Once again, the International Competition stands at the heart of the 34th Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival, offering a panorama of the finest short films produced over the past year. Bringing together fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental works, the section reaffirms the festival's international vocation by showcasing a wide range of cinematic languages, artistic sensibilities, and cultural perspectives.

With films from more than twenty countries, this year's selection reflects the creative diversity of contemporary cinema, bringing together internationally acclaimed filmmakers alongside emerging voices that have made their mark at major film festivals. From pressing political and social issues to intimate personal narratives, and from formal experimentation to aesthetic innovation, the International Competition offers a comprehensive portrait of the vitality of today's short filmmaking.

Among the featured filmmakers are internationally renowned names such as Sergei Loznitsa, Radu Jude, Mohammad Rasoulof, Bill Morrison, and Ali Cherri, whose work has been celebrated at the world's leading film festivals and who return to Curtas Vila do Conde with new films.

Animation once again occupies a prominent place within the programme, with new works by filmmakers including Georges Schwizgebel, Niki Lindroth von Bahr, Anna Mantzaris, and Stacey Steers. Portuguese cinema is also strongly represented, with films by Carlos Conceição, Daniel Soares, Rita Barbosa, Filipe Melo, João Pedro Barriga, Maria Novo, Matilde Camacho, Gonçalo Pina, Inês Pedrosa e Melo, Pedro Ramalhete, Susa Monteiro, Ana Fernandes, Joana Vieira da Costa, and many others.

By bringing together filmmakers from different generations and cultural backgrounds, the International Competition once again confirms Curtas Vila do Conde as one of the leading meeting points for contemporary cinema, offering audiences the opportunity to discover some of the most significant short films produced over the past twelve months.

Selected Films – International Competition 2026

• The Hour of the Star — Rita Barbosa (Portugal) | Fiction | 20'

• The Romantic Nebula — Pedro Ramalhete (Portugal) | Fiction | 19'

• What Do the Maknines Dream Of — Sarra Ryma (Algeria/France) | Fiction | 23'

• The Page Turner — Filipe Melo (Portugal) | Fiction | 5'

• A Few Things Happening By a River — Daniel Soares (Portugal/France) | Fiction | 14'

• Champ de Mars — Sergei Loznitsa (The Netherlands) | Documentary | 12'

• City of Owls — Zhenia Kazankina (France/Germany/Italy) | Fiction | 14'

• The Last Spring — Mathilde Bédouet (France) | Animation | 15'

• From Silence to Word — João Pedro Barriga (Portugal) | Documentary | 20'

• You Say That You're Staying at the Party Because You're Having Fun — Siri Hammarén (Denmark/Germany/Switzerland) | Fiction/Experimental | 28'

• Corpus Christi — Bea Lema (Spain) | Animation | 13'

• Flux — Ana Fernandes and Joana Vieira da Costa (Portugal) | Animation | 10'

• How to Cook a Chicken Underground — Nacho Sánchez and Olivia Delcán (Spain) | Fiction | 29'

• Cosmonauts — Leo Černic (Slovenia/Italy) | Animation | 14'

• The Sentinel — Ali Cherri (France) | Fiction | 29'

• like moths to light — Gala Hernández López (Spain/Italy/France) | Documentary | 26'

• The Liars — Eduardo Braun Costa (Argentina/Brazil/France) | Fiction | 19'

• Lovely Butterfly — Fairouz Hasan (Palestinian Territories) | Documentary | 20'

• Massa Mãe — Maria Novo (Portugal) | Fiction | 21'

• Nobody Barks — Júlia Coldwell Serra (Spain) | Fiction | 20'

• In the Beginning — Ala Nunu (Spain/Portugal/Poland) | Animation | 11'

• Nothing Happens After Your Absence — Ibrahim Omar (Sudan) | Fiction | 15'

• Fresh Cut — Hadrien Bels (France) | Fiction | 16'

• OH BOYS — Antonio Donato (Italy/UK/USA) | Ficção | 17'

• Shot Reverse Shot — Radu Jude and Adrian Cioflâncă (Romenia) | Documentary | 23'

• Please — Anna Mantzaris (Sweden/France/Czech Republic/Norway/Finland) | Animation | 8'

• porto2000 — Matilde Camacho (Portugal) | Animation/Experimental | 8'

• Infinity River — Gonçalo Pina (Portugal) | Fiction | 23'

• Sawyer Avenue, Sunday Afternoon — Bill Morrison (EUA) | Documentary | 18'

• Sense of Water — Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran/Germany) | Fiction | 39'

• Still Playing — Mohamed Mesbah (France) | Documentary | 37'

• The Dark Knot at the Center — Inês Pedrosa e Melo (Portugal/USA) | Documentary | 18'

• The End — Niki Lindroth von Bahr (Sweden/France/Denmark) | Animation | 17'

• The Picture of Dorian Gray — Georges Schwizgebel (Switzerland) | Animation | 7'

• The Stars Watch from Long Ago — Stacey Steers (USA) | Animation/Experimental | 22'

• A Firestarter's Heart — Carlos Conceição (Portugal) | Fiction | 54'

• A Sky So Low — Joachim Michaux (France/Belgium) | Fiction | 32'

• Vagabond — Susa Monteiro (Portugal) | Animation | 11'

• Asphalt Reds — João Niza Ribeiro (Portugal/France) | Documentary/Fiction | 30'

• Guided Tour — Alba Jaramillo (France/Porto Rico) | Documentary/Fiction | 16'

• What Do You Seek in the Dark? — Tossaphon Riantong (Thailand) | Fiction | 20'

• Whispers of a Burning Scent — Mo Harawe (Austria/Germany/Somalia) | Fiction | 28'

• Someday, a Child — Marie Rose Osta (France/Lebanon/Romania) | Fiction | 27'