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The 17th edition of FEST – New Directors, New Films Festival returns between the 4th and 11th of October. The event, based in the Portuguese city of Espinho, will once again extend its presence to the cities of Porto and Lisbon, similarly to what was been done in the 2020 edition. On this first program announcement, the focus goes to the retrospective to be done on the work of Catalan filmmaker Isabel Coixet. Canceled last year due to the pandemic, FEST PRO is back again, promoting a cycle of live masterclasses guided by professionals from different areas of cinema and audiovisual. FEST's PRO program will take place in Multimeios de Espinho, with online transmission happening simultaneously. The main competitions of the festival are also maintained (Golden Lynx, Silver Lynx, National Grand Prix, NEXXT and FESTinha), in a program that overlooks some of the most interesting and emerging names in world cinema.

Graduated in history and with a background in advertising, Isabel Coixet quickly became a singular figure in Spanish cinematography, escaping many of the traditional stereotypes and discourses of local cinema. Unequivocally Catalan, she's a pioneer in the fight for gender parity in the film industry, having been a reference in her country, not only for the role she played in opening up opportunities for new female filmmakers, but also as a one of the founders and Honorary President of EWA – European Women's Audiovisual Network. Her cinema often deals with many of the most relevant existentialist conflicts of our times. In Portugal, FEST will screen: Nobody Wants the Night (2015), The Bookshop (2017), Yesterday Never Ends (2013), Learning to Drive (2014), My Life Without Me (2003), The Secret Life of Words (2005) and Elegy (2008), as well as the short Siberia Isn't That Cold (2016). 

The tenth edition of the most relevant forum for projects under development taking place in Portugal, FEST - Pitching Forum, will take place online. The project allows filmmakers to present their projects to top producers, financiers, fund managers and investors, opening doors in the competitive film industry. FEST - Pitching Forum is run by talent agent Tim Corrie and producer Paul Miller. Registration are open until July 30th.

Before the start of the event, a cycle of conferences will be organized to debate some of the most pertinent themes of the present and future of cinema on a global scale. Taking place on the 19th, 20th, 22nd and 23rd of July, the conversations will happen online and will have free access.