With the awards handed out to the winners of the competitive sections, which will be announced today at 9:30 p.m., LEFFEST still has plenty of film left to unroll.
The winner of the Grand Jury Prize João Bénard da Costa will be screened again at 12:00 in the Sala Manoel de Oliveira at Cinema São Jorge. The winner of the NOS Best Film Award, awarded to the best film in the Official Competition, will be screened at 9:30 p.m. in the Sala Manoel de Oliveira at Cinema São Jorge. Meanwhile, the winner of the Revelation Award, chosen from among the films in the Discoveries section, will be screened at 10:00 p.m. in Sala 3 at Cinema São Jorge.
Sunday begins with a special screening marking the 10th anniversary of the premiere of Heart of a Dog, Laurie Anderson’s film starring her dog Lolabelle and built from personal memories, including the loss of her mother and her husband, Lou Reed. Scheduled for 10:00 A.M. at Cinema Nimas, the screening will be followed by a conversation with the multifaceted American artist.
The thematic compass swings 180º for the next session at Nimas, at noon, with The First 54 Years: An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation (2021), by Israeli filmmaker and video artist Avi Mograbi. The film uses Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to reflect on the broader questions surrounding colonial occupation. This discussion extends to the audience, with Mograbi present – another example of Exiles film cycle is Teza, screening at 18:00 P.M., by Ethiopian director Haile Gerima, about a prodigal son who returns to Ethiopia to find a country torn apart by Mengistu’s dictatorship. After the screening, Gerima, who emigrated to the US decades ago, will speak with filmmaker Billy Woodberry, one of the founders of the L.A. Rebellion.
At Cinema São Jorge, the Exiles programme continues at 5:30 P.M. with Chaplin: Spirit of the Tramp, a documentary by Carmen Chaplin, granddaughter of the man who gave the world both Charlot and much to ponder. In this film, the Chaplin family traces the Romani roots that inspired the iconic character, while also painting a portrait of the artist. Carmen Chaplin is one of this year’s LEFFEST guests, and will join the conversation after the screening.
São Jorge’s afternoon also includes Rental Family, by Japanese filmmaker HIKARI, screening at 3:00 P.M., with Brendan Fraser in the lead role. The story centres on an agency that rents actors for social situations. The film is part of LEFFEST’s Out of Competition section, as is Maria Vitória, the debut feature film by Portuguese director Mário Patrocínio, having its national premiere at 6:30 P.M. Previously shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the film follows a young footballer in a remote village who tries to take control of her future and break free from family constraints. Patrocínio will join the cast for a post-screening conversation.