Mission and History
In the heart of Alfama, one of Lisbon's most pulsating historic neighbourhoods where gentrification has inevitably taken hold, Cinalfama's mission is becoming increasingly clear: to occupy the streets with independent cinema to promote reflection on the present and the identity of the city's new cultural fabric, while simultaneously writing and documenting its own history. Because sometimes you have to leave the neighbourhood to see the neighbourhood.
2009
It is on the iconic and high white walls of Alfama's facades that this project, still informal, was born, projecting cinema in hidden streets of the neighborhood.
2016
The Cinalfama Seasonal Screenings and Awards are inaugurated - the festival switches to an international competitive format, screening Portuguese and international independent films in competition in the months of January, April and October.
2020
The Cinalfama Cultural Association was born, formally proclaiming its mission: to promote emerging artists, promoting debate and the creation of a community cinephile spirit in order to contribute to research and safeguarding Alfama's cultural heritage and to the respective socio-cultural dynamism of the neighborhood.
2022
Another step from Alfama to the world – an international outdoor event, in various parts of Alfama, that celebrates independent cinema and the streets that host it – the Cinalfama Lisbon International Film Festival.
2024
Cinalfama fulfills its associative vocation and becomes something much bigger than a festival, mobilizing cinema as a weapon of community cohesion and research through far-reaching projects, including the filmed collection of stories and oralities from Alfama.