Festroia Film Festival - Saturday

The opening ceremony of this year's festival was last night.

This is kind of an in-between year for the festival as their main venue, the Luísa Todi Municipal Forum, is in the middle of an extensive renovation and will not be used this year.

Instead, a giant black (and thankfully air-conditioned) tent will play host to the majority of the films this year. Though only a tent we can take a measure of comfort that it is situated in front of the Convent of Jesus, which is one of the first works of Manueline-style (Portuguese late-Gothic) architect Diogo de Boitaca, who is responsible for the design of the Hieronymites Monastery in Lisbon (classified as a World Heritage Site in 1983).

Difficult global economic conditions have certainly impacted this year's Festroia festival as well. The festival organizers are making the most with far fewer resources this year. This is a much smaller festival than others I've attended recently, however, the festival staff has been wonderful, very personable and most friendly.

I'm looking forward to the 13 films in Official Competition...