The 20th edition of LEFFEST – NOS Lisbon Film Festival opens with four new films by some of contemporary cinema’s most acclaimed filmmakers, each offering a different way of engaging with the present. James Gray’s Paper Tiger, selected for the Opening Ceremony, is joined by Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine and Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love. From 6 to 15 November, LEFFEST celebrates its 20th edition, renewing its commitment to bringing together filmmakers, audiences and different ways of thinking about and experiencing cinema.
James Gray’s latest film, Paper Tiger, follows two brothers who become embroiled in a deal that seems too good to be true, drawing them into the dangerous world of the Russian mafia. As events escalate, family ties are put to the test, with betrayal always lurking. Starring Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson, Gray returns to central themes in his filmography: brotherly loyalty, violence, guilt and the fragility of the American Dream. International critics have highlighted the film’s continuity with Gray’s moral and visual universe, emphasizing the tragic dimension of the brothers’ relationship, the strength of the performances and the narrative tension that leads the characters into territory beyond their understanding.
The Out of Competition section opens with Fjord, by Cristian Mungiu, winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In a small Norwegian community, the life of a Romanian-Norwegian family with strong religious convictions is shaken when suspicions arise over the parents’ child-rearing methods. Starring Renate Reinsve, the Norwegian actress acclaimed at Cannes for her performance in The Worst Person in the World and now one of the most distinctive presences in contemporary cinema, alongside Sebastian Stan, Mungiu crafts a moral drama exploring the tensions between family, cultural and religious values.
In Wild Horse Nine, Martin McDonagh takes us to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup d’état. Two CIA agents, Chris and Lee, are sent from Santiago to the island by their superior, MJ. Amid the monumental statues that define the landscape, the two men find themselves caught up in conspiracies, secrets from the past and an unexpected relationship. Featuring a formidable cast that includes John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi and Tom Waits, the film combines political thriller elements with the director’s trademark dark humour, weaving together satire and intrigue to explore imperialism and the contradictions of power.
The fourth opening title, Possible Love, marks Lee Chang-dong’s return to feature filmmaking. Presented in the Official Competition at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize, the film follows two families from different social backgrounds whose paths cross during the making of a documentary about workers affected by unemployment. Through this encounter, Lee constructs a portrait of class inequality and the power relations that shape everyday life. Starring Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung, Possible Love explores the complexity of human relationships and the social structures that shape them. The film is part of LEFFEST’s retrospective dedicated to the South Korean filmmaker and will receive a one-off theatrical screening in Portugal, offering a rare opportunity to experience it on the big screen.
LEFFEST will close its 20th edition with The Debut, the new film by Jesse Eisenberg, presented at the Toronto and San Sebastián film festivals. Starring Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Jesse Eisenberg and Cara Buono, the film follows an unassuming housewife who, unexpectedly cast in a community theatre production, gradually becomes absorbed in the character she is playing under the influence of a forceful director.
Over the past two decades, LEFFEST has fostered encounters between different film cultures, generations and artistic disciplines. The four opening films in this year’s edition extend that commitment through distinct perspectives on family relationships, moral conflicts and the political and economic structures that shape the present. From 6 to 15 November, the festival returns to Lisbon for ten days of screenings, conversations and discovery.