InShadow 17th edition Programme

The 17th edition of InShadow – Lisbon Screendance Festival is coming soon, taking place from 11^th of November to 19^th of December, across several venues in Lisbon, presenting a diverse program in the visual and performing arts.

This year, InShadow introduces a new international partnership with dancescreen2025, the competition organized by the IMZ International Music + Media Centre, one of the most relevant platforms in today’s screendance landscape. Through this collaboration, new awards and opportunities promise to make the festival a true space for artistic exchange.

The festival opens with LittleShadow, a program dedicated to young audiences, featuring LAC – Creative Activities Lab and the International Animation Competition. From 11^th to 14^th of November, at the Biblioteca de Alcântara– José Dias Coelho, children will engage in a creative exchange of experiences and learning, and vote for the Best Animation Film. LittleShadow will also be featured at Museu da Marioneta, in sessions aimed at schools on the 2^nd and 3^rd of December, where, together with LAC, children will visit the museum, watch animation films, and explore movement in a dance workshop.

From the 4^th to 7^th of December, the CiM – Dance Company presents the performance Uma Outra Forma (Another Form), also at the Museu da Marioneta, which explores the theme of blindness and the infinite possibilities of Braille. In the year Braille was recognized as Cultural Heritage in Portugal, this show offers an opportunity to discover this universe. Family and general public sessions will take place over the weekend.

Also for younger audiences, on the 12^th of December, the Workshop Light and Moving Drawings, led by Marina Palácio, will take place at Coruchéus – Um Teatro em Cada Bairro. Marina Palácio is an illustrator, comic book author, animation filmmaker, and artist-educator. Inspired by The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns, she will invite students from Escola Básica dos Coruchéus to explore the multidisciplinary nature of artistic expression.

The International Documentary Competition, one of the festival’s core sections, begins in the festival’s second week, running from the 19^th to 22^nd of November at Casa do Comum. Across eight sessions, 21 films from 18 countries will be presented—documentary narratives ranging from portraits of emerging and established artists to explorations of studio intimacy and territorial materiality. Dance as life, memory, and inquiry.

The Documentary Competition jury features Thomas Freundlich (FI), acclaimed screendance filmmaker; Kathleen Smith (CA), filmmaker focused on performance, culture, and technology; and Mafalda Almeida (PT), producer specializing in documentaries and TV series. Thanks to IMZ’s support, Thomas Freundlich will lead the masterclass First, do no harm: Practical approaches and philosophies for filming dance, exploring aesthetic and technical approaches to translating dance to the screen—through perspective, visual vocabulary, and cinematic choice.

Jury member Kathleen Smith will lead the workshop Watching Screendance: Notes from a Curator, screening thought-provoking short films that illustrate how a work can transform the gaze of both curator and audience. Participants will also engage in hands-on curatorial exercises.

The International Screendance Competition, the central focus of the festival, takes place from 25^th to 28^th of November at Teatro do Bairro. Across seven sessions, 74 films from around the world will be screened, united by the presence of the moving body in the videographic image. Videodance as a space for visual experimentation and choreographic storytelling, reflecting the vitality of an ever-evolving artistic universe.

The jury includes Daniel Gorjão (PT), stage director and cultural programmer; Christiane Hartter (DE), research assistant at the German Dance Archive; and Sofia Soromenho (PT), dance critic specializing in contemporary dance. With IMZ’s support, Christiane Hartter will also lead the workshop Curating a Film Programme, offering a practical introduction to the art of film curation based on a selection of 12 short films.

The Award Ceremony will take place on the 29^th of November at 9pm, also at Teatro do Bairro, where the juries of the three international competitions—each with their own perspectives and expertise—will select and celebrate the winners. This ceremony highlights the most memorable moments of the edition so far. Tickets for all Teatro do Bairro events are available in advance at here.

This year, audiences will have the opportunity to dive into the work of iconic choreographers such as Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (BE), Dimitris Papaioannou (GR), and John Neumeier (USA), and discover powerful stories, including that of the first performance of the National Ballet of Ukraine after the outbreak of war.

The festival also includes exhibitions, performances, and installations throughout Lisbon, promoting the convergence between image, body, and artistic creation enhanced by technology.

On the 20^th of November, two photography exhibitions will open at Espaço Cultural Mercês. Maddalena Ugolini (IT) presents Metaxù, the result of her choreographic research, and Inês Chaubert (PT) exhibits Shared Pulse, where bodies trace the invisible line between light and shadow. Additional photographic works by various artists will open on the 27^th of November at Espaço Santa Catarina. Both venues will also host videodance installations by international artists, open until the 11^th of December.

Opening on the 3^rd of December at the FBAUL Gallery, MOON LIGHT + GRACE + BLACK, a photography exhibition by Andrea Hackl (AT)—featuring solo and collaborative projects with photographers Duarte Amaral Netto (PT) and Maike Helbig (DE)—will be on view until the 19^th of December, the closing day of the festival. During the same period, the FBAUL Cisterna will also feature a videodance installation by several artists.

Performances – 17th Edition:

• Together Alone, by Low Air (LT) | November 26, 12:00 | ETIC

• REBIS, by Nuno Labau (PT) | November 27, 19:00 | Espaço Santa Catarina

• Dreamer, by Andrea Hackl (AT) | December 4 | Safra

• Ridículas Cartas, by Inpugna (PT) | December 5–6, 21:00, and December 7, 19:00 | Teatro Ibérico

• Vozes e Ar Pesado, by Inestética (PT) | December 13, 18:30 | Safra

Over six weeks, InShadow will take place in 14 venues across Lisbon: FNAC Chiado, Teatro do Bairro, Casa do Comum, Museu da Marioneta, Cinemateca Portuguesa, Biblioteca de Alcântara – José Dias Coelho, FBAUL, Coruchéus – Um Teatro em Cada Bairro, Safra, Espaço Cultural Mercês, Espaço Santa Catarina, Teatro Ibérico, ETIC, and ESD – Escola Superior de Dança.

A pioneering initiative by Vo’Arte, since 2009 InShadow has celebrated the countless intersections between film, dance, and technology, through an inclusive and diverse program. Check out the full 17th edition programme here and discover the best of national and international artistic creation.

InShadow — body imagined in the shadow.

Download Press Kit

Follow us on social media for all updates!

Instagram | Facebook