Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Festival (LIFF26),

About the event

The Lisbon International Film Festival (LIFF) is an independent international film festival held annually in Lisbon, rooted in the historic neighbourhood of Alfama.

More than a showcase of films, LIFF is the public meeting point of Cinalfama’s year-round work — bringing together cinema, community, education and reflection on cities and everyday life. The festival presents a carefully curated selection of international films, with a strong focus on documentary, personal cinema, animation and works that explore territory, memory and urban experience.

LIFF is known for its human scale, proximity between filmmakers and audiences, and for creating spaces where films are not only screened, but discussed, shared and lived collectively. Screenings take place in close connection with the neighbourhood and local communities, reinforcing cinema as a social and cultural practice.

Throughout the year, Cinalfama develops educational projects, community screenings, school programs, podcasts and digital initiatives. LIFF is the moment when all these threads converge, becoming visible in a concentrated and celebratory form.

This makes LIFF not just a festival, but the anchor event of a broader cultural ecosystem, committed to keeping cinema alive as a space of encounter, memory and collective imagination.

Why should you sponsor?

Cinalfama is not just an event — it is a long-term cultural platform with more than 15 years of activity, connecting cinema, cities and communities.

By supporting Cinalfama, sponsors associate their brand with:

• Cultural credibility and curatorial care

• Community engagement and real, in-person audiences

• Social impact, education and access to culture

• High-quality content that lives beyond a single event (festival, schools, podcast, digital platforms)

Our projects reach:

• local and national audiences

• schools, families and young people

• cinephiles, cultural communities and professionals

• territories and communities often excluded from regular cultural programming

Sponsors are not treated as logos, but as partners:

• visible across live events, digital platforms and communication channels

• associated with meaningful cultural experiences

• integrated into a coherent narrative about culture, territory and community

Supporting Cinalfama means investing in a human-scale, values-driven cultural project, with proven continuity, public visibility and growing digital presence.

João Gomes

I am the founder and curator of Cinalfama and the Lisbon International Film Festival (LIFF), a project I have been developing continuously for over 15 years.

My work is rooted in cinema as a cultural and social practice — not only as an artistic object, but as a way of creating dialogue, memory and community. Throughout these years, I have curated films, worked closely with filmmakers, schools, local communities and cultural institutions, and built a festival known for its human scale, consistency and strong identity.

Cinalfama is not a one-off initiative. It is a long-term cultural project, developed with care, independence and a clear ethical vision. The trust built with audiences, filmmakers, educators and public institutions comes from this continuity and from a hands-on, responsible way of working.

As director of LIFF, I am personally involved in all stages of the project — from curation and partnerships to communication and production — ensuring coherence, quality and respect for both the films and the people involved.

Supporting LIFF means supporting a proven cultural ecosystem, led by someone with a long-standing commitment to cinema, cities and community-based cultural work.

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