BIOGRAF'26 — International Film and Moving Arts Festival

BIOGRAF was founded in 2025 with the approval of the Municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira under the leadership of Mayor Rui Teixeira, with the mission of bringing arthouse cinema back to the town after more than a decade without a film festival. Directed by Magna Araújo Amorim, Tiago Bastos Nunes and António Bernardes de Sá, the festival was conceived as a meeting point between cinema and the arts, exploring a different theme each year.

The inaugural edition, held from 27 to 31 August 2025 under the theme "Movements", presented 55 films from 20 countries, selected from 1,067 submissions. The programme included an International Competition, special screenings, animation, Ibero-American and academic showcases, as well as talks with filmmakers and creative professionals. A special programme developed with Canal180 explored new audiovisual narratives through music and visual culture. The festival was supported by a broad network of cultural institutions and donated all box office profits to the local animal welfare association Patas e Patas. Following its success, BIOGRAF was renewed for a second edition, and Magna Araújo Amorim received a municipal Honourable Mention for her contribution to the promotion of cinema in the region.

The second edition is presented under the theme "Building Bridges, Shaping Ideas", placing architecture at the centre of its programme as a way of reflecting on the spaces we inhabit, the relationships we create and the futures we imagine. Through cinema, visual arts, talks and public activities, BIOGRAF invites audiences to explore houses, cities, landscapes, borders and communities as spaces for dialogue and critical reflection.

As part of the 24th International Art Biennial of Cerveira, BIOGRAF presents a pre-festival exhibition curated with the Fundação Bienal de Arte de Cerveira entitled "Borderless Territories", bringing together works by Silvestre Pestana, Mauro Cerqueira, André Sousa, Luciana Fina, Tânia Dinis, Ana Pérez-Quiroga, Vincent Arthur Goudreau, Javier Martinez, Filipa César and Edileuza Penha de Souza.

The Special Programme includes the sections Architectures, Mutants, Spain (curated by Play-Doc) and Animation (curated by Laura Conde), featuring works by Jacques Tati, Yorgos Lanthimos, Lars von Trier, Juraj Herz, Giuseppe Tornatore, Denis Villeneuve, Oliver Laxe, David Cronenberg, Kane Parsons, Maria Trigo Teixeira, Alessandro Novelli, Alexandra Allen and André Carrilho, with a special focus on Stanley Kubrick and Pedro Costa.

The festival is developed in partnership with a wide network of national and international institutions. It is co-produced by the Municipality of Vila Nova de Cerveira and the Fundação Bienal de Arte de Cerveira, with logistical support from Palco das Artes, and Hotel Minho. Educational partners include Cinemateca Portuguesa, Curtas Vila do Conde | Agência Curtas, Filmakademie Wien, Den Danske Filmskole, Korea National University of Arts, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Universidade Lusófona, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo and Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema. The programme is further strengthened through collaborations with Play-Doc and Park Circus, alongside media partnerships with Gerador, Canal180 and RTP Antena 3.

In July 2026, BIOGRAF was awarded the High Patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic, recognising its contribution to culture and civic engagement at a national level.