For nine days, directors, producers and cinephiles worldwide will pass through Vila do Conde to celebrate short cinema. Among the highlights of the 2025 edition are the thematic sections Last Film, dedicated to the latest works by renowned filmmakers; In Focus, with retrospectives by directors Whit Stillman (USA) and Mahdi Fleifel (Denmark/Palestine); New Voices, centered on French filmmaker Maureen Fazendeiro; and Stereo, which once again crosses music and cinema with three cine-concerts.

In the Last Film section, the festival presents rare and final titles such as Scenarios (2024), by Jean-Luc Godard, “Bourbon Street Blues” (1979), by Douglas Sirk, or “O Velho do Restelo” (2014), by Manoel de Oliveira. In In Focus, the spotlight turns to Whit Stillman's universe, with screenings of iconic features such as “Metropolitan” (1990) and “Love & Friendship” (2016), and to the career of Mahdi Fleifel, whose latest film, “To a Land Unknown”, premiered at Cannes.

The New Voices program highlights emerging talents, and this year has chosen Maureen Fazendeiro, who will be showing short films such as “Les Habitants” (2025) and the feature “The Tsuga Diaries” (2021), co-directed with Miguel Gomes.

Contemporary art will also be given space with an exhibition at Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery, by Iranian director Maryam Tafakory, who will also have carte blanche to present her works and those of other authors, reflecting on issues of gender, memory and invisibility.

In the Stereo section, the festival once again bets on the fusion between image and live sound. Lee Ranaldo (ex-Sonic Youth) will set Bruce Baillie's “Quick Billy” to music; Felicia Atkinson will recreate the soundtrack to Georges Franju's “Les Yeux Sans” Visage (1960); and John Carrol Kirby will present an original piece alongside visual artist Nika Milano.

In addition to the film screenings, Curtas 2025 will feature talks, masterclasses and workshops aimed at different audiences, including families and children. More than 20,000 spectators are expected to attend the 86 scheduled screenings.

The full program, including the competitive sections, will be announced shortly at the press conference.