About

The mainstay of the HaHaArt Film Festival, an international comedy film festival, is the showcase of emerging artistic projects in comedy filmmaking. Therefore, the festival seeks to challenge the way comedy as a film genre has been treated. In the universe of critics and audiences alike, the films of the genre are often considered of lesser value, when discussing cinematic and artistic merit.

The HaHaArt Film Festival comes to counter the prejudice that is due in part to the difficult distribution of comedy cinema. The distribution of these films, especially in the context of film festivals, is not comparable to that of other genres. First, the social and cultural aspect of comedy makes its international distribution more difficult. Secondly, the comedy in these films is often and falsely regarded as a secondary trait, obscured by the characteristics of other genres and tropes that may be included. This results in a limited number of comedy films in official selections of generalist film festivals.

Held in the city of Pombal, in central Portugal, for three days, the HaHaArt Film Festival presents a selection of carefully curated and selected national and international short films in the comedy genre. Beyond that, it presents a space of discussion and debate on everything cinema, but always focusing on the comedy genre. This will be made possible through roundtable discussions and masterclasses, that are integrated in the festival’s programme.

The selected projects in competition will be part of the international and national competition, with awards for Best National Short Film, Best International Short Film, Best National Director, Best International Director and an Audience Award.

With its first edition to take place in 2022, the HaHaArt Film Festival’s ambition is to stand out in the national and international context and that its contribution will always remain pertinent as an event that vindicates comedy cinema.