Arouca Film Festival
Festival Internacional de Cinema de Arouca
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Run by Cine Clube de Arouca, Arouca Film Festival focuses on independent cinema outside traditional distribution and exhibition circuits. Its international competition embraces animation, documentary, fiction, experimental work and music videos, alongside a separate competition for foreign-language features. The festival connects film screenings with workshops, school programmes and conversations with filmmakers, extending its cultural activity beyond Arouca to nearby Portuguese cities.
The 24th edition’s public screenings run from 10 to 19 September 2026, with competitive sessions at Arouca’s Loja Interativa de Turismo and an opening ceremony at Casa da Criatividade in São João da Madeira. Its main prizes are the Gold Fox and Silver Fox.
Country
Portugal
Categories
Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Feature, Music Video, Short
Awards and prizes
The main awards are Best Film of the Festival (Gold Fox) and Second Best Film (Silver Fox). The 2026 awards also recognise Best Fiction Film, Best Animation Film, directing, screenplay, cinematography, acting and sound, with honourable mentions and an Audience Award.
The feature competition awards Best Feature Film and distinctions for directing, screenplay, cinematography, editing, acting and sound.
Festival rules
The short-film competition accepts animation, documentary, fiction, experimental films and music videos with a maximum running time of 40 minutes. A separate foreign-language feature competition accepts up to ten films, without a completion-year restriction.
Entries require the festival’s online registration form, a downloadable film file or access link, and a rights-assignment form signed by the producer or distributor. Films need English subtitles unless their dialogue or commentary is in Portuguese or English. Selected filmmakers provide at least one high-resolution still; trailers and electronic press kits are optional.
Contacts
- aroucafilmfestival.com
- aroucafilmfestival@gmail.com — Festival enquiries and submissions
- +351 912 474 737 — Festival enquiries
- Arouca, Portugal — Festival location