The 20th edition of LEFFEST presents eleven films in its Discoveries section, bringing together works screened at some of the most important international film festivals, from Cannes to Venice and San Sebastián. Featuring both filmmakers making their feature debuts and established directors, the selection spans a range of national cinemas, from Iran to Nepal and Thailand to Mexico, as well as Cameroon, offering audiences in Portugal the opportunity to discover films that have so far received little exposure in the country. Competing for the Revelation Award, created by artist Julião Sarmento, these eleven films arrive in Lisbon with distinguished track records, including awards, international selections and, in some cases, their countries’ submissions for the 2027 Academy Awards. The Revelation Award jury is chaired by actress Barbara Sukowa and includes cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa, Javier Porta Fouz, director of BAFICI, film critic and programmer, and actress Ana Vilaça.
Among the highlights is 9 Temples to Heaven, the first fiction feature by Sompot Chidgasornpongse, which screened at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Set against the backdrop of a family pilgrimage to nine temples in Bangkok, the film follows a family confronting the matriarch’s declining health and the generational tensions surrounding tradition and religion. Also screened in Cannes, Elephants in the Fog, by Abinash Bikram Shah, received the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Set in a Nepalese village surrounded by a forest inhabited by wild elephants, the film follows Pirati, the matriarch of a Kinnar community, as she searches for her missing daughter while grappling with the tension between her desire for freedom and her responsibilities towards the community.
In Ashes, actor and director Diego Luna follows Lucila, a 21-year-old Mexican woman who moves to Madrid to join her mother, who emigrated eight years earlier. Her hopes of an independent life give way to a harsher reality. The film was presented in Cannes’ Special Screenings section and in the Horizontes Latinos section at the San Sebastián Film Festival. From Iran comes Falling House, by Mohsen Gharaei, which earned recognition in Venice for Laleh Marzban’s performance. As a family’s home on the outskirts of Tehran faces imminent demolition as part of an urban redevelopment project, the discovery of the eldest daughter’s secret plans further intensifies tensions within the household.
The competition also includes Furies, by Rami Kodeih, which screened in the Venice Spotlight section and was selected to represent Lebanon in the race for the 2027 Academy Awards; and House of the Wind, by Auguste Bernard Kouemo Yanghu, which received the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best First Feature and the Special Jury Prize in Venice’s Orizzonti section. The latter follows Josette, a woman approaching eighty who lives alone in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and tries to persuade her children, who have emigrated to the West, to return home. An unexpected relationship with Sarah, a young woman from the neighbourhood, begins to transform the balance of her life.
The selection also features Par 4 chemins, by Marie Vermillard, about two monks who leave their monastery to return to the world. The director will attend two conversations with audiences: on 11 November at 2 pm at Culturgest, and on 12 November at 9 pm at Cinema São Jorge. The French Teacher, by Ricardo Alves Jr., which screened at the San Sebastián Film Festival, follows a teacher confronted with religious fanaticism within her community. The director and actress Grace Passô will take part in two audience conversations: on 9 November at 6 pm at Culturgest, and on 13 November at 7 pm at Cinema São Jorge.
The selection further includes Shana, by Lila Pinell, about a young woman facing financial hardship, a toxic relationship and the death of her grandmother, who finds strength and solidarity in her friendships. The film was selected for the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Forever Your Maternal Animal, by Valentina Maurel, explores family tensions and was presented in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, where its three leading actresses received the Best Actress award. The director will attend the screening on 9 November at 9 pm at Culturgest. Finally, Until the Day Ends, by Jelena Maksimovic, selected for the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival, follows two young people on opposing sides of the political protests in Belgrade.
Running from 6 to 15 November, the Discoveries section is part of the 20th edition of LEFFEST, bringing eleven films to Lisbon whose varied trajectories and presence on the international festival circuit make them worth discovering.