PROGRAM
29.APR
29.04 — 21h00
Ceremonial Port Wine Reception
29.04 — 21h45
Opening Ceremony
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | 29.04 — 22h15
Divine Comedy
Bahram’s Turkish-Azeri work faces another rejection in Iran. He and his daring producer attempt a clandestine screening, confronting censorship, bureaucracy, and internal conflicts.
Directed by Ali Asgari
98 min · COMEDY/DRAMA
IR/IT/FR/DE/TR · 2025
98 min · COMEDY/DRAMA
IR/IT/FR/DE/TR · 2025
30.APR
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 30.04 — 14h30
My Father's Son
Qiao (18) learns that his father has died. Between past, present, and future, he recalls his relationship with his brutal and secretive father, who left him a passion for boxing.
Directed by QIU Sheng
100 min · DRAMA
CH · 2025
100 min · DRAMA
CH · 2025
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 30.04 — 16h30
Tell Her That I Love Her
Romane Bohringer decides to adapt for the cinema the book by Clémentine Autain dedicated to her mother. This project will force her to confront her past and her own mother, who abandoned her when she was nine months old.
Directed by Romane Bohringer
92 MIN · DRAMA
FR · 2025
92 MIN · DRAMA
FR · 2025
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 30.04 — 18h30
Forastera
During the summer in Mallorca, Cata recognizes similarities with her late grandmother. She develops an influence over her grieving grandfather through clothing, blurring who inhabits whom.
Directed by Lucia Aleñar Iglesias
97 min · DRAMA
ES/IT/SW · 2025
97 min · DRAMA
ES/IT/SW · 2025
Special Screening + Q&A WITH ALI ASGARI | 30.04 — 21h30
Terrestrial Verses
In a series of vignettes, ordinary people confront the constraints of Iranian society.
Directed by Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami
77 MIN · DRAMA
IR · 2023
77 MIN · DRAMA
IR · 2023
01.MAY
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 01.05 — 11h00
Hell In Paradise
Nina takes a job at a hotel in the Maldives, but her paradise island turns into a nightmare after an incident. Falsely accused, she must navigate traps to escape an unjust life sentence
Directed by LEÏLA SY
102 MIN · DRAMA/THRILLER
FR · 2025
102 MIN · DRAMA/THRILLER
FR · 2025
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 01.05 — 14h15
Goodbye Sisters
Two Nepali sisters leave Kathmandu to harvest the valuable yarsagumba in their mountain village. Jamuna hopes that selling this rare fungus-insect hybrid will help support her family and fund studies abroad.
Directed by Alexander Murphy
90 min · DOC
FR/NP · 2025
90 min · DOC
FR/NP · 2025
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 01.05 — 16h15
A Light That Never Goes Out
The successful classical flutist Pauli returns to his small hometown after a breakdown. Reconnecting with his former schoolmate Iiris, he becomes drawn to experimental music.
Directed by Lauri-Matti Parppeii
108 min · COMEDY/DRAMA
NO/FI · 2025
108 min · COMEDY/DRAMA
NO/FI · 2025
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 01.05 — 18h30
Nomad Shadow
A young Sahrawi woman faces deportation to Western Sahara, struggling to readjust to her homeland and confront family tensions sparked by her earlier departure.
Directed by Eimi Imanishi
82 min · COMEDY/DRAMA
US/ES/FR· 2025
82 min · COMEDY/DRAMA
US/ES/FR· 2025
WORLD PREMIER | Special Screening + Q&A with POURYA POUR | 01.05 — 21h30
Influenca: Controlling Crowds
A selfish Influencer and her clumsy Fan Girl/Assistant start an odd relationship that becomes more grotesque day by day.
Directed by Pourya Pour
82 min · drama/mystery/thriller
DE · 2026
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 01.05 — 23h45
Maria
Maria is accused of the death of her husband, Viktor, and decides to confess only after the funeral. The investigator, engaged to the couple’s daughter, uncovers the truth and understands why she chose to punish herself.
Directed by Yakov Sivchenko
73 MIN · DRAMA
RU · 2025
73 MIN · DRAMA
RU · 2025
02.MAY
KID’S SCREENING | 02.05 — 11h00
Aya e a Feiticeira
Aya, 10 years old, happily lives in an orphanage thanks to her ability to control others. Reluctant to be adopted by the witch Bella Yaga, she decides to go and learn magic, relying on her naivety and Bella Yaga’s cat to survive and thrive.
Directed by Gorô Miyazaki
82 min · Animation, Aventure, Fantasy
JP · 2020
82 min · Animation, Aventure, Fantasy
JP · 2020
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 02.05 — 14h15
Caravan
A devoted single mother dreams of a solo holiday in Italy at her friend’s house, but when plans fall through, she must take her disabled teenage son on what was meant to be her private getaway.
Directed by Zuzana Kirchnerová
102 MIN · Road-movie/Drama-Romance
IT/CZ · 2025
102 MIN · Road-movie/Drama-Romance
IT/CZ · 2025
PORTUGUESE PREMIERE | Official Competition 2026 | 02.05 — 16h15
Amoeba
At an authoritarian all-girls school, four misfit teens form a secret gang. Their fumbling rebellion unearths buried desires and the quiet violence of growing up in contemporary Singapore.
Directed by TAN SIYOU
98 MIN · DRAMA/THRILLER
SG/NL/FR/ES/KR · 2025
98 MIN · DRAMA/THRILLER
SG/NL/FR/ES/KR · 2025
BOOK PRESENTATION | 02.05 — 17h15
O Crepitar da Terracota
In a future dominated by robotics and digitalization, unemployed Ana Maria, with a daughter, is forced to question her beliefs while saving someone important, discovering new temporal dimensions.
Author: Inês Rebanda Coelho
02.05 — 18h00
Movie Talks
In the MAIAIFF 2026 Movie Talks, Ângelo Rodrigues, Carolina Amaral, Ivo Arroja, Pedro Giestas, and Pedro Lacerda will join us for an open conversation dedicated to sharing experiences, creative journeys, and reflections on contemporary cinema.
02.05 — 21h30
Festival Closing Event
The festival concludes with the long-awaited awards ceremony, a celebratory moment recognizing the works and talents that stood out this edition. The evening culminates with a special screening of the winning film, inviting the audience to share, one last time, the magic of the big screen.
JURY
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