Porto Femme is a women's film festival that aims to showcase and publicize the work of women in the seventh art, promoting equality and empowerment in the cinematographic universe.

Cinema performed and carried out by women, on women's themes, but in the end, it's only cinema made by women for ... all genres.
These films intend to educate and inform the public about social and political issues that affect women all over the world and give voice to several groups and struggles.

Our curation aims to reflect the diversity of genres, themes and languages. PORTO FEMME is a festival with a varied and appealing offer to the public, which will include competitive sessions, exhibitions, workshops, debates, Q & A sessions, exhibitions, among others.

The best work in each category will be awarded: Fiction (short and feature length), Animation, Documentary, Experimental, for each competition.

PORTO FEMME – INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023
(EN) Terms and conditions

Organization
The XX Element Project is a non-profit cultural association with the aim of promoting the cultural enrichment of the general population and of a civic and social nature, with a special focus on themes around women, promoting gender equality.

Festival
The Porto Femme – International Film Festival is a place of exhibition and dissemination of multiple and diverse realities, in an attempt to equal the film circuit between all genders. The Festival intends to create a space of visibility for the women of the cinematographic world, being a point of sharing, debate and creation for all those who love cinema.


2023 – 6th edition of PORTO FEMME
The sixth edition of Porto Femme - International Film Festival will take place from April 18th to 23rd 2023. The festival is composed by 5 competitions.

General Conditions
The festival is composed of 5 competitions: International, National, Students, XX Element and Thematic.
Films made by women and non-binary filmmakers are accepted. The XX Element Competition is open to all.
Participants must submit their works in one of the Competitions and consequent categories presented (fiction, animation, documentary or experimental).
The regular deadline is December 26th 2022 and the extended deadline is January 15th 2023.
Submissions are subject to a registration fee, as indicated below:
international films:
i. regular deadline: EUR 10
ii. extended deadline: EUR 12
national films:
i. regular deadline: EUR 5
ii. extended deadline: EUR 7
Submissions are made on the following platforms: Filmfreeway, Festhome, Click for Festivals, FestAgent, WFCN and Movibeta.
The festival organisation will not pay screening rights for films selected at the festival.
Selected films may be selected for the Women's Struggles and Rights Award.
Selected films may not be withdrawn after their participation in the Festival has been officially announced.


Competitions

International Competition
Films that meet the following conditions will be admitted for consideration in the International Competition:
Films made by women and non-binary filmmakers are accepted, with no age limit or submitted films by the director, or any country restriction;
Produced after January 1st 2020;
Not available on the Web;
Films that are not completed (works-in-progress) will not be admitted, but only the final versions of them.

In the International Competition are accepted films in the categories of:
FICTION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
ANIMATION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
DOCUMENTARY - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
EXPERIMENTAL – Short films up to 20 minutes.

The films can be submitted in only one category in this competition.



National Competition
Films that meet the following conditions will be admitted for consideration in the National Competition:
Films made by portuguese women and non-binary filmmakers, with no age limit or submitted films by the director, or films produced in Portugal;
Produced after January 1st 2020;
Not available on the Web;
Films that are not completed (works-in-progress) will not be admitted, but only the final versions of them.

In the National Competition are accepted films in the categories of:
FICTION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
ANIMATION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
DOCUMENTARY - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
EXPERIMENTAL – Short films up to 20 minutes.

The films can be submitted in only one category in this competition.







Students Competition
Films that meet the following conditions will be admitted for consideration in the Students Competition:
Films made by women and non-binary filmmakers who have made the film during their school years, regardless of their level of education, with no age limit or films submitted by a director, or any country restriction;
Produced after January 1st 2020;
Not available on the Web;
Films that are not completed (work in progress) will not be admitted, but only the final versions of them.

In the Students Competition are accepted films in the categories of:
FICTION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
ANIMATION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
DOCUMENTARY - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
EXPERIMENTAL – Short films up to 20 minutes.

The films can be submitted in only one category in this competition.


