PORTO/POST/DOC 2026: OPEN CALL FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS
Submissions are now open for the 13th edition of the Porto/Post/Doc: Film & Media Festival, which will take place from 19 to 28 November 2026, in Porto.
Dedicated to cinema of the real and its multiple formal possibilities, Porto/Post/Doc presents films that question contemporary realities through artistic, critical and innovative approaches. The festival welcomes works that intersect documentary, fiction, essay, archive, experimentation and new audiovisual languages, valuing auteur-driven proposals capable of expanding the boundaries of contemporary cinema.
The 2026 edition will include competitive and non-competitive sections, retrospectives, curated focus programmes, special screenings, educational programmes and activities dedicated to the film industry, creating a meeting space for filmmakers, audiences, programmers, critics, students and industry professionals.
PREMIERE POLICY
For the competitive sections, the festival will give priority to World Premieres, followed by International and European Premieres. For the non-competitive sections, at least a Portuguese premiere is required.
Films previously screened in Portugal, broadcast on national television or made available on VOD platforms accessible from Portugal will not be eligible, unless expressly authorised by the festival.
COMPETITIVE PROGRAMMES
Porto/Post/Doc’s competitive programme is organised into different sections, reflecting the diversity of formats, geographies, languages and modes of production in contemporary cinema:
• International Competition: Feature-length films over 60 minutes that explore, in a singular way, the territories of documentary, fiction, essay and hybrid cinema. The section distinguishes works with a strong authorial identity, critical relevance and the ability to question the present. The winner receives the Vicente Pinto Abreu Grand Prize, worth 3,000 euros.
• International Medium-Length and Short Film Competition: Medium-length films, between 31 and 60 minutes, and short films, up to 30 minutes, distinguished by their formal precision, narrative freedom and ability to condense singular perspectives on the contemporary world. The competition awards the Best Film Award, worth 1,000 euros.
• Cinema Falado: A section dedicated to films produced or co-produced in Portuguese-speaking countries, or focused on Lusophone contexts, territories and cultures. The programme promotes the circulation of works that reflect the artistic, social and political plurality of these spaces. The winner receives the SPAutores Award, worth 1,500 euros.
• Cinema Novo: A space for discovering and supporting new Portuguese authors, including film students in Portugal or Portuguese filmmakers studying abroad, with special attention to first works, emerging paths and new approaches to cinematic creation. The winner receives the Canal 180 Award, worth 500 euros.
• Transmission: A programme dedicated to the intersections between cinema, music, sound and culture, privileging works that explore the relationship between image, performance, cultural memory and collective experience. The winner receives the Best Transmission Film Award, worth 1,000 euros.
• Human Rights in Motion Award: A 5,000-euro prize dedicated to films that address issues of human rights, social justice, freedom, citizenship, migration, inequality and political transformation, recognising works that bring together cinema, critical awareness and contemporary engagement.
• Youth Jury Prize: A prize awarded by a jury composed of higher education students from Porto and the Porto Metropolitan Area, based on a selection of six films from the festival programme. This distinction promotes contact between new generations, critical thinking and contemporary cinema.
NON-COMPETITIVE PROGRAMMES
In addition to the competitions, Porto/Post/Doc presents a set of non-competitive programmes that expand the contexts of exhibition, research, mediation and encounter with different audiences:
• School Trip: Screenings and educational activities aimed at school groups, promoting contact with cinema in a pedagogical context and encouraging the formation of new audiences.
• Docs4Teens: A European initiative developed in partnership with Krakow Film Festival, Festival dei Popoli, FIPADOC, Docudays UA and Porto/Post/Doc, dedicated to documentaries for teenage audiences and accompanied by workshops, conversations with filmmakers and interactive activities.
• Immersive Dome Cinema: A programme presented at the Porto Planetarium, transforming the dome into an immersive space for 360º films and proposing new forms of relationship between image, space, sound and perception.
• Retrospectives and Focus Programmes: Curatorial proposals dedicated to filmmakers, cinematographies, movements and central questions in cinema and contemporary society.
• Special Screenings: Highlight screenings, opening and closing sessions, previews, conversations, presentations and unique events integrated into the festival programme.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Films completed after 1 January 2025 are eligible.
Films whose original language is not English must include English subtitles.
Submissions must be made exclusively through the FilmFreeway platform.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES
Early Deadline: 31 January 2026
Regular Deadline: 30 April 2026
Extended Deadline: 31 July 2026
SELECTED FILMS
Selected films must be provided in DCP format and accompanied by English subtitles, either hardcoded or as a separate file. Following selection, promotional and technical materials will also be requested, including a high-resolution trailer, stills, uncaptioned excerpts for communication purposes, a downloadable video file for internal and press use, a completed entry form and a dialogue list with timecodes.
All materials for selected films must be delivered by 19 October 2026.
The festival reserves the right to screen each selected film up to three times, including public, jury and industry screenings. Additional screenings may take place with prior authorisation from the rights holder.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR FILM
Submissions must be made exclusively through the FilmFreeway platform:
MORE INFORMATION
The full festival rules and regulations are available here. For any further questions, please contact the festival team at opencall@portopostdoc.com.
Take part in Porto/Post/Doc 2026 and present your work in an international context dedicated to contemporary cinema, critical thinking and the discovery of new voices in cinema of the real.
