The festival began as Vitória Cine Vídeo, created to widen exhibition windows for independent short films, and is produced by the Instituto Brasil de Cultura e Arte (IBCA) and Galpão Produções Artísticas e Culturais. It presents Brazilian short and feature films in competitive showcases that award the Troféu Vitória, among them an experimental showcase (Mostra Corsária), an LGBTQIA+ showcase (Mostra Quatro Estações), a showcase for filmmakers from Espírito Santo (Foco Capixaba), and showcases for women directors, Black filmmakers, music videos, environmental films and fantastic cinema. Screenings are free, and audiences vote for the Popular Jury prize in each showcase.
The 33rd edition takes place from 18 to 25 July 2026 in Vitória, the capital of Espírito Santo, with about 100 films in 11 competitive showcases. In summer a travelling edition extends the festival to coastal towns of the state.
Awards and prizes
The Troféu Vitória is the festival's main trophy and is awarded in every competitive showcase. The 33rd edition distributes 33 awards across 11 competitive showcases. Winners of the Popular Jury prize are chosen by audience vote; the other awards are decided by juries of audiovisual professionals.
The short film competition awards best film (technical jury), best film (popular jury), special jury prize, direction, screenplay, cinematography, artistic contribution and performance. The feature competition awards the same, except the special jury prize. Every other showcase awards best film by the technical jury and by the popular jury.
Extra awards: the Canal Brasil Short Film Prize (15,000 reais and a trophy); the Sesc Glória Prize (a two-year licence to screen the winning feature in Sesc Espírito Santo cinemas); and Stone Milk post-production prizes in services (25,000 reais for a feature, 10,000 reais for a short film, 5,000 reais for a music video, plus 5,000 reais of project consulting for a short film chosen by the popular jury).
Festival rules
Regulations of the 33rd edition (2026).
Submission is free and online, from 2 March to 3 April 2026. Short films may run up to 25 minutes, credits included, and must be completed on or after 1 January 2025. The feature competition accepts films of at least 70 minutes. Each filmmaker or collective may enter at most two films; if more are sent, the two most recent are considered.
Films shown at earlier editions of the festival cannot be submitted. Films made outside Espírito Santo must be unreleased in competitive showcases in the state, and films in commercial release are not accepted. Screening links must be on Vimeo or YouTube (expiring file-transfer links are not accepted).
The Women in Cinema showcase accepts only films directed exclusively by women, and the Cinema and Negritude showcase only films directed exclusively by filmmakers who self-declare as Black. Selected films must carry accessibility elements: descriptive subtitles (LSE), audio description and Libras translation.
