Moinho Cine Fest

Moinho Cine Fest

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Moinho Cine Fest is an international competitive festival of short-form cinema in the municipality of Matosinhos, Portugal, running since 2019. Its competition is divided by length into nano films (up to one minute), micro films (one to five minutes) and short films (five to 40 minutes), across fiction, documentary and animation, and also takes in music videos and video dance. The name recalls the mills that once stood along the Leça River. The festival was created and is directed by filmmaker André Almeida Rodrigues; Anartem – Associação Cultural organised its 2nd to 8th editions. Every selected film receives a participation prize calculated per second of running time, and the Best Film award is named after Portuguese guitarist Álvaro Martins, a native of Custóias. The festival holds the EFFE Label 2026–2027.

The dates of the 8th edition are 17–25 April 2026, at the Auditório da Vila de Custóias, with 41 selected films from 16 countries. The 9th edition is planned for April 2027 in Matosinhos.

Country

Portugal

Categories

Music Video, Short

Awards and prizes

Jury awards (9th edition): - Álvaro Martins – Best Film: EUR 300 + trophy + certificate - Best Portuguese Film: EUR 200 + trophy + certificate (films produced in Portugal) - Best International Film: EUR 200 + trophy + certificate - Best Short Film: EUR 100 + certificate - Best Micro Film: EUR 100 + certificate - Best Nano Film: EUR 100 + certificate - M – Best Music Video or Video Dance: EUR 100 + certificate The jury may give honourable mentions; no ex aequo awards. Participation prize: every selected film receives EUR 0.05 per second of running time, excluding opening and closing credits, up to EUR 120 for a short, EUR 15 for a micro and EUR 3 for a nano film. If a fee waiver was granted, the submission fee is deducted from the participation prize.

Festival rules

Regulations of the 9th edition (April 2027, Matosinhos, Portugal): - Sections: Short (05:01–40:00), Micro (01:01–05:00) and Nano (up to 01:00); films, music videos and video dance, Portuguese and international. - Works produced from 2025 onwards; any nationality, any genre; works made with AI are accepted. - No premiere requirement; works already online are accepted; no limit on the number of entries. - Works in languages other than Portuguese need English subtitles. - Works directed or produced by people connected to the festival management are not accepted in competition. - Resubmission is allowed for works not selected in earlier editions; previously selected works are not accepted. - Submissions run from 1 May to 31 December 2026 through the festival's submission platforms; fees rise every two months. Fee waivers can be requested by email (moinhocinefest@gmail.com) with the title, reason and platform. - Results by 15 January 2027; screening copy (H.264 or Apple ProRes) with synopsis and still due by 31 January 2027. - A three-member jury invited by the festival management awards the prizes; decisions are final. - Selection authorises non-commercial screening at the festival and its extensions; no commercial rights are transferred.

Contacts

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