From the 4th to the 12th of July 2009, the CURTAS VILA DO CONDE – INTERNATIONAL CINEMA FESTIVAL is back. Its 17th edition will mark the reopening of the Municipal Theater of Vila do Conde, which has been remodeled since 2006, a work that results from the recovery of an emblematic building, the former Cine-Teatro Neiva, a space opened to the public in 1949 and which is now closed. for about two decades. The new building has the ideal size for the Festival, which will allow the concentration of all the spaces necessary for its realization. The 17th Curtas Vila do Conde proposes a dynamic program that privileges the diversity of approaches and proposals from the cinematographic universe, crossing them with other artistic languages such as visual arts, video art, or music. The international competition will present 46 films that attest to the excellent moment that is going through the world panorama of short film production, characterized by the approaches to the themes that mark the present and with a total of 27 countries represented, European production predominating but with a significant number of films coming from Latin America, a region that has been asserting itself as the one that has been the most talked about in recent international festivals, both in feature and short films. An outstanding space for Portuguese cinema, the national competition will show a selection of 10 films that reflect the moment of international prestige that Portuguese cinema is currently experiencing. Most of the works to be presented are premieres, guaranteeing the importance that the Festival's national competition has assumed since its creation in 1995. Portuguese cinema also appears in an extended National Panorama, filled with some of the most interesting films premiered this year, and in Take One! - which completes its 5th edition in 2009 , a privileged space for the presentation of works by students from Portuguese cinema and audiovisual schools. Comprised of a school film competition, Take One! has a final selection that resulted in a total of 12 films, and also provides a training program, in the form of workshops, this year in charge of Simon Schäfer and Randy Tack, masterclasses, conferences and the video marathon held in 48 hours, the VideoRun Restart.