1. INTRODUCTION

 

The 17th edition of InShadow – Lisbon ScreenDance Festival will take place between the 15th of November and 15th of December 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. Submissions can be made for the Videodance, Dance Documentary and Dance Animation categories.

 

InShadow promotes a cross-disciplinary discourse between the languages of video/cinema and dance/performance, suggesting a cine-choreographic way of thinking where relations between technology and artistic experimentation can be explored. InShadow seeks, within the world of imagination, the dialogue between different cultures. It suggests an assimilation of experiences, methods and knowledge, increasing dual relations such as thought/action and creativity/innovation.

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2. APPLICATIONS AND CONDITIONS

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INTERNATIONAL VIDEODANCE / FILM COMPETITION

Videodance _ films will be selected according to the balance between creativity, experimentation, theme, narrative, image quality, sound and editing. The work must show as its primary concern the connection of the body choreography with the camera and sound. Each competition session will last approximately 80-90 minutes, so the length of the videos will also be a key element to take into account. Maximum reference duration: 20 minutes.

 

Dance Documentary _ films of creative processes, highlighting this genre as worthy of artistic consideration and diffusion through the general public. Creation lapses, artistic experiences and other explorations and documentary reflections regarding the theme and relationships between body, dance, performance and technology. Full recordings of stage choreographies will not be included. Therefore, the cinematic value will be greatly taken into account. Maximum reference duration: 90 minutes.

 

Dance Animation _ films should address an audience of children and young adolescents (5-15 years). During the submission of the film information regarding the age classification must be provided, and the festival may choose not to select the film due to age restrictions. The selection will be made according to theme, narrative, animation quality and technique, sound and editing. Relevance is given to films that seek dance or body movement (it can be objects) with technology, in conjunction with the proposed technique. Maximum reference duration: 15 minutes.

 

The submitted film files must have the following characteristics:

• format 1080p, codec: H264;

• 25 fps;

• Bitrate reference: 15-20mb/s;

• Stereo sound;

• Portuguese (preferred) or English subtitles;

• 3 seconds of black at the beginning and the end of the film (when possible);

• Screening copies submitted under different specifications may undergo conversions, so the sessions run without technical display problems.

 

3. SUBMISSION AND SELECTION

 

The submission to the Festival in the areas of Videodance, Dance Documentary and Dance Animation is to be made through FilmFreeway (https://filmfreeway.com/inshadow) until the 30th of June, 2025. Being a Gold Festival, discounts will be given to Gold members.

 

• No monetary value is provided for the screening of films in International Competition, Video Installation or special Exhibitions. It is also not foreseen the return of registration fees for unselected works.

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• Works submitted and considered for previous editions of InShadow can be re-submitted only if significant changes have been made and if all applicable eligibility requirements are met at the time of the new submission. The payment of a new submission is assumed by the author.

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• A film submitted to the International Competitions can be selected to integrate another area of the festival, such as a video installation in partner galleries or a special screening out of competition, if Festival's Artistic Directon finds it suitable. If this happens, the exhibition of the work will depend on the acceptance of its author, who will be contacted to validate it. These projections are alternative and usually have an installation regime, which does not require the payment of any extra amount.

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• The winning films will be included in Shadow in Motion sessions, an extension of InShadow Festival that will remain in circulation until the next edition at partner festivals and national and international cultural spaces, with the authors’ knowledge and authorization. InShadow extensions do not imply any kind of payment, as it is a way for the films and the festival to circulate in other geographic areas.

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• The work may be submitted by any person or entity on behalf of the copyright’s holder, and, in the case of selection, the authorization form of the author(s) or copyright holder(s) must be completed, signed and sent, for exhibition at the InShadow Festival and respective exhibitions at the Shadow in Motion sessions.

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• Each candidate can register an unlimited number of works per edition. Distributors, producers or duly identified agencies, should contact the festival through email to inshadowfestival@gmail.com in order to have a special value when registering 10 or more works;

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• The work must be sent for viewing through an online link, with the respective password, if applicable. The festival accepts submissions of works in progress, it will be the responsibility of the submitter to notify InShadow if any change is made to the work, to the email inshadowfestival@gmail.com

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• In order to submitt your work, it is required:

  • 2 photos of the work with good resolution, format PNG or JPG dully identified with credits (mandatory)

  • 1 photo of the director/author (preferably face, front, type of passport photo)

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• The attached materials submitted with the application will be integrated into the Voarte archive and may be used within the scope of the Festival's disclosures and screenings, as well as for the Shadow in Motion sessions.

