The 4th Chica Pelega Film Festival officially opens submissions for short and feature films wishing to be part of its 2026 programme. Submissions are free and can be made until January 15, 2026, via the FilmFreeway platform or through a Google form.
With the central theme Contemporary Migrations, the festival seeks productions that address experiences of displacement, crossings, identities and cultural encounters. Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental or hybrid films may participate, with no restriction on production date, as long as in a final digital copy and with Portuguese subtitles when necessary.
In this edition, the festival will have six categories: Chica Pelega – Contemporary Migrations (Shorts and Features), Student, Childhoods on Screen, Catarinense and Contestado.
Special highlight to the Contestado category, which exists to strengthen narratives that dialogue directly with the Contestado War (1912–1916) and its historical, social and cultural developments. The Contestado category responds to the Festival’s commitment to valuing works that revisit, reinterpret and broaden the perspectives of this conflict that deeply marked the territory between Santa Catarina and Paraná, and whose resonances remain present in the identities, memories and social organizations of the region.
Reinforcing the trajectory of Chica Pelega, leader and fighter of the Contestado who gives the Festival its name, having a category that screens films telling the stories of this war is a way to ensure that the history and legacy of this leader and fighter remain pillars of the Festival’s identity. Opening space for narratives that echo the struggle for territory, resistance and the strength of the Contestado people is also a way to honor her memory.
Among this edition’s prizes are Best Film by Popular Jury, Best Film by Official Jury, Cinematography, Editing and Direction.
Held from March 12 to 15 in Videira/SC, with in-person and online screenings via play.pupilo.tv.br, the Festival invites filmmakers from across the country and Latin America to submit their works.
The Chica Pelega Film Festival is an initiative of VMS Filmagens e Eventos Ltda. and Pupilo, reaffirming its commitment to the circulation of diverse narratives and the expansion of access to Brazilian and Latin American cinema. The funding is from the Catarinense Cinema Award – Special Paulo Gustavo Law Edition, through the Catarinense Culture Foundation, Government of the State of Santa Catarina, with support from the Paulo Gustavo Law, Ministry of Culture and Federal Government.
Submissions must be made via https://forms.gle/rUwdpU9BVxM3dUuy7
Festival’s Instagram: instagram.com/mostra.chicapelega
Festival’s Facebook: facebook.com/mostra.chicapelega
More information:
Rudolfo Auffinger (Pupilo) – 21 967078494
Communications – Barbara Pettres 48 99926-6429
