News: A look ahead to IndieLisboa Film Festival

Cinemas across Portugal’s popular capital city of Lisbon are getting ready to stage next month’s IndieLisboa Independent Film Festival.

The 12-day celebration of indie cinema will take place from April 27 to May 7, with screenings at participating cinemas throughout the charming Portuguese capital.

IndieLisboa will showcase up to 250 films, a diverse selection of independent works spanning fiction, docuseries, animation and experimental film both in the form of feature films and shorts.

Unreleased works by renowned directors and debut films by emerging talents will be shown side-by-side, as well as a series of talks, debates and roundtables in which the audience will be able to learn more about the thinking behind many of these works. 

Celebrating a singular artist

This year marks the 20^th edition of the event and features a special retrospective of the work of surrealist artist-turned-director Jan Švankmajer. The veteran Czech film-maker, revered by the likes of Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton, announced his retirement following the release of last year’s Kunstkamera.

The retrospective will explore the often bizarre cinematic universe of this most idiosyncratic of artists, which includes Alice (1987) and Faust (1994), two prize-winning adaptations at the Berlin and Cannes film festivals, respectively. Jan Švankmajer, The Surrealist opens with Conspirators of Pleasure (1996), while Jaromír Kallista, Švankmajer’s regular producer and collaborator, will be in Lisbon for a conference at the Cinemateca Portuguesa.

The full programme will be announced three weeks before the event. All films will be subtitled in Portuguese and English

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Lisbon’s status as cultural hub continues to grow

The growing popularity of Lisbon as a destination for culture vultures has only accelerated in the past decade, as film, art and music lovers increasingly recognise the historic city’s uniquely favourable position as a cultural crossroads between Europe, Africa and Latin America.

In recent years, there has been a great deal of investment in the arts by the local government, and international organisations are also scrambling to make the most of Lisbon’s burgeoning reputation. Arco, Madrid’s internationally renowned art fair, has opened a chapter in the city, while countless galleries and museums, such as MAAT, have emerged throughout the beautiful Portuguese capital. It is no exaggeration to say that the culture scene in Lisbon can now be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of London, Berlin and New York.

Coupled with the traditional charms of Portugal, its beautifully unspoiled beaches, delicious cuisine, friendly locals and interior landscapes overflowing with greenery, it is no surprise that Lisbon and the nearby natural marvel of Sintra (pictured) are so beloved.

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