XX Element Competition
Films that meet the following conditions will be admitted for consideration in the XX Element Competition:
Films made by mixed teams or men, if at least one of the following eligibility conditions is guaranteed:
Films addressing women’s issues;
Films where a woman plays a prominent role in the work (e.g.: Co-Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Main Actress, DP, Editor, etc).
Produced after January 1st 2020;
Not available on the Web;
Films that are not completed (works-in-progress) will not be admitted, but only the final versions of them.

In the XX Element Competition are accepted films in the categories of:
FICTION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
ANIMATION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
DOCUMENTARY - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
EXPERIMENTAL – Short films up to 20 minutes.

The films can be submitted in only one category in this competition.





Thematic Competition
Films that meet the following conditions will be admitted for selection in the Thematic Competition:
Films addressing the general theme of ‘Reflexions’
Films made by women and non-binary filmmakers, with no age limit or films submitted by a director, or any country restriction;
Produced after January 1st 2020;
Not available on the Web;
Films that are not completed (works-in-progress) will not be admitted, but only the final versions of them.

In the Thematic Competition are accepted films in the categories of:
FICTION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
ANIMATION - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
DOCUMENTARY - Short films (max. 40 minutes) and feature films (min. 40 minutes).
EXPERIMENTAL – Short films up to 20 minutes.

The films can be submitted in only one category in this competition.


Women’s Struggles and Rights Award
All selected films, regardless of competition, are subject to consideration for the Women's Struggles and Rights Award, which is awarded to the best film dealing with issues surrounding women's rights and gender-based violence. This prize aims to give visibility to the disconcerting themes that revolve around women, calling them to the center of the debate and stimulating reflection.


Selection
The pre-selection is of the responsibility of an internal jury that is part of the Festival's programming team. The final decision of the selected films is made by the artistic team of the Festival's Organizing Committee and other professionals invited by the Organization.
The Official Selection will be communicated by email to those responsible for the application after February 15th 2023.
The communication of the selection results will be done via email through [email protected].
Unless expressly indicated otherwise, in the act of submission of the films, the people who own the rights of the selected films for the Official Selection authorize the Organization to screen their films in sessions with the brand "PORTO FEMME”.
The people who own the rights of the selected films for the Official Selection authorize the Organization to project on television or digital media, for the mere purpose of promoting the Festival, excerpts of their films, which should never exceed 10% of its duration.
The selected films may be the object of acquisition proposals for the Portuguese market.


Technical Characteristics

Physical Exhibition
Screening copies must be sent by March 1st 2023, otherwise it will not be included in the scheduled competitive sessions, or the copy sent previously for Pre-selection will be displayed. In this case, the responsibility for the quality of the exhibited copy is of the producer/director.
Screening copies should be sent to [email protected], via wetransfer (up to 2GB), myairbridge (up to 20GB) or other services.
For physical viewing, the film’s DCP (2K or 4K, flat or scope, 2.0 or 5.1 audio) is required, with subtitling in English, as well as Video Files in .avi, .mov, .mp4 or .mpeg formats, up to 3GB, in H.264/H.265.
The translation and subtitling of the selected short and feature films will be ensured by the person responsible for the registration of the film, and must guarantee at least the subtitling in English. Otherwise, the films will be removed from the competition.
The films must be subtitled in English and the .srt file with the English subtitles with timecode.
In case there are also subtitles in Portuguese (in case the film is not spoken in Portuguese), we also thank you for sending them.


Jury
There will be an international and national jury made up of suitable professionals invited by the organization.
These juries decide without appeal, according to their own criteria, and naturally reserve the right not to award some or all of the prizes made available to them.
None of the members of the different juries may be associated in any way with the production of the films presented.


Awards
A prize will be awarded to the best work in each category for each competition and there may be Special Mentions. A film will also be awarded the Women's Struggles and Rights Award.


Final Considerations
The submitting of films in PORTO FEMME 2023 reflects full and unreserved acceptance of the terms of these Regulations.
All possible doubts and omissions of these Regulations shall be resolved by the Organisation in accordance with rules of equity and common sense.