LEFFEST – The Lisbon & Sintra Film Festival, celebrates its 15th anniversary this year with a special program dedicated to Rom culture in its various artistic manifestations.

An extensive film cycle, which includes films by Charlie Chaplin, Emir Kusturica and Tony Gatlif, among others, is complemented by the presence of several Rom directors, a tribute to Tony Gatlif, music, singing and dance performances with the participation of the biggest names in flamenco – Josemi Carmona and Pepe Habichuela and the greatest bailaor of the day, Farruquito; a concert by the mythical Taraf de Caliu; Mónika Lakatos, currently considered to be the most important Rom singer of our time and Portuguese singers Areno, Diego El Gavi and Fado icon Ricardo Ribeiro, who is vocal about the importance of Gypsy music in his musical heritage.

In addition to cinema and music, the program includes several debates, both historical and on current affairs; talks on Roma women artists, with special attention to an exhibition on the life and work of painter Ceija Stojka, her first in Portugal. Ceija Stojka, an Austrian Roma artist who survived Nazi concentration camps, has been one of the great discoveries in the art world in recent years, with key exhibitions in Paris, Madrid and Malmo.

The Official Selection – In Competition section showcases 11 titles from various cinematographies, all of which have been highlighted at the Cannes, Venice, Berlin and San Sebastián film festivals.

The Out of Competition section brings, among others, Wes Anderson’s long-awaited The French Dispatch, the opening film of this 15th edition of LEFFEST; Benedetta, by Paul Verhoeven; Parallel Mothers, by Pedro Almodóvar; Hold me Tight by Mathieu Amalric, who will be present for this edition; and The Lost Daughter by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

In the Tributes and Retrospectives section we will (re)visit various oeuvres and filmographies: Jane Campion’s retrospective includes a preview of The Power of the Dog; Cristi Puiu, author of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, merits a comprehensive tribute; Ryûsuke Hamaguchi brings us unprecedented screenings in Portugal of the films Drive My Car and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy; Maria Speth accompanies the national premiere of Mr. Bachmann and his class; documentary filmmaker Mike Dibb comes to Lisbon and Sintra for a dedicated six-session program and, last but not least, LEFFEST ’21 points a special focus onto theatre, with the presence of acclaimed director Romeo Castellucci. Curated by Piersandra di Matteo, To Reverse One's Eyes unfolds in four moments between the Teatro Nacional D. Maria II and Cinema Medeia Nimas.

LEFFEST ’21 aims to give visibility to cinema with a Portuguese signature. Five Portuguese authors whose idiosyncratic paths have earned them national and international recognition join us in this edition: Joaquim Pinto and Nuno Leonel, a remarkable creative partnership that has proved decisive to contemporary cinema, bring us their new and monumental trilogy Pathos Ethos Logos; Leonor Teles, the youngest director to win the Golden Bear for short film in Berlin, presents Gypsy Eyes, Dogs Barking at Birds and Balada de um Batráquio, three films screened for the Celebration of Rom Culture program; the Rodrigo Areias Focus: A Work (Always) in Progress, shows the founder of the production company Bando à Parte with two works providing us with clues to understand his dense personal mythology: Down by Life and the unpublished documentary Arte da Memória; and Henrique Pina, director and producer of documentaries including Body-Buildings, Autopsy: Journey of a Creation and Aires Mateus: Matter in Reverse.

The thematic cycle The Death of God, curated by Alexey Artamonov, Denis Ruzaev and Ines Branco López, will give us – through films such as God’s Wedding, by João César Monteiro, Part A of History(s) of Cinema, by Jean-Luc Godard or In the Name of the Father, by Marco Bellocchio, among others – tools for reflection on how we can make sense of this seemingly irresolvable and impossible paradox – the idea of God being dead, despite the persistence of life in the world; spiritual life in particular.

This year we continue the program in honor of the French Cinemathéque with the presence of the institution's director, Frédéric Bonnaud. Three films will be shown in 4K restorations: Blood of the Beasts, by Georges Franju, The Rule of the Game, by Jean Renoir and F for Fake, by Orson Welles.

The 15th edition of LEFFEST ends in style with a concert by Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra. See you in November! From the 10th to the 21st, the festival comes to Medeia Nimas Cinema, Teatro Tivoli BBVA and Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, in Lisbon; to Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval and MU.SA – Sintra Museum of Arts, in Sintra; and, for the first time in Porto, to Norteshopping.

Full program available here

Ticket information here