Victor Gama will perform at the Cineteatro de Seia with his project “tectonik.Tombwa,” continuing the interrupted research of Angolan anthropologist Augusto Zita N’Gonguenho.
The show, which blends African polyrhythm, electronics, and contemporary composition, has been previously presented at venues such as Carnegie Hall, New York, USA, and Philharmonie Luxembourg. It is one of the attractions kicking off Portugal’s only film festival dedicated to environmental themes.
Victor Gama’s work, also as an instrument creator, is highlighted in the first film shown by CineEco. In “Linha e água,” Rui Simões explores the musician’s work and journey in a documentary included in the competitive section for Portuguese-language feature films.
The first day of CineEco begins in the morning with the Film Market, which brings together producers, directors, and students from the Higher School of Media Arts and Design, Porto, Beira Interior University, and Lusófona University.
Closing the inaugural day at midnight is the screening of “Sirât” by Oliver Laxe, Jury Award winner at the Cannes Festival 2025 and contender for the 2026 Oscars in the Best International Film category.
This year, 81 films from 31 countries will be screened, a selection the organization describes as “a rich and diverse cinematic mosaic of contemporary environmental challenges.”
The foreign feature films selected include ten premieres in Portugal, where the human factor is always decisive in exploring, observing, or experiencing a dimension of the climate crisis.
Among the Portuguese-language feature films, the national premiere of the Brazilian documentary “Tesouro Nattterer” by Renato Barbieri stands out.
For the first time, CineEco includes a new category in the competition for short fiction, non-fiction, and animation films, featuring 13 films from 12 countries.
There is also a competitive regional panorama section, dedicated to films with narratives centered on the territory and the Serra da Estrela.
Alongside cinema, the program includes cultural activities, awareness campaigns, and intergenerational dialogues on environmental issues.
Examples include four exhibitions spread across the Seia Municipal Cultural Center and the Serra da Estrela Interpretation Center.
“The Spirit of the Mountain: We are the wind that whistles through the trees” projects the mountain as a living entity through plastic arts; “Life Cycle of Images” focuses on macroalgae as a study and creative support; the nine films of “Videoarte”; and a poster exhibition that narrates 30 years of CineEco’s history.
Until the end of CineEco, there will still be the ‘curtinhas’ for the little ones, book presentations, film workshops for all ages, workshops, and cinema sessions in debate and classic cinema.
In the epilogue of this 31st edition, the Quorum Dance Company will bring “Storm” to the Cineteatro de Seia, an original creation by maestro and composer Armando Mota with choreography by Daniel Cardoso.
Global warming and rising sea levels, particularly the future of the islands of Culatra and Armona in the Algarve, serve as the theme for the event that marks the end of this CineEco.
The Serra da Estrela International Environmental Film Festival is one of the oldest in the world dedicated to the subject, held annually and uninterruptedly every October since 1995, initiated by the municipality of Seia.
