The urban audio-visual festival – UAF emerges as a place for discussion and dialogue between professionals who work on urban life. This scientific meeting aims to promote the production of quality and the dissemination of the audio-visual work carried out by researchers and filmmakers in the field of urban studies, as well as other related disciplines.  We encourage the submission of projects made by students as part of their thesis, professional productions and artistic works.

Presentation

The Urban Audio-visual Festival – UAF emerges as a place for discussion and dialogue between professionals who work on urban life. This scientific meeting aims to promote the production of quality and the dissemination of the audio-visual work carried out by researchers and filmmakers in the field of urban studies, as well as other related disciplines. The UAF is a collaborative initiative between CIES-IUL, CICS-NOVA and IS-UP.

The UAF commits itself to the community, bringing these works closer to the general public, approaching the academy to all. The reflection on what happens in our cities is one of the bases that gave rise to this festival, as well as the need to listen to a plurality of voices, understandings and experiences from those who experience first-hand the topics proposed annually.

Life in society presents an infinity of situations, hence the need to narrow down the different topics and annually focus our eyes on a single concept. The UAF in its role of promoting dialogue with the community, as well as promoting reflection, manifests its sensitivity to the present day, accommodating issues of general interest in each edition.

Scientific audio-visual production, not very considered by many disciplines, finds in the UAF a privileged scenario, both for the presentation of works and for the evaluation of the audio-visual methods applied to the study of the urban. Likewise, the UAF invites its screens to unconventional productions, made with mobile devices or exploring other forms of production of moving images. The use of new techniques is another of the main objectives of the UAF, as it aims to make known the innovations made and their multiple applications to the study of contemporary cities.

The UAF is an invitation to watch the cities. To join to a debate far beyond the screens.

Argument

For the first edition of the Urban Audiovisual Festival, we directed the cameras towards the exploration of the concept of “conflict”, framed in the urban context.

First, we call attention to those works that focus on the city as a product and therefore in the tensions that arise as a result of the debate on the good or bad management of public space. Along these lines, such approaches as gentrification, touristification or real estate speculation are easily recognizable, concentrating – in some way – on housing problems and the right to the city. On the other hand, we could see a second line, more focused on problems related to transportation and communication routes, urban density and the processes of deterritorialization (urban-rural-urban), commercial equipment, etc.

Thinking about the actors that take place in the city, we invite productions that manifest their interest on those social movements that were born from conflictual relations. These groups tend to place issues on the public agenda and through their militancy -normally- gain political power, question the system of government, power structures and public institutions themselves. Works on the difficulties related to the use and appropriation of urban space, protection of urban and social heritage, local coexistence and absorption of new citizens, food, military enforcement, police and people etc. will be welcome.

But conflict is not always a hostile situation, sometimes it can represent an unequivocal situation of social progress, success and opportunity. We invite the participation of works in these lines, in which they interpret the conflict as a reinvigorating factor of the urban life and that underline the benefits of these nonconformities.

Finally, the concept of conflict is opened, inviting works that portray the “conflict in the city” rather than “urban conflict”, and which outlines a more personal and human reflection.

Please keep in mind the deadlines and the categories and formats accepted for the festival.

You will be able to submit your proposal thru this form.

In case you need further information, please, contact the organization.

Categories & Formats

We encourage the submission of projects made by students as part of their thesis, professional productions and artistic works.

Categories:

• Documentary
• Ethnographic Film
• Music-video
• MobileFilms: films made using cell-phones or tablets
• Experimental: audiovisual projects that evidence a new approach to visual methods

Formats:

• Short films: max. 15 minutes
• Long Films: max. 90 minutes

Important dates

• Call opening: September 1st, 2017

• Submission deadline: February 16th, 2018.

• Acceptance communication: April 18th, 2018
• Film registration (stage 2): May 18th, 2018.
• Festival: June 16th-17th, 2018

Scientific Committee

• Andrea Barbosa Federal University of São Paulo Brazil
• Daniel Malet i Calvo ISCTE-IUL Portugal
• Francisco Schwember Universidad Pontificia Católica de Chile Chile
• Frédéric Vidal ISCTE-IUL Portugal
• Guilhermo Aderaldo University of São Paulo Brazil
• Humberto Martins UTAD Portugal
• Simone Pereira de Sá Federal Fluminense University Brazil

Place of realization

Marvila's Library

R. Luís de Sttau Monteiro C4, 1950-374 Lisboa, Portugal

Contact: Manuel Garcia-Ruiz manuel_ruiz@iscte-iul.pt

Event web-site

https://uafestival.wordpress.com