A journey through music as a form of life and resistance. From Tokyo’s listening cafés to the Dominican streets of dembow, from Rotterdam’s raves to Portuguese hip-hop, from virtuosic flamenco to the experiments of cult artists, each film portrays communities, memories, and gestures of invention. At the crossroads of archive, performance, and travel, music emerges as a shared language that transcends borders and generations, from iconoclastic punk to mutable pop and the rise of the greatest female pop icon, reflecting desire and reinvention.
Opening Film
Becoming Madonna [trailer]
Michael Ogden, DOC, 2025, USA, GBR, 90’
Using a treasure trove of rare, unseen and unheard material, this feature documentary is the ultimate origin story of pop’s greatest female icon.
Competição
Butthole Surfers: The Hole Truth and Nothing Butt [trailer]
Tom J Stern, DOC, 2025, USA, 110’
This is the story of the Butthole Surfers, the pioneering art-punk band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in the 1980s.
South Side Hip Hop Stories [trailer]
Luis Almeida, DOC, 2025, PRT, 62'
A musical and political portrait of Almada through the voices of those shaping the South Bank rap scene — from Líderes da Nova Mensagem to Chullage, Black Company, and Nexo.
The Flamenco Guitar Of Yerai Cortés [trailer]
Antón Álvarez, DOC, 2024, ESP, 95'
C. Tangana makes his directorial debut with an intimate portrait of flamenco guitarist Yerai Cortés, who turns family pain and gypsy heritage into music and healing.
The Residents: Barking In The Dark [trailer]
Marie Losier, DOC, 2025, FRA, 40'
Marie Losier reveals the enigmatic world of The Residents, celebrating the boldness and freedom of a band that challenged the rules and boundaries of music and art.
Movement
Benjamin Muasya, DOC, 2025, DEN, PRT, 20'
An ode to the freedom and ferocity fostered on underground dancefloors, and the people fighting to preserve it in the face of societal and systemic pressure.
Orlando Pantera [trailer]
Catarina Alves Costa, DOC, 2025, PRT, CPV, 108'
A tribute to Orlando Pantera’s legacy, whose music reshaped Cape Verdean identity.
Rotterdam Rave Culture: 30 Years Of Heritage [trailer]
Dennis Van Rijswijk, Holly Dicker, DOC, 2025, NLD, 46'
The hardcore rave scene in Rotterdam defined the ’90s and remains alive, bringing people together in a lifestyle that goes far beyond the parties.
42 Street [trailer]
José María Cabral, DOC, 2025, DOM, 91’
The people of La 42 show bravery not with fists, but with music, dance, and expression. Their art is raw, urgent, and deeply human.
Special Screening
A Century In Sound [trailer]
Nicholas Dwyer, Tu Neill, DOC, 2024, JPN, NZL, 101’
A meditative journey through three of Tokyo’s listening cafés, immersive sanctuaries where music offers calm amid the city’s restless chaos.
This screening is part of a partnership between the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, within the scope of the exhibition ECO: SOUND WAVE.
