In its 33rd edition, Curtas Vila do Conde reaffirms its role as a key platform for the celebration and promotion of contemporary Portuguese cinema. With great anticipation, the Portuguese Competition presents the national premieres of the latest works by filmmakers whose creative journeys the festival has followed closely over the past three decades. Among the familiar names are Carlos Lobo, Carlos Pereira, Diogo Salgado, Sofia Bost, Gabriel Abrantes, Alice Eça Guimarães, Inês Oliveira, Gonçalo Almeida, Alexandre Sousa, and Paulo Abreu. At the same time, Curtas remains firmly committed to championing new talent, once again bringing to the fore an emerging generation of promising filmmakers who are now beginning to shape the future of Portuguese cinema.

Curtas Vila do Conde will be one of the qualifying festivals for the IBERSHORTS Award, a distinction organised by the Malaga Festival in collaboration with Festhome, with the aim of giving international visibility to the production of short fiction and animation films made in Ibero-American countries.

As part of this collaboration, the festival will nominate two short films from the Portuguese competition (the best film, chosen by the jury, and the audience award), which will be added to those selected by the other qualifying festivals and will compete for the IberShorts Award for Best Ibero-American Fiction Short Film at the 29th edition of the Malaga Festival in 2026.

The International Competition at Curtas serves as a snapshot of the past year – not only of the world, but also of cinema –  highlighting the enduring vitality of the seventh art. Showcasing a selection of the best works produced over the last 12 months across fiction, documentary, and animation, and always marked by strong cultural and geographic diversity, this competition offers a unique window into the state of the world: what can be done in the face of a reality in turmoil, on the verge of collapse? According to these films, the answer lies in a cinema that is effervescent, combative, and deeply engaged with the issues shaping our societies. "Being John Smith", a documentary by artist and filmmaker John Smith, marks his return to Curtas with an essay that looks back on his career while raising urgent questions about what it means to make art in a time when global horrors are escalating – and whether art still holds value in such a context. Also in the field of documentary, the war in Ukraine takes center stage in films by three Ukrainian directors: Sergei Loznitsa (a regular presence at Curtas), Vitaly Mansky (making his festival debut despite being a multi-award-winning filmmaker), and Mila Zhluktenko. Migration is another recurring theme. "Pasta Negra", by Jorge Thielen Armand, is a fiction film about Venezuelan women crossing the border in search of food. In "Sunset over America", Chilean director Matías Rojas Valencia follows a young girl leaving Venezuela and travelling across the continent in search of a better life in Chile. The theme also appears in two animated works: "As If the Earth Had Swallowed Them Up", by Natalia León, about a migrant returning to Mexico, and "Sulaimani", by Vinnie Ann Bose, which follows two Indian women and the memories they left behind when they emigrated to France.

Fiction, too, can be a way of facing turbulent times – whether through escapism, nostalgia, or metaphor. Here, we welcome back two Greek filmmakers: Konstantina Kotzamani (already awarded at the festival), with "What Mary Didn't Know", and Thelyia Petraki, with "400 Cassettes". Also returning is French director Guil Sela, with "No Skate" – a playful take on the Paris Olympics, following his appearance at last year's edition. Among the returning directors, special mention goes to Colombian filmmaker Andrés Ramírez Pulido and the collective Total Refusal, with a new film that uses video games to create a subversive commentary. Science fiction also offers a form of escape from reality, as in "Vox Humana", by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, and "Common Pear", by Gregor Božič. Among the newcomers to Curtas, a final highlight goes to acclaimed Italian director Marco Bellocchio, who once again returns to the short film format. With such a diverse and thought-provoking lineup, the best approach is to dive in and discover these fresh new perspectives on the world.

Year after year, the Experimental Short Film Competition offers a profound reflection on the possibilities of cinema, breaking down aesthetic, formal, and spatial boundaries. This 33rd edition features Maryam Tafakory, whose work between cinema and performance addresses gender violence through Iranian archives. The program includes established names such as Christoph Girardet and Morgan Quaintance, as well as debuts by filmmakers such as Younes Ben Slimane, Carla Andrade, and João Pedro Amorim. Between fiction, documentary, and experimental, the films offer a re-enchanted ethical, political, and poetic reading of the world.

From hundreds of submissions, Curtas chose a set of school films - fiction, documentary and animation - that attest to the creative and aesthetic diversity of young Portuguese filmmakers attending film schools in Portugal or abroad. The Take One! programme is one of the most exciting at Curtas, offering a window into the diversity of emerging voices in the national film scene and emerging talents, making it a privileged stage for a new generation of Portuguese filmmakers. It is hoped that this will allow us to follow the first steps of those who may become the leading figures in Portuguese cinema in the coming decades, remembering that previous editions have included winners such as João Salaviza, Leonor Teles, Salomé Lamas, and João Gonzalez, the latter of whom recently saw his film ‘Ice Merchants’ recognised as one of the nominees for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.

One of the most unique moments of the Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festival is the Music Video Competition. Since its inception in 2005, this competition has celebrated the dynamic convergence of music and cinema, highlighting the creativity and innovation of Portuguese visual artists and musicians. The competition, dedicated exclusively to music videos by bands or artists of Portuguese origin or produced by Portuguese authors, plays a vital role in expressing the identity of these artists. Previous winners include directors such as João Nicolau, Laetitia Morais, André Tentugal, João Pombeiro, and Luís Sobreiro.

The Curtinhas section brings back the most energetic and entertaining films from Curtas. Three competitions for three different age groups, M/3, M/6, M/9, will be viewed and carefully evaluated by an attentive and discerning jury, composed of a group of children between the ages of 8 and 12. But the Curtinhas section is not just about films; children and families can also enjoy the workshops we offer, which are educational opportunities but also fun group activities.

Program curated by students from four secondary schools in the region and Escola Superior de Media Artes e Design (ESMAD), who were involved in all stages of the process, from selecting the films to drafting texts, synopses, and posters. 

Through nine short films, the My Generation section reflects this generation of young people's view of the world, helping us to think about current issues from their perspective.

The My Generation Award, sponsored by Auto Bemguiados, is awarded by the public by filling in the voting ballots.