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In Focus

This program presents the work of directors with established credits and a major influence on current world cinema, through retrospectives that allow their work to be shown and put into context.

Whit Stillman

Renowned for his comedies of manners such as "Metropolitan" (1990), "Barcelona" (1994), and "The Last Days of Disco" (1998), American filmmaker Whit Stillman has built a career characterized by witty dialogue and ironic portrayals of urban elites. The retrospective offers Portuguese audiences the chance to revisit Stillman's distinctive body of work, which has influenced 1990s American independent cinema. His presence at the festival will also include a session with a Q&A opened to the audience

Whit Stillman 1
· THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO, 1998, USA, FIC, 113'

Whit Stillman 2

· BARCELONA, 1994, USA, France, FIC, 101'

Whit Stillman 3
· DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, 2011, USA, FIC, 99'

Whit Stillman 4: Surprise Film + Talk

Whit Stillman 5
· METROPOLITAN, 1990, USA, Spain, FIC, 99'

Whit Stillman 6
· LOVE & FRIENDSHIP, 2016, USA, UK, Irland, The Netherlands, France, FIC, 96'

+ Making low budget films: discussion with Whit Stillman

Tickets

Whit Stillman, Photo: David Koskas

Mahdi Fleifel

Known for works such as "A World Not Ours" (2012), "A Man Returned" (2016), and "A Drowning Man" (2017), Palestinian-Danish filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel has explored themes related to the Palestinian refugee experience and diaspora. The festival will host the national premiere of his latest film, "To a Land Unknown" (2024), which had its world premiere at the Directors' Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival.

Mahdi Fleifel 1
· A WORLD NOT OURS, 2012, Lebanon, UK, Denmark, Palestinian Territories, United Arab Emirates, DOC, 93'

Mahdi Fleifel 2

· ELEFSINA NOTRE AMOUR, Greece, Palestinian Territories, 2023, DOC, EXP, 9’

· 3 LOGICAL EXITS, UK, Denmark, Lebanon, 2020, DOC, 15’

· A DROWNING MAN, UK, Denmark, Greece, 2017, FIC, 15’

· A MAN RETURNED, UK, Denmark, The Netherlands, Palestinian Territories, 2016, DOC, 30

· XENOS, UK, Denmark, Greece, 2014, DOC, 13’

Mahdi Fleifel 3 + Talk
· I SIGNED THE PETITION, Germany, Switzerland, UK, 2018, DOC, 10’

· 20 HANDSHAKES FOR PEACE, Palestinian Territories, Germany, 2014, DOC, 5’

Mahdi Fleifel 4
· TO A LAND UNKNOWN, UK, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Greece, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian Territories, 2024, FIC, 105’

Tickets

Mahdi Fleifel, Photo: Bas Bogaerts

Maryam Tafakory

Maryam Tafakory is an Iranian visual artist who works with film and performance. Through collages that combine poetry, speculative nonfiction, and archival materials, Tafakory analyzes how images convey meaning, highlighting neglected narratives, especially queer stories. Her research-based projects address post-revolution Iranian cinema through films, performances, and video essays. In 2025, the filmmaker will present a film program to be screened at Curtas Vila do Conde, proposing a dialogue between a partial retrospective of her work and various works that have influenced her artistic practice and consciousness.

Maryam Tafakory 1
· THE RETREAT, Gelare Khoshgozaran, 2023, USA, France, DOC, 21'
· THE HOUSE IS BLACK, Forugh Farrokhzad, 1962, Iran, DOC, 22'
· A NIGHT WE HELD BETWEEN, Noor Abed, 2024, Palestinian Territories, EXP, 30'

Maryam Tafakory 2

· THE SHIP OF EXILE, Jocelyne Saab, 1982, France, Lebanon, DOC, 15'
· WE BEGAN BY MEASURING DISTANCE, Basma Alsharif, 2009, Palestinian Territories, Egypt, DOC, EXP, 19'
· THE TIME THAT SEPARATES US, Parastoo Anoushahpour, 2022, Canada, Jordan, Palestinian Territories, DOC, EXP, 35'

Maryam Tafakory 3
· I SIGNED THE PETITION, Mahdi Fleifel, 2018, Germany, Switzerland, UK, DOC, 10'
· THE FLOWERS STAND SILENTLY, WITNESSING THE FLOWERS, Theo Panagopoulos, 2024, UK, DOC, 17'
· THE SECRET GARDEN, Nour Ouayda, 2023, Lebanon, EXP, FIC, 27'
· PARADISO, XXXI, 108, Kamal Aljafari, 2022, Palestinian Territories, Germany, DOC, EXP, 18'

Maryam Tafakory 4
· DEL NEVESHTEH, Maryam Tafakory, 2025, Iran, PERFORMANCE, 24'
· RAZEH-DEL, Maryam Tafakory, 2024, Iran, Italy, UK, FIC, DOC, 29'
· MAST-DEL, Maryam Tafakory, 2023, Iran, UK, EXP, FIC, DOC, 17'