In the feature film competition, the jury, which included filmmaker Catarina Vasconcelos, cultural manager Francisca Carneiro Fernandes, and programmer and distributor Gustavo Scofano, awarded a special mention to the Australian film ‘Lesbian Space Princess,’ directed by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese. The audience award went to ‘Jone, a Vesses’ by Sara Fantova.
In the documentary competition, judged by filmmaker and producer Marta Sousa Ribeiro, visual artist and researcher ROD, and journalist Silvia Alves, the best film was ‘Ceci est mon corps’ by Jérôme Clément-Wilz. A special mention was given to ‘My Sweet Child’ by Maarten de Schutter, which also won the audience award.
For short films, the jury consisting of artist Diego Bragà, filmmaker Francisca Manuel, and cultural journalist Tiago Manaia awarded the best film to ‘Birthdays’ by Adrian Jalily. The AltContent Prize for audio and music post-production went to ‘Homunculus’.
This year’s festival edition welcomed dozens of international guests from countries like Spain, Belgium, Brazil, France, Italy, Austria, Argentina, Chile, the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada. It also saw a significant Portuguese presence, enriching the dialogue between creators and spectators over the nine-day event, according to the organizers.
In a statement, the organization highlighted the “high turnout,” which was around eight thousand people, offering a “program strongly influenced by the turbulent international political and social situation.”
“Queer Lisboa 29 embraced and promoted activist and denunciatory cinema, as well as personal films addressing themes such as trauma and overcoming, mourning and family, with a curatorial line that also emphasized issues related to migrations and diasporas, HIV/AIDS, sexuality, and mental health. It celebrated the rich spectrum of LGBTQIA+ experiences and the transformative power that a queer perspective can have on the world,” it noted.
The dates for Queer Lisboa 30, a special edition of the festival, have been confirmed and will take place from September 18 to 26, 2026, at Cinema São Jorge and Cinemateca Portuguesa.
The 11th edition of Queer Porto is scheduled for November 4 to 8, 2025, at Batalha Centro de Cinema, Casa Comum, and Passos Manuel.
