The theme for the 2018 edition of FEST - New Directors | New Films Festival is Borders.
Whether they’re physical, mental, ideological, social or geographic, certain borders establish restrictive limits for the connection between people, communities and especially between individuals. In many cases even outshines basic personal values like solidarity, empathy or tolerance. Taking upon these notions of isolation and segregation, we can establish a few parallelisms between different realities while portraying and representing them. We are attempting to show that through tenacity, and the humanity intrinsic to each of us, we can overcome those obstacles.
This year’s theme is part of a trilogy (if can call it that) that started in 2017 with the expression #StopRegression. If in 2017 we appealed to an overlook of our surroundings to make us reflect and stop judgement based in superficial and discriminatory factors; in 2018 we propose an introspection and that through another type of reflection we could start to understand our own limitations and how to overcome them. This trilogy ends in 2019, with the theme being released on a later date but following a similar logic.
Therefore:
A border is much more than a line where one place ends and another begins.
It’s not just a wall; a wall can fall.
It can be as personal as a boundary or as natural as water. Strange as digital.
Arbitrary, geometric, linguistic, unintentional, can limit or set free.
Pressure everybody or just you.
A Border is the place where you cross from one side to the other.
In 2018 FEST - New Directors | New Films Festival will take place, as usual in the beautiful seaside town of Espinho, from the 18th to the 25th of June.
Film Submissions are open until the March 4th. Pitching Forum projects can be submitted until April 1st. Training Ground registrations are open until May 31st