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• The International Competition selection results in each area (Videodance, Dance Documentary and Dance Animation) will be announced by email, through FilmFreeway, and disclosed in the communication media of Voarte and its partners.

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4. JURY AND PRIZES

 

Official Jury _ composed of three individual talents, of local or international renown, in the areas of film, dance/performance, and criticism/research. They are to decide on the following awards:

# Best Videodance| 300€ | Jorge Salavisa Award

# Best Choreography | 200€

# Best Cinematography | 200€

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Documentary Jury _ made up of three elements from various ages, professional areas or students the areas of performative arts, visual arts or criticism / research. Will award the following prize:

# Best Documentary | 200€ | Luna Andermatt Award

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Schools Jury _ made up of five students from schools of arts and humanities: dance / performance, video / cinema, and letters / communication / education. They will award the following prizes :

# Best National Film Director | 2.500€ | Território Award | Estúdios Victor Córdon

(Order value for a screendance to have its debut in the Território VI at Teatro Camões in September 2025)

# Best International Film | Free submission for the 2026 edition

 

Audience Jury _ the audience present at the Screendance Competition Sessions chooses their favorite work:

# Best Videodance| 2 nights at the festival in 2026

 

Animation Jury _ made up of children present at the Animation Competition Session and promoted by the festival team. Will award the following prize:

# Best Animation Film | Free submission for the 2026 edition

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Vo'Arte Jury _ made up of three professionals from different areas of the arts and communication, as well as cultural structures. Will award the following prizes:

# Best National Film | 2.500€ | Award ETIC - Escola de Tecnologias, Inovação e Tecnologia

(Training Scholarship value sponsored by ETIC to be defined within the available curriculum parameters)

# Best International Director | Artistic Residence (3) | Award AAC- Soudos – Espaço Rural de Artes

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Invisible Shadows Jury _ made up of five intercontinental professionals, representatives from each continent. Will award the following prizes:

# Best Film Produced in the Pandemic | Award AAC- Soudos – Espaço Rural de Artes

(Artistic Residency in Soudos – Espaço Rural de Artes in partnership with Voarte with logistical support to be agreed with the winner, lasting 3 to 4 days)

 

Other notes:

• The decision of the various juries, composed of their jurors, is sovereign, with no appeal.

• The prizes awarded will be communicated to the artists present at the closing ceremony of InShadow and later by email with the sending of the respective laurels and certificate.

• Juries may not award prizes, as they may award honourable mentions.

• The juries will be able to attribute the same prize to more than one work (ex-aequo), and if the prize is a monetary value, it will be distributed equally among the winners.

• If the winning film is co-directed, the prize value will not change with the distribution being in the care of the winner

 

5. COPYRIGHTS

 

• The exhibition of works at the InShadow Festival requires authorization to assign copyright. Authorization is considered granted by signing and completing the application form for the submitted work. In the case of some works integrating the Shadow in Motion extensions, the authors will be contacted in advance and advised of the exhibitions.

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• The organizing body shall not be responsible for compliance with copyright in respect of the reproduction of photographs of registered works whose authorship has not been made explicit by the applicant, and agreed with both parties.

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• Excerpts or frames from the selected films (up to 1 minute) may be used for promotional purposes without payment of copyright duties, for insertion on spots and trailers, use in press conferences, print and/or digital publications produced by the Festival.

 

6. OTHER PROVISIONS

 

• The screening programme will be scheduled according to the criteria defined by the Artistic Direction.

 

• There is no support for travel expenses for foreign authors, for films included in the competitive sessions, authors are expected to contact the institutions of their countries for travel support.

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• Directors (living more than 100km from Lisbon) of the films in competition will be offered onenight's stay (1 person) up to a maximum value of 45€ upon presentation of an invoice with the tax data of the Vo'Arte Association. Matters of price or value are outside Vo’Arte’s scope. Payment will be made exclusively by PayPal.

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• Authors and directors will be welcome in all the festival's activities, by means of a credential, in the order of arrival at the venue and taking into account the respective capacity of the spaces.

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• The Festival does not provide for travel in the city of Lisbon in any case, so these are the responsibility of the authors and teams themselves.

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• For billing cases regarding the registration of works at the festival, it will be handled directly on the FilmFreeway platform. The InShadow Festival Management does not have any responsibility for such matters.

 

7. APPROVAL AND OMITTED CASES

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• The participation in the festival requires the full knowledge and acceptance of all content of the present regulation.

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• The festival’s direction will decide upon all omitted material in this regulation.

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• The organization of the Festival has the right to modify these regulations without the need of prior notice.