Portuguese cinema well represented at the Cannes Film Festival
Portugal makes a significant mark with five films selected across various sections of the festival, including two feature films and three shorts.
The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival officially opened on Tuesday, kicking off with a distinctly international and politically conscious lineup, including a notable selection of Portuguese films.
This year, Portugal makes a significant mark with five films selected across various sections of the festival, including two feature films and three shorts.
The Portuguese presence spans the Official Short Film Competition, Un Certain Regard, La Cinef (student films), and the ACID Cannes sidebar, dedicated to independent and experimental cinema.
Portuguese Films in Competition
Among the short films competing for the prestigious Palme d’Or, two Portuguese entries stand out:
“The Loneliness of Lizards” (“A Solidão dos Lagartos”) by Inês Nunes, a Portuguese-Spanish co-production, explores the Algarve as a place where the real and artificial collide, using a spa surrounded by salt flats as a backdrop for themes of transformation and introspection.
“Arguments in Favor of Love” by Gabriel Abrantes brings a visually bold and intimate love story to the screen, told through the perspective of two ghost-like characters. Abrantes continues to affirm his place in the international cinema circuit with this personal and conceptual piece.
In the La Cinef section, which highlights emerging talent from film schools worldwide, Portuguese animator Laura Anahory represents the School of Arts at Universidade Católica Portuguesa with her short “O Pássaro de Dentro”.
The animated film is described as an essay on the relationship between body and mind, offering a sensitive take on depression and suicide prevention — and stands out as an example of narrative and formal freedom.
Feature Films: A New Generation Steps Forward
Two feature-length Portuguese films also feature prominently in Cannes this year, signaling a generational renewal in the country’s cinematic voice.
Pedro Pinho returns to Cannes with “O Riso e a Faca”, selected for the Un Certain Regard section.
Eight years after the success of A Fábrica de Nada, Pinho presents a three-hour narrative shot in Africa, following a young environmental engineer in Guinea-Bissau on a journey of discovery, both outward and inward.
Pedro Cabeleira’s new feature “Entroncamento” premieres in the ACID Cannes programme, offering a fragmented portrait of youth and multicultural life in a small Portuguese railway town.
The film weaves stories of identity, conflict, and belonging with an experimental, independent spirit.
A Festival of Cinema and Global Consciousness
While the red carpet welcomes stars like Robert De Niro (recipient of an honorary Palme d'Or), Tom Cruise (with the new Mission: Impossible), and Quentin Tarantino (hosting a special masterclass on Westerns), this year’s edition is also deeply shaped by the global geopolitical landscape.
Three documentaries dedicated to Ukraine screened on the festival’s opening day, reinforcing Cannes’ commitment to giving space to artists and journalists working amid war.
The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the looming threat of film production tariffs under a potential Trump administration, are expected to cast a long shadow over this year’s conversations.