Latest news and stories about film festival in Portugal for expats and residents.
Between censorship, artistic freedom, and new directors, FEST returns to Espinho to defend the idea that cinema remains alive and capable of interpreting a changing world.
The Ao Norte association has created a new film festival in Viana do Castelo, DOC[iN], dedicated to documentaries and non-fiction. The first edition will take place in March 2027.
The official selection includes 24 films that address the challenges of territory and collective life in places such as Seville, Palestine, or Seoul. The festival takes place from July 1st to 5th in Porto.
Actor Alec Baldwin has been announced as the first guest for the Tribeca Festival in Lisbon, which has secured its presence in Portugal for the next four years.
The film “Maus Polacos”, by Kamila Cwiklinska, received the Best Documentary award at BEAST - International Film Festival of Eastern Europe, held in Porto, which concludes today following the announcement of the winners.
The awards were presented on Saturday night at Passos Manuel, and the event concludes this Sunday with screenings at Batalha-Centro de Cinema and Cinema Trindade.
The event is leaving the Beato Creative Hub, where the first two editions were held, and will now span four days in December. Free-entry initiatives were also announced.
The organization announced this Friday the films in the competitive sections and the Other Jewels section, which includes two other films with Portuguese co-production.
The Huesca International Film Festival will award the 2026 Pepe Escriche prize to the Cinemateca Portuguesa for its “fundamental role”. Portugal holds the position of “guest of honour” in this 54th edition.
The focus on the career of the director of Far from Heaven and Carol, accompanied by his producer, Christine Vachon, will be one of the highlights of the 34th edition of the festival.
The Fundão Film Encounters, which begin this Wednesday, are screening the restored version of Longe Daqui. This marks the rescue of a 1993 “outcast”: João Guerra. A chronicle by Vasco Câmara.
Presented in the classics section of the Cannes Film Festival, the 1964 film 'La Dérive' by writer and director Paula Delsol is a precious rarity. The film invites us to revisit the heroic era of the French New Wave with an open mind, challenging the notion that the history of that period is confined to immutable canons. Far from being a 'lost' film, its recent restoration and screenings at MoMA and the Sète Lisboa festival highlight the enduring, dynamic, and creative legacy of 1960s French cinema. Through the story of Jacqueline, a woman navigating a paradoxical solitude, Delsol explores themes of desire and transformation, offering a work that defies academic divisions between realism and fiction, much like the iconic works of Godard, Varda, and Truffaut.
The 19th edition of the Santarém International Film Festival begins this Monday, inspired by the territory, agriculture, ecology, and natural resource management.
A promotional film showcasing the Central region of Portugal has been awarded a Gold prize at a festival in New York.
The Embassy of the Argentine Republic in Portugal presents a new edition of the Argentine Film Cycle at the Casa da América Latina in Lisbon on May 26th and 27th. Under the theme 'Between laughter and feeling', the event features three contemporary feature films, accompanied by tastings of Argentine gastronomy and wines, highlighting the global prestige and emotional resonance of Argentine cinema.
The closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival was marked by a tie. There were two winners in the Best Director category.
Christian Mungiu won his second Palme d'Or with “Fjord”, while the extraordinary “Minotaur”, by Russian filmmaker Andrey Zviaguinstev, who made an appeal to Putin in his victory speech to stop the slaughter in Ukraine.
The festival, which runs until June 2nd, offers a selection of titles representative of Spanish cinematography in an audiovisual journey that seeks to establish a dialogue between cinema and roots.
Young director Clara Vieira presented her first short film at the Cannes Film Festival school competition. A fantasy about the transition from adolescence to adulthood, this is a work of fiction by a director discovering the world of cinema in Cannes.
In New York, Sara Flores' 'Mistura' maps will be at the White Cube from June 25 to August 14. Meanwhile, in Lisbon, the next Latin American Film Festival will be held at the São Jorge cinema from May 28 to 31. It opens on May 28 at 9 pm with the 2024 film 'Mistura', by Peruvian director Ricardo de Montreuil.
The Cannes Film Festival, running until the 23rd, is full of surprises across all sections, including the 'Special Screenings'. A highlight is Steven Soderbergh's documentary 'John Lennon: The Last Interview', which features the musician's final interview conducted on December 8, 1980, the day he was assassinated. Soderbergh uses an elaborate montage to revisit Lennon's history and the Beatles' success, while also reflecting on his own debut at Cannes in 1989 with 'Sex, Lies, and Videotape'.
Inflatable floats, warm water, and a giant screen. For three years, the IndieLisboa film festival has been bringing movies to the Penha de França swimming pool. A report with feet in the water.
Angolan filmmakers announced today their participation in the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, “with their own means,” in search of opportunities to put Angolan cinema on the map for international distributors, while lamenting the lack of institutional support.
The feature film Barrio Triste was the big winner at IndieLisboa. The work portrays four teenagers who steal a camera, leading to a 'life of violence and loneliness', as described in the film's synopsis. According to the jury, Barrio Triste shows a 'visceral and relentless vision of a community at a specific moment in a country's history'. The film is by Stillz (Matías Vásquez), a 27-year-old American director and photographer of Colombian descent. Stillz was born in Miami and is known for music videos for artists such as Bad Bunny, J Balvin, and Rosalía, which have already earned him a Grammy nomination. The soundtrack is by the Venezuelan singer Arca, who lives in Barcelona. The film was selected for the Venice and Toronto festivals. According to the distributor Filmin, Barrio Triste will arrive in Portuguese cinemas 'later this year'. The jury was composed of film historian and programmer Karel Och, director Rachel Daisy Ellis, and visual artist Sara Bichão. *With Lusa. IndieLisboa includes a large showcase of Portuguese cinema. IndieLisboa: A celebration of cinematic independence.
The short film “Warden”, by Sabah Mohammadi from Iran, won the main prize at the Leiria Film Fest. In the national competition, the Best Fiction award went to “Atom & Void”, by Gonçalo Almeida.
“Barrio Triste”, by Stillz, won the Feature Film Grand Prix at the IndieLisboa festival. The Short Film Grand Prix went to “How to Catch a Butterfly”, by Kiriko Mechanicus.
A Colombian and American co-production, set in Medellín in 1987, it focuses on four marginalised teenagers who steal a film camera to document a “life of violence and loneliness”.
Barrio Triste, Cochena and A Solidão dos Lagartos take home the main awards of the Lisbon festival. An honourable list of winners, but somewhat restrained given the proposals of this edition.
