Regulations 

1) About

RAW: Arché→Work Residencies (“RAW”) is an itinerant programme of creative development and film training organized by the associations Apordoc (Portugal) and Cine en Ruta (Spain), addressed to Ibero-American filmmakers and critics. Conceived as a working space focused on the creative process, it seeks to foster the interrelationship between creation and film criticism and research. It takes place between October and November, between Portugal and Spain, and includes participation in Arché (Doclisboa festival’s creative development laboratory) and MÁRGENES/WORK (Márgenes. Madrid International Film Festival). It also includes a period of artistic residency in Lisbon and participation in the international seminar Doc’s Kingdom (Odemira, Portugal).

The program has two types: Creation Residencies and Criticism Residencies.

Creation Residencies
Intended for filmmakers with projects in different stages of development and production, from writing to post-production, the residencies are designed as spaces that combine individual and collective work, fostering exchange between participants, professional mentoring and critical reflection to advance and strengthen each project. Participants with projects in the writing or development phase can work with a variety of materials: from initial ideas or scripts to footage already shot, files or visual references. For projects in the editing phase, the focus will be on the collective viewing of audiovisual material (raw version, first version, final version or working copy), promoting collective exchange and discussion.

Critics Residencies
Designed for critics interested in non-fiction films. The program offers personalized support adapted to each project, as well as a theoretical and practical approach to film history and theory, taking advantage of the immersion in festivals with a strong editorial focus, such as Doclisboa and Márgenes. Selected candidates will have the opportunity to connect with the festival ecosystem, allowing direct contact with filmmakers, critics, programmers and other industry professionals. Residents’ participation in the festivals includes selecting films for critical analysis with their tutors; attending screenings and debates with filmmakers; and writing essays, under the tutor’s supervision, exploring different theoretical and methodological approaches.

2) Objetives

RAW promotes creativity, professionalization, research and experimentation through a residency program for filmmakers and audiovisual creators, as well as critics, with the following objectives:

  • To put the Lisbon-Madrid axis at the service of a plural and lively independent non-fiction film industry and to encourage co-productions between Ibermedia countries
  • To create market access opportunities for emerging producers and filmmakers, respecting the artistic and economic specificities of each project and considering production also as an authorial process.
  • To promote the production of knowledge and encourage the interrelationship between creation and critical research, creating a common and constructive space for both.

3) Participants

RAW: Arché→Work Residencies (RAW) focuses on innovative film projects of a strongly authorial nature, with special attention to non-fiction film practices and experimentation, as well as critical and research work whose subject matter is related to the cinema of the real in the Ibero-American context.

The program is addressed to emerging talents with a feature film project in the development, production or post-production phase, as well as young film critics from Ibermedia Program member countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela.

4) Program and activities

Activities begin at Doclisboa, where participants in the Creation program attend the Arché laboratory, which offers mentoring and workshops focused on project development. During the Festival, the Critic residents work in groups and in individual sessions alongside their tutor, based on screenings of programmed films. In this initial phase, they also take part in meetings, both individual and collective.

After Doclisboa, the program continues with an artistic residency in Lisbon, where the participants further develop their projects with personalized support from their assigned tutors.

They then take part in the Doc’s Kingdom international seminar in Odemira, which offers an intensive program of sessions and debates with invited filmmakers.

In the final phase, the residents take part in MÁRGENES/WORK. The Creative Residencies include workshops on scriptwriting, project production and marketing, public presentations, individual mentoring and meetings with experts. The Criticism residency is connected with the Márgenes Festival program with the purpose of creating a space for critical development that fosters and empowers professional enrichment.

The languages of work and project presentation are Spanish, Portuguese and/or English.

 5) Dates

In 2025, RAW: Arché→Work Residencies (RAW) will take place between October 20 and November 25, according to the following schedule:

  • October 20 to 26: Arché (as part of Doclisboa, Lisbon);
  • October 27 to November 13: Artist Residency (Lisbon);
  • November 14 to 19: Doc’s Kingdom International Seminar (Odemira);
  • November 21-25: Márgenes/Work (Madrid).

