The programming of the 24th Short film festival ofVila do Conde, which runs between 9th and 17th of July, is as ambitious as previous years and promises much more cinema.
Among the highlights of this issue are competitions returning to present the best of contemporary cinema. The concert films that bring the Vila do Conde musicians like Tindersticks, Jay-Jay Johanson and The Legendary Tigerman. The retrospective dedicated to independent film collective Borderline Films and carte blanche and exposure João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata.
In 2016, Short Vila do Conde offers a tribute to the cinema and its history through a series of sessions distributed by the various sections of the festival.
As usual, the Short will have its focus on national competitions, international, experimental, Curtinhas, music videos and Take One! The sessions will again show the pulse of contemporary cinema, bringing back the Vila do Conde some authors but also presenting works by emerging filmmakers.
The In Focus section dedicates a retrospective to the collective Borderline Films, whose authors, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Josh Mond, have offered a generational renewal of American indie cinema. In this focus, the most significant films of this trio will be displayed: "James White," "Martha Marcy May Marlene" and "Simon Killer". This retrospective will thus discover these authors and how they have contributed to change American cinema, using the kind of film to tell stories and challenges of the contemporary world.
Another team, but in the form of double, has prompted great enthusiasm in Portuguese cinema and will be in Vila do Conde, João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata. The two filmmakers will present an exhibition at Solar, Cinematic Art Gallery and a carte blanche in Short Vila do Conde. Patent between July 2nd and September 25th, "From the Pearl River to the Ave" is the first exhibition in Portugal double and proposes a playful journey through the universe of the two filmmakers, seeking to establish new dialogues with the films and their production processes, a very different from what usually happens in the theater approach. In addition to the exhibition and the invitation Short Vila do Conde, João Pedro Rodrigues and João Rui Guerra da Mata will present in a mysterious and white históricacarta festival. The three sessions are part of a selection of short films chosen by the duo of filmmakers, authors such as Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Jacques Tati, Alan Schneider, Jean Genet, Andy Warhol, Kenneth Anger, Jacques Demy and Jean-Luc Godard, among others . They are historical and films that challenge the conventions of narrative cinema.
One of the most important brands of Vila do Conde nights are the concert films where music and movies are creatively. This year, the Stereo section provides Tindersticks shows, Jay-Jay Johanson, The Legendary Tiger Man and The Greg Foat Group. The Tindersticks English will present for the first time in Portugal, a specially prepared show as concert film. "The Waiting Room" follows the last album with a series of short films commissioned for the purpose of authors such as Christoph Girardet, Claire Denis or own vocalist Stuart A. Staples. Another of the big names of this edition is the Jay-Jay Johanson who will present his latest album, "Opium", admittedly more pop and rock, an audiovisual spectacle. Presence frequent in Short, The Legendary Tigerman returns this year with an amazing show, "How To Become Nothing", a project in premiere that brought the musician, photographer Rita Lino and director Pedro Maia on a road trip through the California desert. Finally, for the first time in Portugal, The Greg Foat Group, the jazz quintet led by talented musician Greg Foat, up to the festival stage to present, also on debut, "Visual Music", an original soundtrack for classic movie Vanguard. The Stereo section will also include live-theater performances by Jorge Quintela and Pedro Maia.
Another highlight is the three sessions dedicated to audiovisual test, a phenomenon that has emerged in recent years, driven by digitization of cinema, the techniques 'do it yourself' and the internet. This genre - which also has an academic component - uses excerpts from other films to prove theories or trends in sets of works or authors. Short in Vila do Conde, the phenomenon will be explained through films that can be considered archeology audiovisual test, with authors such as Bruce Conner, Matthias Müller, Martin Arnold and Jean-Luc Godard. On the other hand, they will also be displayed contemporary films from some of the best essayists, as Mark Rappaport with a session dedicated to his work, :: kogonada, Kevin B. Lee, Tony Zhou, Thomas Elsaesser or Adrian Martin.
Looking form the public of the future, the festival returns to reserve a section for children through Curtinhas, a mini-festival within the Short Vila do Conde, with screenings, a competition of films, the jury also consists of children a Children's Space workshops and film practices. Opening the Curtinhas displays the animated film "Finding Dory", plus an underwater adventure of Disney favorites fish.
For a growing audience, but with the same goal formation, the section Take One !, in addition to the film school competition, promotes masterclasses, debates and Film Criticism Workshop, which will bring together critics, filmmakers and scholars with a group of aspirants to the art of writing about film.
Every year, through a bold programming, Short Vila do Conde offers a wide selection of innovative films to an audience increasingly interested and live the week of intense Festival. So in the early days of July, every year, the beginning of summer has a place of obligatory passage!
