Featuring both Portuguese and World premieres, this section of the 34th Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival presents films by established directors alongside new talents who are now beginning to make their mark on the national and international film scene.

With works spanning fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental film, this year’s selection reaffirms Curtas Vila do Conde as a premier platform for discovering new cinematic languages and promoting Portuguese filmmaking.

Among the highlights of the competition is Carlos Conceição, who returns to the festival with A Firestarter's Heart, his latest short film, as well as Daniel Soares, who presents A Few Things Happening By a River, following the international recognition he has achieved in recent years. The selection also includes new works by filmmakers such as Filipe Melo, Rita Barbosa, João Pedro Barriga, Maria Novo, Inês Pedrosa e Melo, Matilde Camacho, João Niza Ribeiro, Gonçalo Pina, Pedro Ramalhete, Susa Monteiro, Ana Fernandes, and Joana Vieira da Costa, as well as Ala Nunu, a co-production between Spain, Portugal, and Poland.

The program also highlights the formal diversity of current national film production, bringing together animated films, documentaries, fiction films, and works that blend different genres and cinematic approaches, reflecting the plurality of perspectives that characterizes a new generation of Portuguese filmmakers.

The selected films for the 2026 Portuguese Competition are:

• The Hour of the Star, by Rita Barbosa (Ficção)

• The Romantic Nebula, by Pedro Ramalhete (Ficção)

• The Page Turner, by Filipe Melo (Ficção)

• A Few Things Happening By a River, by Daniel Soares (Ficção)

• From Silence to Word, by João Pedro Barriga (Documentary)

• Flux, by Ana Fernandes and Joana Vieira da Costa (Animation)

• Massa Mãe, by Maria Novo (Ficção)

• In the Beginning, by Ala Nunu (Animation)

• Porto2000, by Matilde Camacho (Animation / Experimental)

• Infinity River, by Gonçalo Pina (Ficção)

• The Dark Knot at the Center, by Inês Pedrosa e Melo (Documentary)

• A Firestarter's Heart, by Carlos Conceição (Ficção)

• Vagabond, by Susa Monteiro (Animation)

• Asphalt Reds, by João Niza Ribeiro (Documentary/Fiction)
  

By bringing together established filmmakers and emerging voices, the Portuguese Competition reaffirms Curtas Vila do Conde’s commitment to promoting Portuguese cinema and discovering works that challenge conventions, renew cinematic languages, and reflect the creative diversity of contemporary Portuguese filmmaking.