National and International Competition

The jury of this competitive section will be composed of distinguished film professionals, which will award the prizes mentioned below.

- Great Prize "Cidade de Vila do Conde"
- Prize Animation
- Prize Manoel de Oliveira for Documentary
- Prize Fiction
- Prize for the Best Portuguese Short Film

The Festival audience will award the film with best average points from all films selected in National and International competitions.
- Audience prize

Music Videos Competition
Dedicated to the most recent Portuguese and international productions, also with a specific jury which will award the:
- Prize Music Video

Experimental Competition
This competition is dedicated to experimental films particularly those that will reveal a new approach to the art of moving images, sound and music and to their possible creative combinations. The jury of this competitive section will be composed of distinguished film professionals, which will award:
- Prize for Best Experimental Film

Curtinhas Competition (Children and Youth)
This competition is dedicated to children’s films, and its jury will be composed by a large number of children from local schools, which will award the:
- Prize Curtinhas

Note: The Selection Committee, after its final decisions regarding the Portuguese and International Competitions, will proceed with the selection for this competitive sections (Experimental and Curtinhas).

Admission to pre-selection

It is requested to submit an online entry form correctly filled in and a preview copy of the film.

The starting point is to register. After registry, using the given username and password sent to your e-mail, you can access an online entry form. Upon submitting all the required data for each film, a code number will be returned automatically. This number must be sent along with the DVD (preferred) or VHS preview copy to the Festival address. From your login, you may also access the submitted entry data to verify and eventually correct them.

Any questions related with submissions should be addressed to the e-mail below, by fax or by telephones.

All packages, with the inscription “NO COMMERCIAL VALUE”, must be posted to the 18th Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival on the address below.

The preview copy must be provided with subtitles in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French if the film has commentaries or dialogues in other languages.

Deadline for reception at the Festival is April 5th 2010 (for the International Competition) or May 24th 2010 (for the Portuguese Competition).

Selection

The board of directors of the festival will inform the directors of the selected films and the respective copy contacts until May 18th 2010, for the International Competition, or until June 8th 2010, for the National Competition.

As soon as there will be notification of selection, a photo of the film for the catalogue and the dialogue text of the film, in Portuguese and/or English, for the subtitling must be sent at once to the festival.

The absence of notification of film selection from the festival by those dates, according to the competition type, will mean that the respective film was not selected for the 18th Curtas Vila do Conde IFF. Nevertheless, efforts will be made to inform all candidates on the status of their films.

Deadline for reception at the festival of the print (16 or 35mm) or video digital file or tape, together with eventual publicity material (press-releases, posters, etc.), is June 14th 2010 (International Competition), or June 21th 2010 (Portuguese Competition).

Selection Criterea

The board of directors will consider all candidates to the selection fulfilling the admission conditions.

For selection purposes of the International Competition, the board will consider mainly the quality of the films, the fact of being international or national premieres, and films whose diffusion might be of the greatest interest.

For the Portuguese Competition, the Selection Committee will take into account, above all, a criterion of quality and will favour international or, as a minimum, Portuguese premieres. In the case of films included in the programmes of Portuguese festivals taking place before the 18th Curtas Vila do Conde, the Selection Committee reserves the right to decide on a case by case basis. The number and types of event each film has participated in will be determining factors.

All entries will be included in the 15th Short Film Market, which is open to accredited professionals.