Over & Out Premieres in Porto with Films by ULusófona Graduating Students

Batalha Cinema Centre hosted the first Porto edition of Over & Out, Lusófona University’s annual showcase dedicated to films produced by graduating students.

After almost two decades in Lisbon, the event made its debut in the city of Porto with a programme featuring the work of graduating students from the Film programme at ULusófona – Lisbon University Centre and the Bachelor’s Degree in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia at ULusófona – Porto University Centre.

The screening presented a selection of fiction and documentary short films, creating an opportunity for students, lecturers, families, and the general public to come together.

The films screened included Alinhado, by Ana Sofia; A Herança dos Boavento and Feito por Humanos, by Paulo Renato; Mute, by Paulo Derriça; and the films produced in Lisbon, A Hora do Chico, by João Severo and Rafael Sá Carneiro, and Em Chamas, by Armik Israyelyan. For some of these works, this was one of the first opportunities to engage directly with audiences, while others have already begun their journey through national and international film festivals.

At the end of the screening, João Sousa Cardoso, Director of the Bachelor’s Degree in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia at Lusófona University, highlighted the importance of the partnership between the institution and Batalha Cinema Centre, which regularly hosts teaching activities and cultural events for the programme. He emphasised that screening the graduating students’ films in one of Porto’s leading cultural venues provides them with the best possible conditions to present and discuss their work with audiences.

Throughout the event, the importance of strengthening ties between ULusófona’s two university centres was also emphasised. João Alves de Sousa, Deputy Director of the Bachelor’s Degree in Audiovisual Communication and Multimedia, stressed that human talent remains one of the main driving forces behind artistic creation and cultural development, highlighting the importance of creating the conditions needed to nurture and develop it. João Sousa Cardoso also underlined the university’s role in promoting democracy, inclusion, and equal opportunities, reinforcing its capacity to serve as a genuine vehicle for social mobility across different generations of students.

The collaborative nature of the initiative was also highlighted by Felipe Vale, the lecturer representing the Lisbon students at the event. According to the professor, bringing together the work produced in both cities marks an important first step towards strengthening relationships between students and lecturers from the two campuses. “Bringing our films from Lisbon here to Porto is really great, it’s incredible, and seeing the work being produced here in Porto is wonderful as well,” he said.

Speaking after the screening, João Sousa Cardoso highlighted several recurring concerns reflected in the students’ films. Themes such as mental health, sexism, intergenerational violence, democracy, and the challenges posed by authoritarianism appeared throughout the works presented, revealing a generation particularly attentive to today’s social and political issues. According to the lecturer, following these productions offers a valuable opportunity to better understand the concerns of emerging filmmakers and the ways in which they seek to contribute to a more open, plural, inclusive, and free society.

The debut of Over & Out in Porto therefore established itself as both a celebration of the work developed by Lusófona University students and an opportunity to strengthen dialogue between the institution’s two university centres. By bringing together cinema, critical reflection, and encounters between different communities, the initiative reinforced ULusófona’s commitment to artistic education, contemporary creation, and the promotion of emerging talent.

View Event Photos on ULusófona’s Facebook Page

Text
Gabriel Motta

Photography
Gabriel Motta and Susana A. Oliveira

Video (Coverage)
Gabriel Motta and Susana A. Oliveira

Video (Editing)
Gabriel Motta