When We Dead Awaken

An adaptation of “Sea Foam”, a chapter from Cesare Pavese’s “Dialoghi con Leucò” published in 1947. The ancient Greek poet Sappho and the nymph Britomartis meet beside the sea and have a conversation about love and death. Sappho is said to have thrown herself into the ocean from lovesickness. Britomartis apparently tumbled off a cliff and into the water while fleeing from a man. Together, the two discuss the stories and images that have emerged around them to try and understand, at least for a moment, the bittersweet nature of desire.

It's summer in the Portuguese countryside, where the local festivities take place. Chico is haunted by a hate crime committed in his village against a boy who was secretly close to him. Throughout this journey, Chico, pressured by his friends, tries both to follow their social standards and to hide his fears and desires.

Ceramic dildos intended to go beyond cis-normative sex toys; the forbidden love of Josefa and Maria during the Inquisition; a singing narrator… Such are the elements that make up Dildotectonics. A masterful blend of time and place, this film gives free rein to a search for pleasure that is free from all normative constraints.

João Pedro Rodrigues answers the question from the title with an autobiographical short-film.

In an abandoned shopping center, Luis sees his best friend being assaulted. Incapable of facing it he runs away from the adolescent violence that haunts him while struggling against himself.

Gabi believes in her ability to act in times of injustice, relying on her physical abilities. One day, Gabi finds out that her brother, Daniel, is a victim of bullying in their neighbourhood. Suffering from unexpected outbreaks of sleepwalking, he disappears from home during the night. While trying to avenge him, Gabi realizes that perhaps all the coinciding events related to her brother are a test made by ghosts of the past.

João, an actress from Lisbon, as she stars in a biopic about Liberada, a gender-nonconforming figure persecuted by the Portuguese Inquisition in the 18th century. The film's production becomes a battleground as João clashes with the director over how Liberada’s legacy should be portrayed. These tensions deepen as João's dreams are increasingly haunted by Liberada's ghost, blurring the lines between past and present. When the director succumbs to a mysterious paralysis, leaving the film unfinished, João is left to navigate the unfolding chaos. She faces unanswerable questions, not only about the film's future but also about her own connection to Liberada’s spirit and story.

Lisbon, 1943. While ordering the departure of trains loaded with essential products towards Nazi Germany, Salazar’s government establishes the rationing of goods. In Portugal, thousands of workers are protesting against ‘hunger wages’. Paulo and Luísa, antifascist resistants, have lived together for several years. They are preparing to secretly or ganize a strike at the stowage. “At 6 at Adelino’s cafe.” In 20 years of militancy, Paul was never late. But, as the day progresses, the contradictions deepen. “Fog” is a free adaptation of “Fog in the City”, short story by Mário Dionísio.

In a slightly dystopian version of our reality, the Fontainhas neighborhood - Porto - is at the center of a dark plot of real estate speculation. Disappearances and other disturbing elements arouse the suspicions of one of the neighbors.

A young woman returns to Lisbon to meet her ex-boyfriend after a stay in Berlin. While trying to resettle the old relationship, she gradually realizes that the emotional and physical dependance is the only element that bonds them.