Contest Lusófona Films 20 Years 2026

In 2027, the Department of Film and Media Arts at Lusófona University will celebrate 20 years since its establishment.

The creation of this Department naturally followed the experience accumulated since 1996 through the teaching of an audiovisual strand within the existing degree in Communication Sciences, and the creation of the Degree in Film in 2002. Over these 20 years, hundreds of students have graduated, acquiring, alongside the Department of Film and Media Arts, technical and artistic skills that have enabled them to enter the labour market and develop as creative professionals. But over these twenty years, the Department's work has also produced many other significant outcomes.

Application period:

9 July to 30 September 2026.

Hundreds of films have been produced and screened around the world at numerous festivals and on multiple platforms; dozens of events and initiatives have been organised, making a significant contribution to the development of education and research in Film in Portugal and Europe and, above all, a community and a way of working and learning have been created that today lie at the heart of the public recognition enjoyed by “Cinema Lusófona”. We have much to celebrate about what we have accomplished over these twenty years, and we are very proud of it. But we want to celebrate by looking towards the future, as we have always sought to do in all our initiatives.

That is why we decided that the best way to celebrate these twenty years was to continue with a central initiative supporting our alumni and consolidating our ability to contribute to society through the projects and outcomes we began developing in 2023. It is in this context that the initiative “Competition to Support the Writing, Development and Production of Media Works” has been launched, developed by LSF in collaboration with the Department of Film and Media Arts at Lusófona University.

Prize Award

The prize amount is paid in instalments according to a financial schedule that will subsequently be defined based on interim reports and financial statements. Prize winners have 24 months to complete the work, which must be delivered in DCP format.

Intellectual Property

In accordance with the legislation in force, the intellectual property rights of any works produced within the scope of these regulations by any student with a legally valid enrolment or former student of the Department of Film and Media Arts at Lusófona University, using University resources or resources provided by the University, shall be fully owned by the University/LSF, which may, at its discretion and under any circumstances, transfer ownership thereof to third parties.

Types of Projects

An initiative intended to provide financial support for the production of collective projects consisting of feature-length fiction or documentary films, or animated short films (10 to 15 minutes), at the writing and development stage, promoted by students or former students of the Department of Film and Media Arts at Lusófona University.

Beneficiaries

Applications may be submitted by teams comprising Directors/Producers/Directors of Photography/Sound Directors/Post-production Directors and screenwriters who are students or former students of the Department of Film and Media Arts at Lusófona University and who are the authors of the unpublished projects for which support is being requested. “Unpublished” refers to projects for which filming has not yet taken place or, in the case of documentaries, projects for which the main filming stage has not yet taken place. A maximum of one application per collective is accepted.

Application Deadline

The application period begins on 9 June 2026 and ends on 30 September 2026. Applications must be submitted by 12:00 pm on the final day of the indicated deadline by sending an email to ines.teixeira@ulusofona.pt with the dossier containing:

• Screenplay;
• Dossier containing the conceptual and production proposal (including a timeline);
• Dossier containing the promotion and distribution strategy;
• Visual or other supporting materials for the project;
• CVs of the authors with proof of student/alumni status;
• Detailed budget using the applicable ICA model;
• Financial plan.

The materials required in the previous section must be submitted in Portuguese.

Selection

Selection is carried out by a jury appointed by the DCAM/LSF management.

The selected application receives a financial prize of €125,000 to support production. No support prior to the application is permitted. Following the application, all selected projects may subsequently apply for any type of support.

The data obtained within the scope of this protocol are processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensuring their confidentiality and that they are not disclosed or transferred in any form or under any condition. The data may only be provided to judicial or administrative authorities, in accordance with the law.

Jury Proposal Assessment Deadline

The jury assesses only proposals that meet all the requirements set out in the section and must announce the results before 30 October 2026. The names of the winners are published on the DCAM website, and candidates are notified by DCAM by email.

Assessment Criteria

In its assessment, the jury evaluates the quality of the projects submitted, taking into account:

• Compliance with the eligibility criteria for the Initiative
• The quality of the main idea of the screenplay;
• The quality of the writing and development of the screenplay.
• Quality of the production proposal and suitability of the budget
• Team's CVs
• Quality of the promotion and distribution strategy

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Any questions regarding this competition may be clarified by email at: ines.teixeira@ulusofona.pt