The festival kicks off on Thursday, November 12, at 6:00 PM, at the Livraria Bruaá, with a conversation with researcher and programmer Tiago Bartolomeu Costa based on “LIBERDADE! LIBERDADE!”. The collection, published in 10 volumes by the Museu Nacional do Teatro e da Dança and Edições Tinta-da-China, brings together almost 30 plays marked by the desire for public and political intervention.
On the same day, in the main auditorium of the Convento São Francisco, at 9:30 PM, the comedy show “LIVRE MENTE” takes the stage. Drag queen Sincera Mente reflects on her free will and the times when the choices she made were anything but beneficial.
On Friday, November 13, at 6:00 PM, the Welcome Centre hosts a collective listening session of the podcast “País de Incendiários”, from the magazine “Divergente”, followed by a conversation with journalist Sofia da Palma Rodrigues. The session aims to understand the causes of arson in Portugal and highlight specific cases that have marked the country's recent history.
Also on the 13th, at 9:30 PM, in the main auditorium, emmy Curl presents the show “Solarpunk – Uma Pastoral do Futuro Regenerativo”. The artist reflects on the connection between love for the homeland and love for nature, imagining a future where resource management and environmental policy aim for the planet's regeneration.
On the last day of the Festival Política, Saturday, November 14, the program begins at 3:00 PM, in the foyer of the Convento São Francisco, with the workshop “Participação cívica e ativista das pessoas com deficiência em Coimbra”, led by psychologist and activist Inês Simões.
Also on Saturday, at 3:30 PM, in the concert café, Música Portuguesa a Gostar Dela Própria (MPAGDP) presents “Eu Fui ao Mar às Laranjas”, a project for recording and disseminating popular knowledge, with field recordings and attention to the ethnographic character of each place.
From 6:30 PM onwards, in the same space, conversation and music come together in “Depois dos Salatinas, que comunidade existe hoje na Alta de Coimbra?”. The session, which takes place after the film screening (at 5:00 PM, in the black box), brings together filmmakers Filipa Queiroz, Rafael Vieira, and Tiago Cerveira, to reflect on the documentary's impact and how it can serve as a starting point for discussing the right to housing and human dignity.
On Saturday, the highlight is the concert-conversation “Artigo por Artigo” featuring singer Selma Uamusse and actress Cláudia Semedo on the 50th anniversary of the Constitution. At 9:30 PM, in the Grand Auditorium, it promises to be an intimate performance about what this historic document promised and what still needs to be fulfilled.
Throughout the three days of the Festival Política, 14 films will be screened in five sessions. On November 12, at 7:00 PM, the black box hosts the opening session, “Direito à Cidade”, comprising four short films dedicated to migrant communities and the issue of housing, including “Catálogo de uma Cidade Sem tecto”, by Diogo Cunha.
The following day, November 13, at 7:00 PM, also in the black box, the session “Sonho e Resistência” follows, featuring films that explore dreams and expectations from the city's peripheries and look back in time to examine life under dictatorship.
On the last day of the Festival, November 14, cinema features three moments. At 5:00 PM, in the black box, the feature film “Salatinas”, by Filipa Queiroz, Rafael Vieira, and Tiago Cerveira, takes us to 1940s Coimbra. At 7:15 PM, in the same venue, the short film session “Entre Continentes” addresses family relationships, migratory experiences and challenges, and the memory of those who grew up in Brazilian favelas. The session includes “Áudios de Casa”, by Bianca Rêgo. The Festival closes at 10:30 PM with shorts from “Corpos em Trânsito”, exploring self-discovery, passion, and the affirmation of sexual identity.
At the Festival Política de Coimbra, the winners of the cinema section will also be announced, with three awards to be presented: Jury Prize – Film of the Year; Audience Award; and Future Award, for filmmakers under 30.
The Convento São Francisco will also host two exhibitions. “A Nossa Constituição é a Mais Bonita do Mundo”, displayed in the Foyer, proposes a new way of thinking about citizenship, with artists, athletes, and models from Central Models portraying the main articles of the Portuguese Constitution.
Also on display in the foyer will be “Constelações Parlamentares”, by João Bernardo Narciso, created from maps compiling thousands of European Parliament votes to visually interpret power relations on a European scale.
From November 7, it will be possible to collect free tickets at the Ticket Office of the Convento São Francisco, open daily between 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Two tickets per person will be allowed, subject to availability, and reservations are not permitted.
The Festival Política Coimbra is a co-production of the Associação Isonomia/Festival Política, the Município de Coimbra, and the Convento São Francisco.
