Doclisboa 25

Victoria Hely-Hutchinson’s deliciously paced Vacances is neither a reductive portrait of an old eccentric nor a sensationalist dissection of a dysfunctional family. Although either could probably have been edited from her material. Instead, we mostly find ourselves lounging languidly around a sunny villa in Provence, as the uninhibited, at times inexcusably rude, Granny dominates the proceedings. But at some point, something’s gotta give…

The International Competition brings together 12 films, including seven world premieres, three international premieres, one European premiere, and three debut works. The Portuguese Competition will feature 12 titles, including seven world premieres, one European premiere, and four national premieres. In total, the festival will present 211 films from 54 countries, including 93 feature films and 118 short films. Doclisboa 2025 will take place from October 16 to 26.

Hugo Pedro’s deliciously-titled feature project portrays a “constellation” of young friends who refuse to kowtow to the world they live in. “By portraying this intimate space shared among a group of friends, we have this unfiltered and unique look into the lives of a non-conformed youth,” says production co-ordinator Vasco Esteves. “Hoping for a more humane world, their daily experiences are fuelled by the desire to conceive a parallel world, a refuge, a community, where they can play, feel happy and be free.”

End of the Present by Andrea Bussmann, and Hôtel Homère by Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour and Ryan Ferko, have been selected for Jordà Residencies following the 2026 call for proposals. Both projects are “intertwined in their focus on memory and technological mediation,” the festival underlines. Organised by Museo Reina Sofía, Doclisboa and FIDMarseille, the residency is structured across three phases - in Madrid, Marseille and Lisbon.

“The Industry section at Doclisboa is a space for fostering both creative and production-based collaborations. It is also a space for the kind of cinema that the festival believes in — one that values artistic integrity, reflection, and community,” Marina Thomé, the festival’s Director of Industry and Development, underlines to Business Doc Europe as doors opened on the 2025 edition of the Portuguese docfest.

“We need to care for the people that bring the films here, and we need to care for the people that come to watch the films - it's like a mantra,” director Helder Beja tells BDE on the eve of Doclisboa 2025. The Portuguese docfest (Oct 16 to 26) presents 211 films from 54 countries, which include 93 feature films and 118 shorts. Thirty-nine of the films play as world premieres, while 31 films are made by Portuguese filmmakers. The 23rd edition of Doclisboa opens October 16 with Palestinian Kamal Aljafari’s With Hasan in Gaza.

Films on Madonna, David Lynch, Boy George, Jeff Buckley are selected for the Heart Beat section, whose selections span “multiple art forms and expressions, celebrating the creative act,” write organisers. From the Earth to the Moon section features three heavyweights of world cinema — Werner Herzog with Ghost Elephants, Lucrecia Martel with Landmarks, and Laura Poitras, co-director of Cover-Up. The 22nd edition of Doclisboa runs 16 - 26 October.

The board of Apordoc has appointed Hélder Beja as the new Director of Doclisboa as part of a renewed structure that now includes Boris Nelepo as Co-Head of Programming, with Cíntia Gil continuing in the role of Associate Programmer. Beja is an arts journalist, editor, and screenwriter who co-founded and directed the Macau Literary Festival for seven editions (2012–2018), and has been one of the organisers of the biennial Asia Pacific Writers & Translators conference since 2019.

In an abandoned building in Lisbon, young people build a community, where art, affection, and resistance intertwine in a collective struggle for the right to housing. Meanwhile, like a Greek chorus, the choir of the Kantata of the Uncertain Roof sing songs of protest against housing injustice. “I’ve followed movements claiming the right to space in contexts from Mexico and Costa Rica to Rome and Lisbon,” says director Claudio Carbone. “In each project, I try to reflect on the everyday lives and collective desires of communities that resist displacement and alienation.”

Produced by Rodrigo Areias of Bando à Parte. André Guiomar’s feature project tells the extraordinary story of Mozambican Alex who, at the age of 4, escaped civil war in his country after his adoption by Chinese foster parents. Years later, as a Kung Fu master who trained at the Shaolin Temple, he returns to fight corruption, training the Special Forces. “It’s the Kung Fu mentality prevailing over the local culture, and martial arts and values transforming an unprepared police force into a high performance one,” Areias explains to BDE his fascination for the project.