confirmed, will be defined.

3.3.2 The decisions of the juries are final.

3.3.3 The producer of a film that is awarded a prize at Doclisboa will undertake to mention the Doclisboa prize in all promotional materials for the film and in the film credits of all copies that are produced after the festival dates.

4. Submission

Regardless of the submission date in any category, the film screeners can be sent to the festival until the 30th June 2021.

4.1 Deadlines and submission costs

International Films
Submission deadline: 30th June 2021 at 23h59 GMT+1
Submission Fees:
• completed and paid entries till 30th April 2021 – 10,00 euros;
• completed and paid entries from 1st till 31st May 2021 – 15,00 euros;
• completed and paid entries from 1st till 30th June 2021 – 20,00 euros.

Portuguese Films – films with portuguese production and/or direction
Submission deadline: 30th June 2021 at 23h59 GMT+1
Submission Fees:
• complete and paid entries till 30th April 2021 – Free;
• complete and paid entries from 1st till 31st May 2021 – 5,00 euros;
• completed and paid entries from 1st till 30th June 2021 – 10,00 euros.

Green Years – films with portuguese production
Submission deadline: 30th June 2021 at 23h59 GMT+1
Free submission.

Green Years – films with international production
Submission deadline: 30th June 2021 at 23h59 GMT+1
Submission Fees:
• complete and paid entries till 30th April 2021 – 5,00 euros;
• complete and paid entries from 1st till 31st May 2021 – 10,00 euros;
• completed and paid entries from 1st till 30th June 2021 – 15,00 euros.

The festival does not guarantee viewing and appreciation of films received after the 30th June 2021.

4.2 Submission Methods and Materials

The submission of films for the festival must be done through the Eventival platform (accessible at: https://vp.eventival.com/doclisboa/21), choosing the appropriate form for the film to be entered, according to the desired category, and proceeding with the payment of the registration fee (when applicable).

Please note that the submission will only be complete upon reception of the payment confirmation email of the registration fee (when applicable).

When submitting, Doclisboa should receive:
a) submission form duly completed through the Eventival platform.
b) screener with English subtitles, with the exception of films spoken in Portuguese or English.
c) the screener for consideration may be sent using one of the following methods:

– through the Eventival registration form, a private viewing link for the film that does not require immediate download (Vimeo, YouTube, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).
– after completion the submission via Eventival, the screener can be sent in the form of a DVD screener (any region) must be sent to the following address:

Att. Sara Marques
Doclisboa – Festival Internacional de Cinema
Casa do Cinema
Rua da Rosa, nº 277, 2º
1200-385 Lisboa
Portugal

On the package, there must be the indication “without commercial value”.
All the costs concerning the sending of the preview DVD are responsibility of the entity that submits it.

In case you have got any question about the submission process, please contact: +351 213 470 816 – assist.programme@doclisboa.org

5. Selection

5.1 In case the film is selected, Doclisboa will inform the participant up to one month prior to the opening of the festival. The festival will also inform the entries that were not selected for Doclisboa up to one month prior to the initial date of the festival. The absence of notification of film selection from the festival by the above-mentioned dates, will mean that the respective film was not selected for the 19th edition of Doclisboa. However, efforts will be made so that all candidates are informed via e-mail of the status of their films.

5.2 Immediately after being confirmed the selection, you should send by email:
• A script of the dialogue continuity of the films in English;
• Three stills of the film (minimum resolution: 300 dpi – 10x10cm) in a digital format;
• Filmography of the director;
• Trailer of the film;
• Final Synopsis for the program (150 characters) and for the catalogue (400 characters);
• Previous Festivals and Awards

5.3 If the premiere status mentioned upon the submission of the film changes within the selection process, Doclisboa must be informed.

5.4 The selection committee will decide the section in which the film will be programmed. The festival is responsible for the selection of the films that compose the entire program.

5.5 Any selected film may take part in the special screenings for schools, during the festival.

5.6 After the film has been selected, the festival may use a fragment of three minutes length of the film for promotion of the festival on tv, radio, internet, as well as the publicity material of the film (press kit, posters, postcards, etc.) for promotion purposes also.

6. Screening Copies, Shipping and Other Important Arrangements

6.1 All the selected films must have English-subtitled screening copies, except for the ones that are spoken in English.

6.2 The screening copies of the selected films must be provided in one of the following formats: 35mm, 16mm, Beta SP PAL/NTSC, Digital Beta PAL / NTSC, HDCAM, DVCAM, DCP. Compliance with these screening formats is important to ensure the screening of the film in the best conditions. The festival is not responsible for the possible need to convert files whose characteristics differ from those above.

6.3 Until 15th September 2021, the copy of the selected film (in the right screening format) as well as posters, postcards and promotional materials should be sent to:

Att. Print Traffic
Doclisboa / Culturgest
Edifício Sede da Caixa Geral de Depósitos
Rua Arco do Cego, nº50, Piso 1
1000-300 Lisbon
Portugal

6.4 In the case of films from non-EU countries, the print must be accompanied by a pro-forma invoice with the sender’s name, the film title, weight, measurements and number of reels.

6.5 The costs related to sending the copy to Portugal will be borne by the participant. The costs of clearing the film through customs in Portugal, as well as the costs associated with returning the films to their country of origin, will be borne by the festival. In the latter situation, any customs duties in the country of origin will be borne by the participants.

6.6 When the festival is responsible for the transportation of a film, transportation insurance will be granted. After receiving the copies of the films, the festival is responsible for them until they are sent back. The insurance of copies is not applicable to negatives, positives or masters.

6.7 All films screened on competitive sections during the festival must remain there until its ending, and will be returned only after the closing ceremony of the festival.

6.8 The festival won’t cover screening fees for films in competition.

7. Video Library

7.1 All the selected films can be consulted by accredited professionals at the Online Video Library of Doclisboa between the 21st October and 31st November 2021.

7.2 To this end, all participants will be asked to provide us with a Quicktime H.264 or DVD of the selected movie for inclusion in the digital Video Library.

7.3 The version of the films to be used for the selection process will not be deleted. They will become part of the archive at Apordoc – Portuguese Documentary Association (the festival organiser), where the associates may consult them. For any kind of public projection, permission from the rights owners will be required.

8. Nonspecific Cases and Exceptions

The festival board will decide upon all matters that are not covered by these regulations in accordance with the international rules of film festivals.