The Monstra Animation Festival is set to take place from March 20 to 30 at various venues across Lisbon, with the primary focus on Cinema São Jorge. The event will feature an array of activities celebrating both Portuguese and international animated cinema, including screenings, exhibitions, workshops, masterclasses, and debates.
“This transnational yet transversal aspect of the festival aligns with our goals of showcasing different cultures through films and enabling dialogues between various authors and creators,” stated Monstra director Fernando Galrito.
Serving as a meeting point for the animation sector, Monstra will host sessions where producers and studios present developing projects, reflect on the festival’s 25-year history, and foster co-productions between Portugal and Spain.
Masterclasses are also on the agenda, with notable sessions led by filmmaker Regina Pessoa—already sold out—by Portuguese design studio Sound Particles, renowned in Hollywood, and by visual artist José-Manuel Xavier, a regular Monstra participant.
Fernando Galrito noted, “He is a nearly 80-year-old man from a goldsmith family who studied at António Arroio. In the late 1950s, he emigrated to France, where he made his entire career working with great French masters. Since 2000, he has artistically returned to Portugal, and he has been collaborating with Monstra.”
The festival will open with five short films, including “Mind the Gap” by Xavier, based on a namesake piece by composer Luís Tinoco. Another of his works, “Saudade, talvez…,” will compete in the Portuguese category.
The National Society of Fine Arts is currently hosting the “Outros movimentos” exhibition, dedicated to José-Manuel Xavier’s work in engraving, drawing, and painting.
Regarding the festival’s film program, Fernando Galrito highlighted the growth of Portuguese animation production, with a short film competition expanded into two sessions due to the volume and quality of entries.
Among the competitors are “Veni Vidi Non Vici” by Leonor Calaça, addressing the brutality of bullfighting practices in Portugal, “A cada dia que passa” by Aardman Studios animator Emanuel Nevado, the award-winning “Percebes” by Alexandra Ramires and Laura Gonçalves, “Sequencial” by Bruno Caetano, and the experimental film “Nenúfares” by Maria Lima.
Several films in contention for the Vasco Granja Award for Best Portuguese Short are also competing internationally. These include “A menina com os olhos ocupados” by André Carrilho, “Percebes,” “The Hunt” by Diogo Costa, “Sequencial,” “Reason and Impulse—Disappear” by Ala Nunu, and “Amanhã não dão chuva” by Maria Trigo Teixeira.
In the feature-length competition, there are six films: “Selvagens” by Claude Barras, “Rock Bottom” by Maria Trénor, “As cores interiores” by Naoko Yamada, “Um barco no jardim” by Jean-François Laguionie, “Sanatório sob o Signo da Clepsidra” by Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay, and “O caminho das sombras” by Yves Netzhammer.
This year’s featured country is Austria, while exhibition highlights include a showcase dedicated to the American studio Laika at the Puppet Museum, featuring over 600 items from films such as “Coraline,” “Paranorman,” “Mr. Link,” and the upcoming “Wildwood.”
At the Cinemateca Portuguesa, an exhibition marks ten years of the Portuguese studio Cola—Coletivo Audiovisual.
Celebrating 25 years of presenting animated films to all audiences, the festival’s achievements include more than one million spectators, around 12,500 films, and 3,000 sessions. Over two thousand creators, directors, and animators have participated, with approximately three dozen Oscar nominees featured.
