V4 SCREEN - Know Your Film

This year will mark the 5th edition of V4 SCREEN, a series of film screenings events bringing forth cinematography from Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to Portugal. This section is set to celebrate the presence of the Visegrad countries on the silver screen through latest releases from young directors and retrospectives focused on national pioneers, unfolding through a rich and diverse selection including both short and feature films. Taking place over the span of five screening days, in partnership with the main art house cinemas of Porto, V4 SCREEN invites its festival partners Spektrum Film Festival (Poland), Primanima Film Festival (Hungary) and BRNO16 International Film Festival (Czechia) to join a curatorial journey which will lead to a special programme dedicated to three main important topics - new talents, minority representation and internationalization of content. This year’s programme will dig deeper into the works by young emerging filmmakers with a selection of four feature debut films from the Visegrad countries, introducing the audience to the future generation of filmmakers and possible future waves emerging in the region. Moreover, the selection of short films will be made through a more inclusive lens with a direct representation and social emancipation of minorities. Given that short film format allows the showcase of multiple windows to the social-political situation in the region, curators will be looking for films representing vulnerable communities, prioritizing Roma filmmakers and narratives, presence of LGBTQIA+ perspectives and audiovisual projects by female filmmakers in the Visegrad countries. Through its strong partnerships with the V4 diplomatic representatives in Portugal, Visegrad Film Hub is able to get a more direct access to the local migrant communities, therefore interacting with a cross-country international audience including Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak participants. This way, the project shares the value of international promotion with peers looking to explore their heritage. Taking place in the newly opened Cinema Batalha, supported by the City Council of Porto, VFH 2023 has received a very important local acknowledgement as a valuable platform for cultural cooperation across Europe. As a result, the selection of short films will take part in an Official Competition for the V4 Audience Award, funded by the Porto Municipality. Through this partnership, the project invites its audience to interact even more with the program, by voting their favorite film. This year’s edition of V4 SCREEN will become a platform of dissemination and debate on social inclusion and emancipation through film, by introducing Q&A sessions, masterclasses and networking events attached to its diverse screening programme.