The short film 'Pelo Sim Pelo Não', by Laura Andrade, which portrays the female experience from the conversations of a group of friends, received the Festival Award, which began its seventh edition on the 16th, mobilized about three thousand people, in five spaces in Porto, and closed on Sunday night.

'Clandestina', by Maria Mire, has as its starting point the work 'Memórias de Uma Falsificadora - A Luta na Clandestinidade pela Liberdade em Portugal', by the teacher and illustrator Margarida Tengarrinha (1928-2023) who forged documents of persecuted opponents during the dictatorship.

"The interest in making this film is linked both to the urgency of bringing the action of women who fought in a revolutionary way in this dark period of contemporary Portuguese history out of the shadows, and to thinking about the political dimension present in the small gestures of everyday life", according to the director, quoted in the presentation of the work.

The A Voz das Mulheres award, for "voices that refuse silence", distinguishes the best Portuguese film that addresses the importance "of the word in denouncing the situation of discrimination, in the various dimensions of life."

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The national competition also distinguished 'Cura 1', by Joana Peralta, as the best experimental film, 'Sopa Fria', by Marta Monteiro, as the best animated film, 'As Melusinas à Margem do Rio', by Melanie Pereira, as the best documentary, and 'Entre a Luz e o Nada', by Joana de Sousa, as the best work of fiction.

In the international competition, the award for best documentary went to 'Prague's Girl', by Andree Lucini, from Italy, the award for best animation went to the French production 'Green grass', by Eli Augarten, and the award for best experimental film went to 'The Altar', by Moe Myat May Zarchi, from Myanmar.

In the fiction area, 'Uli', by Mariana Gil Ríos, from Colombia, was distinguished as the best short film, and 'Woodland', by Elisabeth Scharang, from Austria, as the best feature film.

The award for the best film for the Struggles and Rights of Women went to 'Bald Women', by Sandra Román, from Spain.

The cultural association It Gets Better Portugal received the Sorority award, for its overall work in supporting young gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans and intersex people.

The Porto Femme international film festival, which defines itself as a showcase for "the best cinema produced by women and non-binary people", dedicated this year's programme to women and revolution, because for some of them "the 25th of April was late in coming".

Outside the competition, it showed films such as 'Revolução' (1975), by Ana Hatherly, 'O aborto não é um crime' (1976), by Mónica Rutler and Fernando Matos Silva, 'Beirute: Olho da tempestade' (2021), by Mai Masri, and 'Sagargur' (2024), by Natasa Nelevic.

At the opening, the Portuguese filmmaker Margarida Cardoso, who directed films such as 'Natal 71', 'A costa dos murmúrios' and 'Yvone Kane', was honoured.

The official competition of Porto Femme featured 122 films from 38 countries this year.

The full list of awards is available on the festival's social networks.

MAG (SS) // JAP

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