NY Portuguese Short Film Festival 2025 | New York

About NY Portuguese Short Film Festival

The first ever NY Portuguese Short Film Festival (NYPSFF) in the United States premiered in New York and simultaneously in Lisbon on June 2011. The festival was produced and hosted by Arte Institute. Since 2012, the annual NYPSFF has taken place in New York. It was the first time that a short film festival involving Portuguese cinema and connecting two cities, New York and Lisbon, at the same time, ever happened in the United States. The two days Festival consists of the screening of short films produced in Portugal and abroad by Portuguese filmmakers. After the broad acceptance from the American public to the festival, Arte Institute has taken NYPSFF to Brazil, United Kingdom, Angola, Australia, Poland, Mozambique, Germany, Canada, China, Thailand, Kenia, Czech Republic, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa, largely amplifying the universe Portuguese cinema viewers.

Who can apply?

1. Individuals residing in Portugal or abroad who are of Portuguese nationality.
2. Portuguese production companies with Portuguese short films directed by Portuguese citizens.
3. Portuguese educational institutions in conjunction with their Portuguese students.

The responsible person for the film submission must have had a main role in its production.

Submission acceptance criteria

1. The film running time should not exceed 18 minutes, and must have been produced in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024.
2. Films in any language will be accepted, given that proper subtitles in English and/or Portuguese are made available.
3. All genres, theme and styles will be accepted.
4. More than one film may be submitted by the same applicant.

Submission process

•    Complete the online form (OPEN).
•    Once having successfully submitted the form online, a submission confirmation message and instructions for the fee payment will appear.

Applications received between November 15, 2024 and December 22, 2024: 15 Euros
Applications received between December 24, 2023 and January 20, 2025: 20 Euros
Applications received between January 21 and March 5, 2025: 25 Euros

Students and NYPSFF 2024 participants are exempt from payment of the submission fee (students must send a copy of their student card or a letter from their school).

There will be no refunds for non selected films.

•    After the fee payment, the applicant will receive an e-mail confirming the successful submission and fee reception.

•    Upon confirmation e-mail reception, the applicant must send the short film, as a private link with a password. The short film should be sent to festival@arteinstitute.org.

Please note that the submission process is not complete until the NYPSFF’s organization has received the film.

Submission deadline – OPEN

The submission period will run from November 15 2024 to March 5, 2025.

Short Film Selection

The short films will be subject to a judging panel, composed by industry professionals.

The judging panel will be responsible for the selection of short films. Based on this selection, Arte Institute will organize the NYPSFF 2025 program.

After the festival premiere in New York at the Tribeca Film Center on May 24, 2025 and at Lincoln Center on June 25, 2025, the NYPSFF will screen the festival’s Official Selection in several cities worldwide.

When and how will applicants know if their film was selected?

All applicants who have successfully completed the submission process will be informed about the status of their application via e-mail in April, 2025.

How can I get more information?

For more information please contact the NY Portuguese Short Film Festival organization by e-mail at festival@arteinstitute.org or by whatsapp at +1 6463736923