Portuguese Surf Film Festival (PSFF)

Overview

The Portuguese Surf Film Festival (PSFF) is the longest-running dedicated surf film festival in the world. Founded in 2012, the festival is held annually in Ericeira, Portugal - one of only a handful of World Surfing Reserves globally. The 15th edition runs July 17 to 31, 2026, under the theme "15 Years - 15 Days," screening more than 30 international films exploring surfing in all its dimensions. The festival program is presented at the Casa de Cultura Jaime Lobo e Silva, with additional free screenings on Ericeira's beaches and at the Palacio dos Marqueses in Mafra.

Tickets start at EUR 5 per screening. A special festival premiere event takes place July 11, 2026, at the Hurley Surf Club in Ericeira, featuring the official program presentation, festival catalogue distribution, and a DJ set. The 2026 official selection includes "SurFilMusic" (2026) by Emmett Malley, exploring Jack Johnson's journey from surfer to filmmaker to musician, and "On the Wave" (2025) by Axel Gerdau and Peter Wolf, following Sebastian Steudtner, the current world record holder for the largest wave ever surfed.

The festival is organized by Mind Act and produced by Zucalli Media, with design by Elisabete Ornelas. It is sponsored by the Municipality of Mafra and supported by the Ericeira Parish Council and the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve. Media partners include Fuel TV and AZUL Ericeira Mag. Submissions are accepted through the official PSFF website.

Submission Details

Submissions for the Portuguese Surf Film Festival are accepted through the official festival website. Key details:

Films that are already publicly available online are not eligible for submission. The festival accepts surf documentaries, both short and feature-length, as well as animated and experimental films related to surf culture. Submissions are open to filmmakers worldwide. The festival typically curates 30+ films from international submissions.

For the most current submission deadlines and fees, visit the official PSFF website or check the Boardriding events page for festival updates.

Festival Program and Screenings

Main Venue Screenings

The core festival program runs at the Casa de Cultura Jaime Lobo e Silva in Ericeira. Screenings include filmmaker Q&A sessions, with approximately 10 filmmakers expected to attend the 2026 edition. Each selected film receives two festival screenings. The 2026 highlights include:

• "SurFilMusic" (2026) - directed by Emmett Malley, exploring Jack Johnson's journey from surfer to filmmaker to internationally acclaimed musician. Screens July 22 and 30.
• "On the Wave" (2025) - directed by Axel Gerdau and Peter Wolf, following Sebastian Steudtner, current world record holder for the largest wave ever surfed. Screens July 23 and 28.

Free Beach Screenings

The festival includes three free outdoor screenings:

• Praia dos Pescadores, Ericeira - July 18, 2026
• Ribeira d'Ilhas, Ericeira - July 26, 2026
• Palacio dos Marqueses, Mafra - July 31, 2026 (closing day)

Ocean Art Exhibition

The festival includes an Ocean Art exhibition at the Galeria Orlando Morais, housed in the Casa de Cultura Jaime Lobo e Silva. The 2026 exhibition opens July 17 and runs through July 26. Admission is free.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Ericeira as a Surf Film Destination

Ericeira is a designated World Surfing Reserve - one of approximately a dozen worldwide and the first in Europe. The town is a 45-minute drive from Lisbon and has a year-round surf culture with consistent waves at breaks like Ribeira d'Ilhas, Coxos, and Praia dos Pescadores. This makes PSFF the only major surf film festival held in a World Surfing Reserve, giving it direct access to the community most invested in surf cinema.

No Online Availability Rule

PSFF does not accept films that are already publicly available online, including on YouTube, Vimeo, or other streaming platforms. This is a stricter eligibility rule than many general documentary festivals. Filmmakers should plan their online release strategy accordingly - if you want to screen at PSFF, hold the online premiere until after the festival.

Filmmaker Attendance and Q&A

The festival brings approximately 10 filmmakers to Ericeira each year for in-person Q&A sessions. The festival does not appear to publish a formal travel stipend policy, so filmmakers should budget for their own travel and accommodation. Ericeira has a range of accommodation from surf hostels to boutique hotels, with peak season rates in July.

Multi-Screening Exposure

Each selected film receives two screenings at the Casa de Cultura, plus potential inclusion in the free beach screenings. The dual-screening format gives filmmakers two opportunities for audience engagement and Q&A. The beach screenings draw large crowds and offer a unique screening environment - projecting surf films on the beach where the sport happens is a distinctive experience that general film festivals cannot replicate.

Festival Partners and Industry Presence

PSFF is sponsored by the Municipality of Mafra and partnered with the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve, Hurley Ericeira, and Fuel TV. The festival's media partners include AZUL Ericeira Mag. While PSFF does not host a formal film market, the concentration of surf industry brands, media, and filmmakers creates informal networking opportunities. Filmmakers seeking distribution in the surf and action sports market should connect with Fuel TV representatives and other industry attendees during the festival.

Festival History

The Portuguese Surf Film Festival was founded in 2012 in Ericeira, Portugal. The festival was created to bring surf cinema to the Ericeira community and to provide a dedicated platform for surf filmmaking, which occupies a niche between action sports content and nature documentary.

Over 15 editions, the festival has grown from a local event into an international surf cinema destination. The 2026 edition marks the festival's 15th anniversary with an expanded 15-day format under the theme "15 Years - 15 Days," the longest edition in the festival's history. The festival has screened films from surf filmmakers worldwide, covering topics from big wave surfing to surf travel, environmental conservation, and surf culture history.

The festival is organized by Mind Act and produced by Zucalli Media. It has maintained its base in Ericeira throughout its history, with the Casa de Cultura Jaime Lobo e Silva as its primary venue. The addition of free beach screenings and the Ocean Art exhibition has expanded the festival beyond cinema into a broader cultural event.

See Also

For adventure and outdoor filmmaking, see Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival. For documentary filmmaking approaches, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For festival strategy and planning, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate the return on festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. Visit the official PSFF website for current submission information.