Laura Gama Martins

The apparition of a bloodstain reaffirms the relentless cycle of life, filmed in all its fragility and complexity.

Three Portuguese queer short films brought together in a program that charts an alternative path through converging universes, forming a new constellation of desires, fears, and struggles. Entre a Luz e o Nada by Joana de Sousa, Sob Influência by Ricardo Branco, and Uma Rapariga Imaterial by André Godinho are three cinematic gestures that explore techniques and narratives from science fiction to horror, seeking new ways to view and imagine other possibilities. After traveling through various festivals, these films can now be experienced together, in a mutual exploration of mysterious worlds, unsettling dreams, and singular visions.

Accompanied by two botanical guides, a group of hikers embarks on a journey through the enchanting landscapes of Arrábida Natural Park. As they traverse the park's diverse flora and fauna, they uncover evidence of a troubling transformation: rather than the work of nature, it becomes clear that human intervention is reshaping this once-pristine environment.

In the year 74 BC, Titus Lucretius Carus, a young man with bold ideas, tries to convince his friend Memio that moving to the city of Rome to study is a total waste of time. Years later, Lucretius returns from the capital. Trying to find a balance between his explanations of the natural world and his emotional experience of it, Lucretius lives a deep and troubled passion with his foreign wife Isa.

Miguel is 9 years old and obsessed with singer Mariah Carey. He goes to a Catholic school and one day his class is challenged by the nuns to sell calendars of the Virgin Mary. When he finds out that he won't be able to keep the profits from the calendar sales like he thought, he decides to take action. Like some kind of miracle, his favorite singer is going to perform in his hometown.

Twenty years ago, believing she was doomed, Irma took a trip to Greece. Today, she retraces that journey, accompanied by three young men. From island to island, between sky and sea, the travelers read, listen and live, carried by a longing for beauty and clarity.

It’s summer and it feels like everything is melting. The body melts in sweat and the afternoon fades into endless nights. Weird dreams invade Shade’s sleep and unexplainable lights appear in the sky. Between work, home and friends, Shade seems to be floating. They are in suspension, in an intermediate state in which the reality of the world does not sustain itself.

It’s summer, a boy and his friends go to the river. On the ride there, a story is told about a man and his pet snake that tried to eat him. The boy falls from a tree trunk and gets hurt. A girl follows him. A couple kiss each other, another boy explores the woods and a third one just lays by a tree eating a peach. In four chapters, the heat and the humidity of the forest unravel desires among them.