Here we are—what now?
Here we are—what now? It is a question that troubles many of us, and should trouble us all when we look at the world and at our own country. It resists every easy answer. Cinema is certainly not the solution to the tragedy of war, to carnage and the genocide of a people, to the rise of nationalism and new fascisms, or to the environmental crisis that dries up even our ideas. Yet cinema is, or at least can be, a place to think the world and think about the world: not merely an artistic expression that mirrors reality—always a deceptive mirror—but a unique tool for probing our miseries, our dreams, and our hopes.
Here we are, and at Doclisboa we continue to believe in cinema’s transformative power—both as a communal experience (long live the cinema theatre) and as an individual one. We remain excited by the ceaseless quest for singularity—for filmmakers, gestures, perspectives, projects—and by the dialogue that keeps the cinema of earlier times in conversation with the present. We remain, as ever, committed to defending cinema—Portuguese cinema in particular. Confident in the strength of an original curatorial vision, we present this 2025 edition.
And what do we propose? The boldness of the works in the International Competition, whose diverse approaches reveal the power of what cinema can be; and the varied strength of the Portuguese Competition, where different languages, gazes and generations converge. New Visions is built around the search for connections between films—for what they bring—and for cinema as a way of thinking and articulating the world. This year, once again, we draw lines between films of different eras (from 1896, with Gabriel Veyre’s early cinema, to today), across regimes and practices.
Our guest filmmakers—Trương Minh Quý (Vietnam), Nicolas Graux (Belgium) and Hala Elkoussy (Egypt)—present works of great artistic and political scope, challenging tradition and renewing our imagination. Shadowboxing, a collaboration between Cíntia Gil and Jean-Pierre Rehm, returns with three sessions inspired by the Palestinian film Two Metres of This Land, by Ahmad Natche.
From the Earth to the Moon offers a kaleidoscopic view of the world and welcomes back key figures to the Festival. Ross McElwee (Remake) and Želimir Žilnik (Eighty Plus), both previously honoured with retrospectives, return with intimate, tender films about family and ageing. We also welcome Lucrecia Martel’s Landmarks, and Laura Poitras’s Cover-Up, each offering critical, necessary reflections on the realities of their countries. From Portugal, an unmissable highlight: As Brigadas Revolucionárias na Luta Contra a Ditadura, Luiz Gobern Lopes’ documentary on the anti-fascist movements during the Portuguese dictatorship.
The arts and their protagonists inspire the films in Heart Beat, with three tributes standing out: Robert Wilson, David Lynch and Luciano Berio—masters no longer with us, but whose work remains vividly alive. We also feature Solveig Nordlund’s journey into the heart of Teatro da Cornucópia, and films exploring the life and work of icons such as Madonna and Jeff Buckley.
Finally, the raw pulse of those venturing into cinema animates the Green Years competition, alongside the free spirit of William Greaves, the African-American filmmaker to whom we dedicate our joint retrospective with the Cinemateca Portuguesa.
In all, more than 200 films—new titles and works rescued from the past—await their audiences: they were made to be seen, loved, debated and lived. A common thread runs through much of our programme: the decision to pause and look, to revisit what has been lived in order to imagine what is yet to come. These films do not flee from conflict or memory; they welcome them, finding in cinema a way to traverse history, culture and ideas, and inviting us—in a gesture of creativity and resistance—to keep inhabiting this world.
Here we are, and we continue to believe in the artistic and political force of cinema, and in the role of a festival like Doclisboa: from its programming to Nebulae, the industry platform and meeting point for so many professionals; from the educational projects we develop with Apordoc, our parent association, to the Arché project laboratory, which continues to support the cinema we believe in.
Here we are, too, seeing Doclisboa as a celebration—aware that the greatest celebration of our times is resistance itself. These are not days for easy optimism. Yet, with the strength of a remarkable team and the vital support of all our partners, two ideas capture what drives us and the festival we now offer the city: hope and a desire for the future. Long live Doclisboa. Long live cinema.
Hélder Beja
Director do Doclisboa