The Stereo programme, one of the most distinctive and anticipated sections of Curtas Vila do Conde, once again asserts itself as a privileged platform for the encounter between cinema and live music, with this year's edition placing a particular focus on electronic music as a medium for audiovisual exploration.

The first performance is by Lee Ranaldo, musician and co-founder of the American band Sonic Youth, who, accompanied by Luís Bittencourt, will present a newly composed live soundtrack for "Quick Billy" (1971), by filmmaker Bruce Baillie. Widely regarded as a key figure in American avant-garde and independent cinema, Baillie’s work finds a fitting counterpart in Ranaldo's experimental guitar approach, in a performance that merges sonic innovation with poetic visual language.

Another highlight of the programme is Félicia Atkinson’s interpretation of "Eyes Without a Face" (1960), the iconic French film by Georges Franju. Atkinson, a French electroacoustic composer and visual artist, reimagines the film through a blend of piano, Fender Rhodes, voice, field recordings and electronic textures, creating a meditative and immersive soundscape that reflects her multifaceted artistic practice.

The programme also includes the premiere of a newly commissioned audiovisual performance by pianist and producer John Carroll Kirby, in collaboration with Nika Milano, a Venezuelan-born audiovisual artist based in Mexico City. Known for his work with Solange, Eddie Chacon and Frank Ocean, Kirby will perform live alongside Rory McCarthy (synthesisers), scoring a film created specifically for the event. Milano’s work, which fuses analogue synthesis, obsolete video technologies and raw electronic signals, results in abstract and rhythmic visuals, forming a hypnotic dialogue between sound and image.

These three cine-concerts are presented as part of the Stereo programme and are co-produced by Curtas Metragens CRL, VIERNULVIER, and Film Fest Gent, in collaboration with the Videodroom Festival, further strengthening Curtas Vila do Conde’s international role in the production and presentation of innovative works at the intersection of cinema and music.