23/03/2006

IndieLisboa will be back to the Portuguese capital between April 20-30, with nearly 300 titles in its programme. The third edition of what quickly became one of the hottest events on the domestic film landscape, will feature for the first time a focus on national cinema (48 Portuguese titles, short and feature films), as well as a tribute to local filmmaker Edgar Pêra in the sidebar section "Herói Independente" (Independent Hero).

Twelve features and 38 shorts are part of the official competition programme. According to one of the festival organisers, Miguel Valverde, this main section, which includes first and second films only, will show the contribution of several countries to redefining cinematic language, as well as to breaking down the boundaries between fiction and documentary.

Five European feature films are among those vying for the top awards: Cannes prize-winner The Death of Mister Lazarescu by Romanian director Cristi Puiu, Irish film Pavee Lacken [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Perry Ogden, Czech title Shark in the Head by Maria Procházkóva, Slightly Smaller Than Indiana by Portuguese newcomer Daniel Blaufuks and Longing [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], by Germany’s Valeska Grisebach, recently shown in competition at the Berlin Film Festival.

The top winners will be chosen by a jury made up of Australian festival programmer Michelle Carey, Albertina Carri (director of the French/Argentinean co-production Geminis), John Cooper (programmer of the Sundance Film Festival), Japanese producer Masa Sawada and Portuguese singer J.P. Simões.

Marco Martins, whose first film Alice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marco Martins
interview: Nuno Lopes
film profile] recently won the top prizes in the Mar del Plata Festival (Argentina), is part of the short films jury, together with producer Sonia Voss and documentary filmmaker Ken Wardrop.

Another first at the festival is the awarding of the FIPRESCI prize, which will most likely attract the attention of the international press to the fledgling event.

Finally, in a press conference organised earlier this week, the festival's organisers also mentioned the creation of a mini-market of Portuguese cinema, with special screenings for international buyers and journalists, but its definitive dates and structure have not yet been announced.