The festival has always recognised the value of school films. Not only because they augur the coming Portuguese cinema, but also because they are exercises of an initiatory freedom. 

Thus, in 2020, the festival will once again present two sessions of the New Cinema Competition, aimed at works made by Portuguese students or students from Portuguese higher education institutions. There are more than a dozen short films, in an annual showcase of what is best done in film schools. Between fiction and documentary, between the individual and the community, these short films show us stories of the social helplessness of the social districts, the anxiety of youth, sometimes caused by the crisis, sometimes by the natural pains of growth, but also the militancy of a youth attentive to minorities. The sessions take place on 23 and 24 November at 6pm at Passos Manuel. The films compete for the New Cinema by Canal180 Prize for best film in the New Cinema Competition, worth 500 euros, 2,000 euros in services at BLIT and 500 euros in services at Show Reel.