Regulations

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’19 – 17th International Film Festival – will take place from 17th to 27th October 2019.

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 2018 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 2019 edition of Doclisboa.

2.4 Films of every length can compete, with the following projection formats: 35mm, 16mm, Beta SP PAL/NTSC, Digital Beta PAL / NTSC, HDCAM, DVCAM, DCP.

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 specially 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 foreign 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
Award for Best Film
Special Jury Award

Portuguese Competition
Award for Best Film
Special Jury Award
Schools Award for Best Film

Green Years Competition
Award for Best Film
Special Jury Award
Award for Best Director

Cross-Sectional Awards
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
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)
Audience Award for Best Portuguese Film comprising competitions, New Visions, Heart Beat and From the Earth to the Moon

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

Independently of the submission date in any category, the film screeners can be sent to the festival until the 30th June 2019.

4.1 Deadlines and submission costs

International Films
Submission deadline: 31st May 2019
Submission Fees:

  • completed and paid entries till 31st March 2019 – 10,00 euros (the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019);
  • completed and paid entries from 1st till 30th April 2019 – 15,00 euros (the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019);
  • completed and paid entries from 1st till 31st May 2019 – 20,00 euros (the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019).

Portuguese Films — films with portuguese production and/or direction
Submission deadline: 31st May 2019
Submission Fees:

  • complete and paid entries till 31st March 2019 – Free (the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019;
  • complete and paid entries from 1st till 30th April 2019 – 5,00 euros (the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019);
  • completed and paid entries from 1st till 31st May 2019 – 10,00 euros (the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019).

Green Years – films with portuguese production
Submission deadline: 30th June 2019
Free submission.

Green Years – films with international production
Submission deadline: 31st May 2019
Submission Fees:

  • complete and paid entries till 31st March 2019 – 5,00 euros(the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019;
  • complete and paid entries from 1st till 30th April 2019 – 10,00 euros (the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019);
  • completed and paid entries from 1st till 31st May 2019 – 15,00 euros (the film screener can be sent till 30th June 2019).

The festival does not guarantee viewing and appreciation of films received after the 30th June 2019.

4.2 Submission Methods and Materials

Entries must be filled at http://www.filmfestivallife.com/Doclisboa-International-Film-Festival

The use of FilmFestivalLife platform is for free, except for the upload of a film screener file (which is not obligatory – the film can be sent other ways, please see below).

When submitting, Doclisboa should receive:
Submission form duly filled through FilmFestivalLife;
a) a version of the film with English subtitles, exception to be made to the Portuguese or English spoken films;
b) the film screener can be sent through the following ways:
c) upload through the platform of FilmFestivalLife, with the possibility of downloading the screener activated (this system has an associated cost, charged by FilmFestivalLife). If you use this method, please upload a Work in Progress or teaser by 31st May 2019 so the file can be updated without further costs (30th of June, in the case of films submitted to the Green Years section)
after filling the submission form in FilmFestivalLife, the screener can be sent through a private preview link to: programme@doclisboa.org
after filling the submission form in FilmFestivalLife, the screener can be sent in the form of a DVD screener (any region) must be sent to the following address:

Att. Joana Sousa
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 Joana Sousa: +351 213 470 816 – 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.

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 photos from 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 on 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 Until 15th September, 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

6.3 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.

6.4 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. On the latter situation, any customs duties in the country of origin will be borne by the participants.

6.5 When the festival is responsible for the transportation of a film, a 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.

6.6 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.

6.7 The festival won’t pay for any screening rights of films in competition.

7. Video Library

7.1 All the selected films can be consulted during the festival by accredited professionals at the video library of Doclisboa.

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.