The Red Trinket

A transgender woman attempts to rehabilitate her younger, drug-addicted boyfriend while also dealing with her ne’er-do-well son, a soldier who’s gone AWOL.

It's last week at school, but Simon's not studying for his finals. His parents have divorced and seem to be waiting for a change that never comes. Simon gets tired of waiting. Could he get a one-way ticket to the USA? Would it be possible to make objects explode from afar? And what if time could be reversed? Or if freedom is only to be found in movies?

The fourth volume of an amazing series, Male Shorts: International V4 features six brand-new short films focusing on men. The 6 short films are: Venus in Nykes [Vênus de Nyke] (2021); The Red Trinket [O Berloque Vermelho] (2021); Ten Times Love (2020); It's Just in My Head [È solo nella mia testa] (2020); Playtime [Giochi] (2021); It Is Not the Brazilian Homosexuals Who Are Perverse, But the Situation in Which They Live [Nicht die brasilianischen Homosexuellen sind pervers, sondern die Situation in der sie leben] (2021).

A documentary that records the lives of a group of former (and some still active) Portuguese transvestites. They are: Zizi Mayer, Fanny Star, Guida Scarllaty, Deborah Krystal and Wanda Morelli. They are João Callati, Fernando Paulo, Carlos Ferreira, Fernando Santos and Fernando Soares. All these artists deserve to have their lives told because they are bigger than anything they give on stage. They are important symbols of Portuguese cultural memory and their lives and careers illustrate different moments and mentalities in our country. They are lives that have endured hardships and overcome them in forbidding times and where persecution and punishment reigned supreme. No documentary has ever been made about their lives and it is urgent that these stories are not lost. They also tell the story of our political and cultural country.

What was the Estado Novo's (portuguese dictatorship from 1926 till 1974) relationship with homosexuals? This is the central question of Walking Shadows/Sombras Andantes, a film by André Murraças based on his play of the same name. Blending documentary, cinema, theater, animation, and archival footage, the film explores the lives of homosexuals persecuted under the Estado Novo regime. From early arrests to increased policing and acts of resistance, it uncovers hidden or double lives—ranging from everyday workers to public figures and activists. Alongside known names like António Botto, Valentim de Barros, and Júlio Fogaça, anonymous stories and police records shed light on a silenced history and the mechanisms of repression.