PORTUGUESE MICROSHORT
Portugal - 1’
SYNOPSIS
How one second can change several lifes.
CREDITS
Director, Writer and Producer: Pedro Caldeira
Key Cast: Rui Ferreira, Maria Caldeira
Assistant Director: Virgínia Barbosa
ABOUT
Pedro Caldeira is from the small town Tomar of Portugal. After years working as a programmer, he decided to follow his film passion. He started producing some author works in his spare time, and in a short amount of time he gathered good reviews and some prizes, giving him the needed boost to drive on this new road of dreams. He now works full-time as a director and editor in short movies, music videos, and much more.
Portugal - 3’
SYNOPSIS
Malena and Judy receive mysterious VR headsets at their doorstep. When they put them on, they are shocked to see their future selves staring back at them. In disbelief, Malena rips off the headset, but their future versions prove they are real by revealing personal secrets.
Excited, Judy asks if they become rich and famous, but their future selves give them a reality check: *The future isn’t magic—it’s shaped by the choices you make today.*
Realizing their fate is in their own hands, Malena and Judy take off their headsets, inspired to take control of their future—starting now.
CREDITS
Directors: Maria Elena Hanna Garcia, Judy Ali Sinno
Writers: Maria Elena Hanna Garcia, Judy Ali Sinno
Producers: Patricia Garcia Matos, Youmna Tayara
Key Cast: Maria Elena Hanna Garcia, Judy Ali Sinno, Patricia Garcia Matos, Youmna Tayara
ABOUT
Judy is an 11-year-old with a passion for storytelling, creativity, and the arts. Born to Lebanese parents, she spent most of her life in Angola before moving to Lisbon a year and a half ago. Her love for film comes from her deep interest in acting, dancing, and artistic expression, which she blends into her storytelling.
Malena is a multi-talented 10 year old with a passion for sports music and exploring new ideas . A lebanese-Spanish creative , she brings a unique perspective to the film alongside her best friend , Judy. With interests in violin, athletics, and storytelling, Malena blends energy and creativity into the film.
Despite their young age, Malena and Judy are determined to bring fresh and imaginative ideas to life, using film as a way to explore the world and inspire others.Glimpse is their first project, showcasing their personal growth and the power of choice . With an eye for detail and a love for the creative process, they are excited to share their work with the world.
Portugal - 1’
SYNOPSIS
brain rot (n.)
Oxford Word of the Year 2024.
the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material
There’s so much motivational content nowadays that it’s getting harder to not make it repetitive and uninteresting. Is this really necessary or brainwashing in desguise?
CREDITS
Directors: Filipe Amorim, Guilherme Amaral
Writer: Filipe Amorim, Isaac Barbosa
Key Cast: Filipe Amorim
ABOUT
Filipe Amorim is a multilingual actor from Portugal. He began performing in school plays as a kid and later joined the local Theater company. He wrote and directed his first on-screen work, which granted him a Best Actor award, and has trained with the Ivana Chubbuck Studio, HB Studio of New York, Tiago Fernandes, Marcello Bosschar and José Miguel Braga.
Guilherme Amaral
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
The film begins with a montage of wannabe gurus giving unnecessary life advice (everyone is a neo-stoic these days) followed by an essay by the author suggesting all this supposed coaches are actually brainwashing/rotting us with too much self help information.
Portugal - 2’
SYNOPSIS
This environmental and humanitarian short film challenges the viewer to confront the interconnected realities of our actions and their consequences. Following a character trapped in the confusion of their own reality, the story navigates the power of choice —where the future is the present, and the past is the present, preserved or destroyed by our decisions.
Through different natural elements, the film reveals humanity’s history and present collapsing on itself. Sand, apples, earth, oranges, becoming one with plastic - consuming and embodying it - and explores the buried truths of a world where lives are sacrificed for the comfort of others. It questions a global system built on consumption, ignorance, and exploitation, which is not only destroying lives but also our planet as a whole.
With a crew and cast from Portugal, Egypt, Brazil and Germany, "What Do You Prefer?" compels us to reconsider our choices, our consciousness, and the reality we wish to create.
CREDITS
Director and Writer: Gabriela Teixeira Gameiro das Neves
Key Cast: Leah Herold, Clarissa Leite, Gabriela Neves
Cinematographer: Shehab Gamal
ABOUT
Gabriela Teixeira Gameiro das Neves was born in 2002 Sintra, Portugal. Actress, writer, video editor and recently filmmaker. Graduated at the Professional School of Theater of Cascais (EPTC) 2017-2020, and now she is finishing her B.A. in Acting at Cours Florent - Berlin, Germany.
Portugal - 3’
SYNOPSIS
Joana runs away from technologies that decided to exterminate the "plague" from Earth, yet she cherishes the very human memory of music.
