At the border | Arquiteturas Film Festival 2025
25.06-28.06.2025

The 12th edition of the Arquiteturas Film Festival affirmed its role as a space of encounter between architecture, cinema, and community, featuring films, installations, debates, guided tours, and moments of conviviality.

The Official Programme showcased a selection of films that critically reflect on lived space and its relation to various border conditions. Across sessions held at Batalha Centro de Cinema and Casa Comum, audiences engaged in conversations with filmmakers, participated in a masterclass, and shared convivial moments, including the award ceremony at INSTITUTO.

The Guest Institution section of AFF25, supported by the MaisFRANÇA initiative, was dedicated to arc en rêve centre d’architecture (Bordeaux). Between INSTITUTO, Circo de Ideias, and Batalha Centro de Cinema, the programme included video installations, discussions on curatorial practices, and film screenings. The installations Classroom and Libre Acceso were on display at INSTITUTO.

The Portugal Special Programme, developed in partnership with the Institute of Sociology of the University of Porto, focused on the memory and legacy of the former Bairro do Aleixo - demolished between 2011 and 2019 yet still present in the voices and stories of its former residents. The programme included a guided visit to the exhibition Aleixo: 5 Towers, 5 Decades, a walk through the former neighbourhood site, the Open Structures installation, and a conversation hosted by Canal180. At Casa Comum, we screened films that evoke memories of Aleixo, culminating in a beautiful outdoor closing session.