In a press conference held today in Lisbon, producer and founder of Leffest, Paulo Branco, revealed the lineup for the 19th edition, scheduled to take place from November 7 to 26 across various venues in Lisbon and, for the first time, in Amadora.
Paulo Branco mentioned that while some invited guests are yet to confirm their participation, filmmakers Jim Jarmusch, who recently won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Gus van Sant, and actress Kristen Stewart, whose films “Dead Man’s Wire” and “The Chronology of Water” will be presented, are among those expected.
Confirmed attendees include American artist Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, Brazilian actor Wagner Moura, who will be honored, and American director Hal Hartley, whose retrospective will feature his latest film, “Where to Land”.
Branco also emphasized a tribute to Portuguese actress Isabel Ruth, closely linked to the Novo Cinema Português and known for her collaborations with directors such as Paulo Rocha, Manoel de Oliveira, and Sérgio Tréfaut.
The event will also highlight Portuguese cinema with João Botelho showcasing “As meninas exemplares”, inspired by the literary work of the Countess of Segur, as a tribute to visual artist Paula Rego.
Leffest will present two debut Portuguese feature films: “Entroncamento” by Pedro Cabeleira, in the official competition, and “Maria Vitória” by Mário Patrocínio.
The announcement included a selection of films such as Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon”, Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet”, “Nova 78′” by Aaron Brookner and Rodrigo Areias, and Lynne Ramsay’s “Die my love”.
French filmmaker Olivier Assayas will attend with his film “The wizard of the Kremlin”, starring Jude Law as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The festival will focus on Central Asian cinema, featuring films from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, and pay homage to Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, who recently turned 90.
Paulo Branco explained that, to reach a wider audience, the festival will hold sessions at the Auditório dos Recreios and the Cineteatro D. João V, both in Amadora.
It will be distributed across São Jorge and Nimas cinemas, Culturgest, Teatro do Bairro, Galeria Zé dos Bois, and NOS Amoreiras.
The program was disclosed over a month before the festival to avoid “interfering” with the local elections, Branco stated, alongside Lisbon’s mayor, Carlos Moedas, who is running for re-election.
Regarding future editions, Branco stated that there is no “multi-year agreement” between the municipality and the festival’s organization, regardless of the outcome of the October 12 elections.
“Will it continue next year? I don’t know; it’s not just about the supports. There must be a will on our part to continue the festival. I don’t like definitive things. (…) I like to be surprised. If things go well, we would like to proceed, but it’s not up to us, and we won’t impose our will on anyone,” he said.
Tickets for the festival will be available at the end of October.