Fugindo de tecnologias que decidiram exterminar a "praga" da Terra, Joana ainda acalentará memórias musicais.
CREDITS
Director: Eduardo Prado Cardoso
Key Cast: Ana Isabel Delgado
ABOUT
Eduardo is a film and stage director and cultural researcher based in Lisbon, Portugal. He has worked as a screenwriter, producer and also directed his own short-films, including Delfos 2020, which premiered at Caminhos do Cinema Português, in Coimbra.
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
In "The last sound of the guitar", Ana and I wanted to bring to the screen this apocalyptic feel to Lisbon, when technological advancements have decided to wipe down the Earth. However, we also decided to explore the enduring effects of humanity, using the creation of music to show how mysteriously complex (yet flawed) we are as a species.
PORTUGUESE DOCUMENTARY
12'
SYNOPSIS
How Water makes Climate, is an original 12-minute animation, portrays the crucial connection between water cycles and the climate. The animation shows what a healthy intact water cycle is, the consequences of its destruction, and how our broken water cycle can be restored. How Water makes Climate is an engaging and educational animation that inspires youth to learn about the importance of water and with that, to also take action in their communities, as many are already doing.
This animation It is also part of our documentary Water is Love : Ripples of ReGeneration that explores the crucial connection between water cycles and the climate. Prioritizing restoring healthy water cycles can change the direction of the climate movement from adaptation to regeneration, from centralized to decentralized solutions, and from seeking tech fixes to healing our relationship with the living Earth.
CREDITS
Directors: Rosa Pannitschka, Ludwig Schramm
Writer: Martin Winiecki
Producers: Rosa Pannitschka, Ludwig Schramm
Animation & Illustration: Charly Tamalou
Sound: Tamara Montenegro Naoba, Teresa Gabriel Ayahuma, Boundica
Voice Over: Ruth Gordon
ABOUT
Rosa Pannitschka
Multidisciplinary Artist. Video Editor. Student of Life.
Lover of Community and medicinal plants.Pirate.
Ludwig Schramm
Filmmaker. Photographer. Father of Three. Raised in Community. Lover of Darkness.DJ!
17'
SYNOPSIS
The Zoomers is a short documentary that explores the journey of self-discovery and connection among Generation Z.
Directed by a filmmaker from the same generation, the film examines the lives of young adults as they navigate the challenges of a hyper-connected yet isolating digital age. Through dynamic storytelling and collaborative activities, the documentary captures a deeply idealistic and pragmatically driven generation's contradictions, aspirations, and evolving identities. The Zoomers provide an intimate platform for these voices to express their desires, worries, and collective experiences.
CREDITS
Director: Zane Sabule
Student Project- DocNomads
Producer : DocNOMADS
Producer: Zane Sabule
ABOUT
Zane Sabule, documentary filmmaker, artistic researcher, storyteller, and graduate of DocNomads Joint Master and Interdisciplinary Arts at Zuyd University of Applied Sciences.
Art for her is a method of healing - a ritual of spiritual growth. She believes that growing means constantly changing and adjusting yourself to something new. The relationship between humans as individuals in a cultural context has been the central theme throughout her artistic practice. Zane thinks her practice especially documentary filmmaking is a contact zone, a travelling space of engagement and commitment to experimental and deep listening. She wants to emphasize that we as individuals are much more connected than apart.
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
Over the past year and a half, my curiosity about documentary film practice has been a search inward— trying to explore different film languages to ask myself, "Why do I want to make films? It is based on my interest in learning more about the world and myself and I believe it has a transforming quality in that - when we search and look for the outward, we find a reflection of what we first see within.
I think documentary film practice is an important method to explore more about human behaviour in a rather artistic way. It allows for creative expression as well as experimentation in that way helping filmmakers to craft compelling narratives that challenge societal norms and provoke thought processes.
Documentary films make us think, reflect, be present, echo in the past, and give a glimpse of the future as well. I see the concept of generations working in a similar way. The study of generations provide knowledge of how people integrate into the world around them over periods of time, just as documentary filmmaking explores the complexities of human behaviour and societal dynamics. The concept of generation is one of the most known ideas of how individuals create a relationship between themselves and the society around them. At this point in my life - having the challenge to face another life transformation ahead - I see how being a young adult makes me reflect much more about my position in society. Being on the edge of a generational shift makes me wonder where I belong. Am I really from Generation Z? What is my generation's identity and where is it heading?
I believe all of us Genz’s out there are forced to sell ourselves, compete, save the planet, and resent the human impact. We tend to value ourselves only by being productive and likeable but spend way too much time isolated listening to songs about anxiety and wanting to disappear. While social media was supposed to enhance our connections and communication, it often leaves us feeling more isolated than ever before. I think this has created an interesting contradiction within my generation. Fascinated by how we manage our online and offline lives, I wonder how we navigate this contradictory landscape and cope with the expectations placed upon us.
