The 2024 Porto/Post/Doc has concluded, celebrating the innovation and diversity of contemporary cinema. This year’s awards highlighted bold, socially relevant narratives and unique artistic approaches at various stages of development.
Industry Awards
The prestigious Nebulae Award, part of Arché Porto, was presented to Argentine filmmaker Azul Aizenberg for Los Grandes Ausentes (The Great Absent), a powerful documentary revisiting the forced disappearances of Mercedes Benz workers during Argentina’s dictatorship. The film explores the profound silence surrounding this dark chapter in the country’s history, earning it high praise for its depth and sensitivity.
In the Industry Screenings section, two films emerged as winners. O Feitiço de Areia (The Sand Spell), directed by Vanessa Ribeiro Rodrigues, took home the Festival Agency Award. The film embarks on a road trip through #Mozambique, using personal reflections and stunning visuals to explore the silences embedded in the country’s colonial past. In a different yet equally compelling direction, Matilde Camacho’s porto2000 won the Sound Force Studio Award. The film offers a sensory journey through the city of Porto, reconstructing a version of the city that may no longer exist—or perhaps never did—by weaving together personal memories and archival material.
The Co-Production Meetings also saw recognition for several remarkable films. The Sound Force Studio Award went to LUNU BOK, do mar à terra (LUNU BOK, from sea to land) by Lucía Andújar. This film portrays the struggles of Senegalese migrants in Portugal with sensitivity and empathy, exploring themes of displacement and belonging. La Chambre De Ma Sœur (My Sister’s Bedroom) by Pauline Doméjean, awarded the DAE Award, takes an intimate approach to the emotional journey of depression and recovery, unfolding through voice messages exchanged between sisters. Lastly, La Koreana (The Koreana) by Joana Moya received the Escola das Artes – UCP Award. This poetic exploration combines elements of geology and dance in a mining landscape imbued with memory.
International Competition
The Vicente Pinto Abreu Grand Prize was awarded to Bogancloch by Ben Rivers. The jury commended the film for its ability to engage audiences in a material texture of coexistence, expanding beyond the usual sensory engagement through images, sounds, and words.
Cinema Falado
The SPAutores Award went to Resonance Spiral by Filipa César and Marinho de Pina. The jury highlighted the film’s ability to create a «liberated zone,» blending memory and imagination, history and utopia.
Honourable Mention – Cinema Falado was given to The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder by Inadelso Cossa. The jury recognized the film for its urgent exploration of the Mozambican civil war and its unhealed wounds.
Cinema Novo
The Canal180 Award was presented to Vasco Barbedo’s An Iron Crust, which the jury praised for its original cinematic form and strong direction. The film offers a precise and engaging vision of the working class in contemporary Portugal.
Transmission
Teaches of Peaches by Philipp Fussenegger and Judy Landkammer won for its honest documentary portrayal of an ageing artist’s struggle to remain relevant two decades after her prime.
Working Class Heroes
The Working Class Heroes Award by Filmaporto – Film Commission and Fundación «la Caixa»/ CaixaForum+ was awarded to The City and the Maps by Alexandra Guimarães and Gonçalo L. Almeida. The jury recognized the film’s bold ambition in uncovering the invisible forces reshaping our lives and the city. The film is an act of resistance that sheds light on the new class of exploited workers in the digital age.
Youth Award
The Youth Award was given to Journey into Gaza by Piero Usberti. The jury commended the film for its intimate connection with the viewer, achieved through thoughtful cinematic choices.
