The Chica Pelega Film Festival reaches its 5th edition — “The Caboclo and Rural Inland Territories” — and opens film submissions this Thursday (Aug 27). Entries run until September 26, 2026, exclusively through FilmFreeway, at filmfreeway.com/mostrachica. This edition honors the caboclo — a people born from the historical interaction between the Kaingang and Guarani indigenous peoples and Luso-Brazilian inland communities, representing the region marked by the Contestado War.
Dedicated to offering a deep, diverse, and sensitive view of the realities of traditional peoples and inland culture, the Festival promotes dialogue between different perspectives of Brazilian and Latin American cinema. Films of any length will be accepted — fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, and hybrid works — with no production-date requirement; works in other languages must have Portuguese subtitles. Submissions are free of charge.
The competitive showcase awards the Chica Pelega Trophy in the Contestado, Traditional Peoples (short and feature), and Childhood on Screen categories, plus the Audience Award — decided by votes from in-person sessions and the online platform — and the Little Critics Award, with children and youth juries by age group. The full rules are available on the website.
Organized by Pupilo and funded by the Circuito Catarinense de Cultura, the 5th Festival will take place in person in Chapecó (SC), Brazil, in March 2027, with a 31-day online showcase on Pupilo Play. The program brings together 15 in-person sessions with talks, three training workshops, a photography exhibition, and cultural performances.
Info
5th Chica Pelega Film Festival — film submissions
Period: August 27 to September 26, 2026
Submissions: filmfreeway.com/mostrachica
Information: chicapelega.com.br