9'
SYNOPSIS
Portraits of Ajuda is an ode to ordinary life. In this labyrinth of emotions, where each window is a blank canvas, waiting to be filled with the stories that live there. A symphony of feelings, where loneliness meets hope, sadness meets joy and love finds redemption.
CREDITS
Directors: Ana Rita Costa, André Vieira
First-time Filmmakers | Student Project - ETIC - School of Innovation and Creation Technologies
Writer: Ana Rita Costa
Producer: Francisco Oliveira, ETIC
Camera Operator: Bernardo Agostinho, João Pedro Santos
Post-Production: Salvador Pinto
Key Cast: Emília Pereira, Fernando Guimarães, Júlia Almeida, Maria Fernanda Nunes, Maria Fernanda Santos, Rosa A. Val
ABOUT
May "Portraits of Ajuda" be a journey of enchantment. A celebration of life in its fullness, where windows become mirrors of the soul and invite us to reflect on our own magnificence
16'
SYNOPSIS
A soul-searching conversation with ChatGPT about sustainability, the green energy transition, and the future of humankind, following the decommission of the largest oil refinery in Northern Portugal.
CREDITS
Director and Producer: Vasco Monteiro
Student Project - ESMAD
Key Cast: ChatGPT
ABOUT
Vasco Monteiro is a Portuguese filmmaker and scriptwriter. Most of his career has been devoted to crafting narratives in the realm of fiction, earning several awards and recognition for his writing. He recently entered new territory, taking his storytelling craft to the wonderful world of documentary film. “The Closing of a Refinery” marks his first significant foray as a documentary filmmaker.
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
The Closing of a Refinery is an attempt to address the economic, environmental and social consequences of the green energy politics.
The use of an AI text generative program, that parrots our human ideas, holds a mirror that highlights the sterile simplicity we often use in our discourse about climate change and sustainability. Instead of providing answers, this film aim’s to incite engagement with the existential challenge posed by our current climate crisis.
17'
SYNOPSIS
Epic of a Fisherman arises from listening and looking deep into a story.
Joaquim Pires is at the heart of this narrative, along with the duality between the fisherman and the artist.
The act of collecting driftwood and discarded materials from the shore matters. It matters because it confronts us with the concept of recycling.
This is the world he wishes to live in, and this is the purpose that fuels his daily life.
CREDITS
Director: Francisca Cameira Sousa Domingues
First-time Filmmaker | Student Project - Universidade do Minho
Producer: Eduarda Silva
Cinematographer: Beatriz Matos
Sound Director: Marta Coelho Silva
Chef Eletricity: Jessyca Tamyris
Editor: Francisca Cameira Sousa Domingues
ABOUT
Francisca Cameira Sousa Domingues - born and raised in a small town in the Alto Minho region of northern Portugal, I am deeply connected to the nature that shapes this land, to the people who inhabit it, and to the countless stories they share.
As a photographer and videographer, my work is driven by the desire to capture my perspective and bring to life what I carry within me. Storytelling, nature, and the creative freedom of the outdoors are at the heart of my passion.
Currently, I am in the final year of my master’s degree, continuing to explore and refine my artistic vision.
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
Knowing Mr. Joaquim became imperative.
His small blue world made me think of Antoine de Saint Exupéry's book: The Little Prince. The uniqueness of Mr. Joaquim's small world is the perfect representation of the value of small things.
But who is the man behind these sculptures?
A fisherman who accompanied the dance of the nets in cod fishing, a dance in a sea so often merciless that it seemed to want to steal his soul. A fisherman who continued the family tradition, just like his father and grandfather. But in Mr. Joaquim's heart, there is no passion for the profession of fishing; it represents the struggle of those who depended on the sea to survive. The sea was the foundation of an entire community, one that overcame hunger with hard work.
Mr. Joaquim was forced to make the sea his home and livelihood when his greatest desire was to stay on land to create his sculptures.
Now, in retirement, Mr. Joaquim celebrates each small challenge. His effort and dedication are evident, and every small victory is an impulse for a new achievement. This is the essence of his life: to value every achievement, regardless of its magnitude.
A stick spit out by the sea or river could very well be a flamingo or a snake. Why not?
Mr. Joaquim's journey through life represents a fulfilled goal. He dreamed and believed in his dream.
Thus, my intention is to portray Mr. Joaquim's world after the intense and painful life of a fisherman, focusing on the present. Translating this life into a documentary was crucial for me. Life is made of people, and finding people who captivate us is recognizing and portraying the very essence of life.
