LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTIVISM (Short films: Documentary, Experimental)

LIGHTS,CAMERA, ACTIVISM
DOCUMENTARIES & EXPERIMENTAL FILMS

Friday, 23 January 2026, 10 p.m. (doors open at 9:30 p.m.), 57Nord Offenbach
Short films, Germany, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Portugal, with subtitles, ~120 min

Free Admission (RSVP)

English

LusOFest screens short films by filmmakers from the Rhine-Main region alongside international productions from the Portuguese-speaking world. All submitted short films had to be less than 20 minutes long. All films in Portuguese are shown with subtitles, mostly in English. The short films shown at LusOFest take part in the short film competition and can win the audience or jury prize.

The Friday programme features documentaries and experimental films. This year’s festival motto, ‘Be water, my friend’, did not have to be addressed by the submitted short films, as it was only announced during the submission phase. Nevertheless, many submissions took up the theme, which is also reflected in the programmes. Q&As with filmmakers in attendance will take place at the end of each film block. Admission to all screenings at 57Nord is free, but we welcome donations on site and registrations in advance via Eventbrite or the Facebook event.

22:00 Uhr – Lights, Camera, Activism: Shorts (Documentary III)

»Offenbach hat viel zu bieten« Manuel Francescon, Germany 2009, 4’, deutsche OV
»Time to Smile« Jonas Almeida Braga Amarante, Portugal 2025, 12’, OmeU
»Ribeiro de Baixo, Cabo do Mundo« Rodrigo Queirós, Nuno Mendonça, Vítor Covelo, Portugal 2024, 16’, OmeU

Click here to see more details!

‘Offenbach hat viel zu bieten‘« is a playful look at the city through found Super 8 footage. In ‘Time to Smile’ the narrator observes tourists in Lisbon and reflects on colonialism, emigration, and identity. ‘Ribeiro de Baixo, Cabo do Mundo’ takes us to a remote mountain village in northern Portugal, where mysterious night lights predict the death of residents.

22:45 Uhr – Lights, Camera, Activism: Shorts (Documentary IV)

»Ein Taubenblick« Talisa Frenschkowski, Germany 2024, 6’, deutsche OV
»The Last Shepherd of Sabugueiro« (O Último Pastor do Sabugueiro) Laurène Da Palma Cavaco, Portugal 2025, 6’, OmeU
»Building Bridges« Filipe Caeiro, Germany 2025, 8’, OmeU
»A Journey to Self Love« Henrique Sungo, Filipe Anjos, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe 2023, 17’, englische OV, portugiesische UT
»Yesterday is Not Today« Beatriz Cardoso, Patricia Leal, Portugal 2023, 5’, OmeU

Click here to see more details!

The documentary short film ‘Ein Taubenblick’ (A Pigeon’s View) deals with the relationship between humans and animals through the portrait of the city pigeon. ‘The Last Shepherd of Sabugueiro’ is about a schoolboy who loves nature and animals and decides to become a shepherd. In ‘Building Bridges’, a dilapidated bridge becomes a point of reflection on the metaphorical building of bridges in society. ‘A Journey to Self Love’ accompanies a young woman in search of her true destiny. ‘Yesterday is Not Today’ is the second part of a series that aims to raise awareness of water scarcity in the Algarve.

23:30 Uhr – Lights, Camera, Experimentalism: Shorts (Experimental II)

»Der Jakobsweg« Xenia Nitschke, Germany 2024, 2’, deutsche OV
»Movement. Dim∑nsion. Impact.« MJ Sousa, Portugal 2024, 5’, OmeU
»The Sunset Special 2« Nicolas Gebbe, Germany 2024, 19’, OmeU
»The Secret Life of Ancient Egypt« Worsel Strauß, Germany 2025, 2’
»The Climate of Your Eyes« (O Clima dos teus Ollos) Juan Lesta, Spanien 2025, 4’, keine Dialoge

‘Der Jakobsweg’, as captured here on Super 8, has little to do with meditation and relaxation. ‘Movement. Dimension. Impact.’ visualises traces of movement. ‘The Sunset Special 2’ works with animation, glitches and found footage from social media, deconstructing the superficial illusion of the cruise as a consumer product. ‘The Secret Life of Ancient Egypt’ is an experimental short film about building techniques and ancient Egypt. ‘The Climate of Your Eyes’ adds a visual interpretation to a poem by Chicharrón about emotions, memories and hopes.

Inhalte und Details zum Programm folgen in Kürze. Aktuell ist das Programm und der Timetable noch WIP und TBC.

We will show the programme in three thematic blocks with short breaks and, if the filmmakers are present, short Q&As. Coming and going between blocks or films is absolutely fine at the low-threshold, free screenings at 57Nord and the DRP. We welcome registrations via Eventbrite.