CineAlter is a film festival of the Brazilian Amazon, held in the village of Alter do Chão and the city of Santarém in Pará. It is organised by the Instituto Território das Artes together with the Santarém municipal government. Its 2026 programme is built around the theme of youth in Amazonian and Latin American cinema and is divided into four showcases named after regional rivers: Amazonas for Latin American features, Tapajós for shorts from Pará, Arapiuns for low-budget and first-time shorts, and CineAlterzinho for children's films.
Winners in eight categories, including best feature, best short and best film from Pará, receive the Muiraquitã Trophy. Entry is free, and screenings are planned in a hybrid in-person and online format. The organiser's rules give 20–22 March 2026 as the dates of the 2026 edition.
Awards and prizes
Winners in the competitive showcases receive the Muiraquitã Trophy, made by an Amazonian artist using ancestral technology and design. Eight categories: best feature, best short, Tapajós Cinema Prize, best film from Pará, best feature screenplay, best short screenplay, best feature direction, best short direction.
Festival rules
Films completed from January 2024 are accepted; preference goes to unreleased works made in Latin America or about the reality of Latin American countries. Any technical format is accepted. Shorts run up to 30 minutes and features over 50 minutes. Showcase limits: Amazonas, Latin American features in Spanish or Portuguese; Tapajós, shorts from Pará in Portuguese; Arapiuns, shorts up to 25 minutes from Pará, with emphasis on experimental work and first films; CineAlterzinho, children's shorts up to 15 minutes. Brazilian and other Latin American films must have Portuguese subtitles; films without a Portuguese dialogue list are not selected. Submissions are free, made through FilmFreeway or the festival's Google form. The film must be available on Vimeo or YouTube with an unchanged password until the day after the festival. Entering a film authorises its screening at the festival and in extra screenings organised by the Instituto Território das Artes in 2026 and 2027. Shipping of the trophy is the filmmakers' responsibility.
