A Ponte das Artes

A filmmaker talks about his work and love life with an unseen friend behind the camera. We also watch four of his short films.

94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.

A drama set in the American South, where a precocious, troubled girl finds a safe haven in the music and movement of Elvis Presley.

More interested in partying and flirting with young musicians than work, veteran rock journalist Ellie Klug has one last chance to prove her value to her magazine’s editor: a no-stone-unturned search to discover what really happened to long lost rock god, Matt Smith, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Teaming up with an eccentric amateur documentary filmmaker, Ellie hits the road in search of answers.

In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.

Years after her son's suicide, a woman longs to confront both the past and a friend of his who took his business idea.

A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.

A disillusioned psychologist tries to commit suicide until he strikes up a friendship with an unlikely saviour who teaches him a new way of living.

A group of literature-loving friends bury letters to be opened 10 years later when they will confront the dreams of their youth with what the future has held in store for them.

Conman Robert Freegard poses as an undercover MI5 agent and kidnaps countless victims amidst a high-stakes manhunt, until the woman who fell for him brings him to justice.

Avery (Jones) returns to college as a competitive swimmer after getting his life back on track. But his life takes another unexpected turn when he and his two friends (Bonds, Casseus) are wrongly accused of murder and end up in prison.

A group of friends' fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Mexico and they're left alone stranded at sea and struggling for survival.

After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage.

Stanley manages his boxer brother Lion but when a devastating loss in the ring leaves the pair in debt, an opportunity to recoup the cash leads to a series of misadventures that threaten to break the bond between them.

A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.

The legendary Roberto Duran and his equally legendary trainer Ray Arcel change each other's lives.

In order to be reinstated to the bar and recover custody of her daughter, a hotshot lawyer, now in recovery and on probation, must take on the appeal of a woman wrongfully convicted of murder.

An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.

MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.

After several behavior problems, teenager John is admitted to a psychiatric clinic by his family. There he meets Judith, for who he soon falls in love. The problem is that she does not have long to live and they know it. This shall not prevent the emergence of a great romance in the clinic.

AP’s got a curse and it’s really fucking up her vibe.

Cass juggles jobs as a nanny, restaurant server, and party drug dealer in order to make ends meet and pay for their tiny San Francisco apartment. After a one night stand with Kalli, a co-worker they have a crush on, Cass agrees to watch her 11-year-old daughter, Ari, while she goes out of town. But as days pass without word from Kalli, Cass and Ari form a bond that spirals Cass back to their own difficult childhood and the pain they’ve been running from.

ASPAN is an intimate short film about closeness, longing and the fragile space between friendship and desire. Set during a summer among a group of young men, the story unfolds through glances, silence and small shifts in power and intimacy. The film explores emotional vulnerability in environments where tenderness is rarely spoken out loud, but constantly present beneath the surface.

One last thing to share down at the river.

"The Winged Detectives" is a queer coming-of-age short film, which follows Reagan and her friends as they prepare for the annual bird-watching competition. Tensions quickly rise for Reagan with the introduction of potential new friends and the absence of a special team member.

Coven of the Midnight Son is set during the era of The Salem Witch Trials and follows the story of two lovers from opposing worlds. Etho (Romelo Urbi), an orphaned witch who lost his mother to the trials, and Lucas (Jan Luce), a rebellious human villager whose father becomes the chief of the Witch Hunts, find their love tested by their circumstances. As they confront their own familial struggles, Etho and Lucas must also face the dire consequences of their forbidden love.

Some relationships need space.

When Mac, a young butch Latina, dies, her girlfriend, Hope, must overcome both personal grief and homophobic hostilities from Mac’s family in order to respectfully send Mac off into the afterlife as she would’ve wanted.

Kaio just wanted a night of sex with Eduardo, a guy he just met on a dating app. But strange things happen when the Santos family shows up unannounced and prepares a special feast for the two of them.

Miguel arrived at his home after being beaten up. His boyfriend, Jorge, attends to his wounds. However, the process of recovery is staled due to Miguel’s ex-wife, Sara, showing up, claiming that she is pregnant, forcing Miguel to make a decision between the past and the future.

Late-blooming Cole enters a chaotic house party where a basement punk show awaits. As he descends, his anxious inner thoughts become reflected through ten characters in their early 20s.

Simone develops an unhealthy obsession with the extreme sexual practice of bloodplay.

Since his boyfriend left him, Yotam hasn’t slept alone. He developed an obsession for dating apps and spends his nights in the arms of strangers. One day, he discovers he’s been infected with an insufferable skin disease and realizes he’s got no choice but to stop his way of living for a while. His journey into the midst of his first night alone will find him and his obsession in very dark and itchy places.

The strange Journey of a butterfly through the dreamscapes of Alesia's dream.

An unruly student at a private all-girls boarding school scandalously accuses the two women who run it of having a romantic relationship.

Xe and Y cross paths by chance at the door of a café, in a meeting that feels as if it were written by fate. Between them, something is born that is as fleeting as it is universal — that rare instant when we recognize someone even before knowing who they are. Revois follows this encounter that could belong to any of us and that, perhaps — just perhaps — asks to happen again.”

Kaio is not from this planet. On a Saturday night, he goes out with his Earthling friends and tries to deal with his feeling of not belonging.

A couple's relationship falls apart under the pressures of city life and their personal demons. Can they work through their issues, face their fears and realise they are meant to be together?

Yoo-Hee and Joo-Yeon fell in love in high school, but their school’s persecution of gays tore them apart. When meet again years later, sparks fly.

London, a disabled young adult working in a fetish house, finds himself caught in an unexpected dilemma when offered the chance to understand his body through a medical exam.