The Festival comKids 2026 takes place from 14 to 19 August in São Paulo, with a free programme dedicated to audiovisual, digital and interactive production for children and teenagers. Across six days, the event brings together professionals, researchers, students and creators for activities exploring media literacy, content creation, games, streaming and the impact of technology on childhood.
The programme is spread across venues including ESPM, ESPM Tech, Itaú Cultural, Goethe-Institut São Paulo, Petrobras Cinema Space and Hub Sampa Games. Activities include the Children’s Audiovisual Seminar, the Digital and Interactive Works Competition, and sessions focused on professional training and development.
The official programme also features presentations by finalists in the Game, Digital Book, Digital Play and Podcast categories, as well as panels on age ratings, children’s behaviour in digital spaces and the psychology of video games.
Festival comKids 2026 opens with a masterclass and launch ceremony
The programme begins on Friday, 14 August, at 10.30 am, with the masterclass “Real stories of children and teenagers in documentaries and fiction” at ESPM’s Álvaro Alvim Campus, in Vila Mariana.
The session will be led by Dutch director and content creator Jan-Willem Bult, an internationally recognised figure in documentary production involving children and the creator of the Preschool.doc methodology. The masterclass will be delivered in English, with Portuguese interpretation and Brazilian Sign Language accessibility.
From 2 pm to 4 pm, the Impulse Zone will bring together creators and producers whose projects for children and young people are in development. This closed activity is for pre-selected participants only.
At 7 pm, the Goethe-Institut São Paulo will host the opening ceremony. The event will spotlight children’s audiovisual production, culture for childhoods, media literacy and rights, alongside a special screening of short films made during the “Preschool Documentaries Brazil / Netherlands 2026” workshop, delivered by Bult in partnership with TV Cultura and supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands.
Saturday features films and a media literacy workshop
On Saturday, 15 August, at 11 am, the Petrobras Cinema Space will host the Festival comKids / Teachers’ Club / Prix Jeunesse Case Special Session.
The screening will present films addressing childhoods and representation in the audiovisual sector, followed by a discussion circle. Scheduled titles include Sanne Doesn’t Exist – Stop it Now! from the Netherlands; Agatha and Love from Mexico; and Akababuru from Colombia. Felipe Leal from comKids will take part in the session.
In the afternoon, from 2 pm to 4 pm, ESPM Tech will host the “Prix Jeunesse International Case” workshop, including screenings and discussion of standout productions from the 2026 Prix Jeunesse International Festival, with a focus on media literacy. Beth Carmona, Daniel Leite and Thaisa Oliveira will moderate the activity.
Digital ECA and game finalists join the programme
On Monday, 17 August, the programme starts at 10.30 am with “Creating with the Digital ECA” at ESPM.
Experts from Alana will discuss how the Digital ECA can be implemented with content creators for children and teenagers, considering audiovisual production, games and education. Maria Góes de Mello, Rodrigo Nejm and João Francisco Coelho will participate, moderated by Raquel Lemos.
At 2 pm, the finalists in the Festival comKids 2026 Game category competition will be presented:
Bitácoras Patrias - Argentina, Bitcochitos Games
Hit It Back - Brazil, Sue The Real
Kind Heart Survivors - Brazil, Ludo Thinking
Tropa Troco - Brazil, PushStart
Vétera - Brazil, NAUFO – UEG
The presentations will be followed by a discussion with the developers.
At 4 pm, finalists in the Digital Book category will take the stage:
At the Top of a Branch - Chile, Fundación Cultural Entrelíneas
Capybara Expedition - Argentina, BoRiS ediciones
The Guardians of the Coastal Scrubland - Brazil, DESCDesign – UFSC
A Day in Millaray’s Life - Chile, Fundación Cultural Entrelíneas
The session will be moderated by Aline Frederico of USP.
Concluding the day, from 7 pm to 9.30 pm, Itaú Cultural will host the comKids Conversation: Fictional characters in building imaginaries, which will examine the creation of inspiring content and the representation of children and teenagers in fiction.