6) Expenses and Grants

With the support of the Ibermedia Program, a grant will be awarded to each selected project to cover the following costs:

  • Mentoring by a tutor, invited according to the needs of each project;
  • Meetings with experts and professionals from the sector;
  • Access to Arché and all associated activities;
  • Access to the screenings and activities of Doclisboa’s industry program, Nebulae;
  • Access to the activities of Doc’s Kingdom – International Documentary Film Seminar;
  • Access to Márgenes/Work and all associated activities;
  • Travel expenses from Lisbon to Odemira (round trip);
  • Travel expenses from Lisbon to Madrid;
  • Accommodation and meal allowance during the RAW: Arché→Work Residencies program (from October 21 to November 25).

Expenses not included:

  • Travel expenses to and from the country or city of origin must be covered by the participants.
  • In the Creation Residencies category, the grant will go to the candidate filmmaker. If there is a second representative of the project, he or she must cover all expenses associated with their participation in RAW. Such participation must be notified to the organizers, who will not be responsible for registration, travel or accommodation costs.

7) Awards

Film projects that take part in the Creation Residencies are eligible for the Arché and Márgenes/Work awards. Information on the awards will be made available in September.

8) Submission

In 2025, the call for projects will be open between May 19 and June 9, until 23:59 (GMT+1). Registration is free. 

Applicants must complete the application form and upload the materials defined in each call:

Creation Residencies
1) Project dossier (max. 8 pages) in PDF format, including the following information in Portuguese, Spanish or English: 

  • Film title
  • Synopsis
  • Director’s note of intent (director’s vision and motivations)
  • Director’s notes with references to the formal and visual treatment
  • Director’s bio-filmography
  • Producer’s and screenwriter’s bio-filmography (if applicable)
  • Production company’s bio-filmography (if applicable)
  • Links to work in progress or excerpts with English subtitles (if applicable)
  • Links to previous films (if applicable)
  • Planned work schedule
  • Notes on the current state of development and the current needs of the project
  • Provisional budget and financial plan

2) Stills or visual references of the project;
3) Motivation letter (why participate in the RAW program);
4) Copy of identity card or passport.

Criticism Residencies
1) Academic and professional curriculum vitae;
2) Description of the project to be developed, whose study material is linked to non-fictional film spaces and/or creators;
3) Previous film research/criticism work and/or articles (if applicable);
4) Planned work schedule;
5) Motivation letter (specifying the relevance of the festivals in which RAW is part of the research project);
6) Copy of identity card or passport.

Applications with missing information will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.

9) Selection procedure

  • A total of 6 projects will be selected: 3 for the Creation Residency and 3 for the Criticism Residency.
  • The participating projects will be selected by the organization and an invited independent professional.
  • The evaluation criteria for creation projects will take into account innovation in narrative and aesthetic forms, as well as the inclusion of non-traditional forms of production and the viability of the project.
  • For film criticism projects, positive consideration will be given to the fact that the proposals present a possibility of materialization within the framework of the residency: space, structure, medium, support, etc.
  • For the final selection, video call interviews will be held with the shortlisted finalists.

10) Notification:

The selected participants will be informed of the results by email by July 31st. The selection will remain confidential until the official announcement is made by the organization.

11) Obligations of the participants

  • Candidates must guarantee their availability during the RAW dates. Participation in all activities is mandatory.
  • Participants must have medical and travel insurance.
  • Selected participants authorize the use of information relating to the project (excluding confidential data), as well as images and excerpts from it, for dissemination in the media and social networks for promotional purposes, as well as for inclusion in the festival’s website, catalog and video material.
  • Participants must include the RAW logo on all materials (film credits and promotional assets for films). In addition, they agree to use the following wording: “RAW Project Participant” + RAW logo.
  • Film projects awarded at Arché or Márgenes/Work must include the award logo in the credits and promotional materials.
  • Participants will answer a feedback form in accordance with the Ibermedia Program regulations, which must be handed in no later than 1 month after the end of the activities.
  • Participants must sign an agreement to join the Program before the start of the activities.

12) Responsibilities and Acceptance of the Terms and Conditions

  • The submission of a project implies knowledge and acceptance of these regulations.
  • The projects submitted must not contain content that infringes any third party rights.
  • Any issue not provided for in these regulations will be resolved by the organization in accordance with international film festival regulations.
  • The organization reserves the right to change or modify the program at any time.