Keka Reis, Ismael dos Anjos, Maya Göetz, Sara Bozanic and Radhi Meron will participate, with Vanessa Fort as moderator.
Research, age ratings and games
A series of activities will take place at ESPM on Tuesday, 18 August.
At 10 am, comKids Moment 01 will examine children’s presence in online environments, presenting research into children’s behaviour and their use of digital devices and platforms. Participants include Luciana Portilho of Cetic.br/NIC.br and Miriam Raquel Strelhow of PUC São Paulo, moderated by Ana Helena Reis.
At 11.15 am, comKids Moment 02 will introduce the updated Age Rating system with Eduardo de Araújo Nepomuceno, General Coordinator for Age Rating Policies. The activity will be streamed online.
Following this, at 11.50 am, comKids Moment 03 will explore the psychology behind video games. Argentine researcher Alejandra Rabuini will consider what happens psychologically during the experience of playing. This activity will also be streamed online.
At 2 pm, finalists in the Digital Play category will be presented:
Atatinka - Brazil
MakeMake Digital Library - Colombia
Delta Grande + - Argentina
DumDum Books - Brazil
EduEdu – Literacy - Brazil
The session will be moderated by Samira Almeida.
At 4 pm, the festival will present the finalists in the Podcast category:
Fierce Tales - Argentina
Face to Face and Mindful - Colombia
BDF Little Radio - Brazil
Guayaba Radio - Colombia
Sesame Street Village - Brazil
The discussion will be moderated by Giovana Botti from Festival comKids.
In the evening, from 7 pm to 9.30 pm, Itaú Cultural will host another comKids Conversation, this time focused on the challenges and opportunities that streaming presents for children and teenagers. Daiane Baddini, Giuliana Aun, Jefferson Cândido, Kety Nassar and Lívia Fusco will participate, moderated by Gisele Jordão.
Children’s games from Chile close the programme
On Wednesday, 19 August, at 10.30 am, Hub Sampa Games will host the “Children’s Games from Chile” showcase.
The activity will present children’s games that were finalists at the Ojo de Pescado Festival, held in Valparaíso, Chile. Professors Sebastián Díaz of PUC Valparaíso and Fabiano Onça from PUC-SP’s Game Design course will take part.
The Festival comKids 2026 will close at 7 pm in the theatre at ESPM’s Álvaro Alvim Campus. The ceremony will include the announcement of the edition’s winners and an online stream.
Audiovisual Showcase runs until September
In addition to the in-person activities taking place from 14 to 19 August, Festival comKids will also hold an Audiovisual Showcase dedicated to productions for children and teenagers.
The showcase runs from 20 August to 27 September in a hybrid format, with screenings at cultural venues in different regions of the country, on the Spcine Circuit and via the Itaú Cultural Play and Spcine Play platforms.
The festival programme is free, although some activities require advance registration and have limited places.
Register for Festival comKids 2026 activities
View the full programme: Festival comKids 2026 – official programme
Information
17th Festival comKids
Dates: 14 to 19 August 2026
Admission: free
ESPM – Álvaro Alvim Campus
Rua Dr. Álvaro Alvim, 123 – Vila Mariana
Itaú Cultural
Avenida Paulista, 149 – Bela Vista
ESPM Tech
Rua Joaquim Távora, 1240 – Vila Mariana
Petrobras Cinema Space
Rua Augusta, 1475 – Cerqueira César
Hub Sampa Games
Rua Líbero Badaró, 425 – Ground Floor – Centro
Goethe-Institut São Paulo
Rua Lisboa, 974 – Pinheiros
Activities requiring registration are subject to capacity limits.
Organised by: Midiativa – Brazilian Centre for Media for Children and Teenagers. Festival comKids 2026 is presented by the Ministry of Culture through the Rouanet Law, sponsored by Itaú and Spcine, and produced in partnership with Goethe-Institut São Paulo, Itaú Cultural and ESPM’s Film and Audiovisual Course.
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