About Moinho Cine Fest
The festival
Moinho Cine Fest is an international festival dedicated to short films, micro films and nano films, covering fiction, documentary, animation, music video and video dance. Created and directed by André Almeida Rodrigues, the festival celebrates short‑form cinema as a space for experimentation, diversity and artistic freedom.
It is a genuine and singular festival that values intention, perspective and sensitivity above all. Technique is appreciated and recognised, but it is never the only criterion. The festival seeks films with soul, works that reveal authenticity, purpose and a unique way of seeing the world, regardless of production scale or available resources.
Submissions take place annually through several international film submission platforms, ensuring accessibility to filmmakers from all over the world.
Mission
The mission of Moinho Cine Fest is to value short‑form cinema and make it accessible to everyone. The festival welcomes participants of all ages and levels of experience, promoting an inclusive space where different voices, styles and backgrounds can coexist.
Identity
Since 2019, the festival has established itself as an international platform for discovery, bringing together works from around the world and promoting dialogue between emerging and established filmmakers. The programme is competitive and may include films invited by the director, reflecting the global diversity that characterises Moinho Cine Fest.
Origin and Purpose
The festival was born from the path of its founder and from the desire to bring cinema to Matosinhos, a territory where film exhibition is mostly limited to commercial spaces. Moinho positions itself as an independent cultural event, close to the community and attentive to contemporary cinema.
Without aspiring to the scale of major festivals, Moinho prioritises proximity, curatorial rigour and cultural impact. It advocates good practices, including the payment of screening fees.
Audience
The festival maintains a close relationship with its local audience. In its eighth edition, it recorded an average of around thirty spectators per session, creating a welcoming, attentive and participatory environment. At the end of each session, when present, filmmakers have the opportunity to speak with the audience, enriching the experience.
International Impact
Throughout its editions, Moinho has received films from dozens of countries, establishing itself as a meeting point between different geographies, cultures and cinematic sensibilities. The diversity of origins and styles contributes to a plural programme that reflects contemporary short‑form cinema.
Institutional Overview
Moinho Cine Fest is an independent and inclusive festival that values creativity, experimentation and authenticity in short‑form cinema. Its identity is grounded in proximity to the audience, curatorial rigour and the promotion of good practices within the sector.
Territory
The festival takes place in Matosinhos, a territory that gives it identity, context and a strong connection to the community. Its name refers to the memory of the old mills that once existed along the Leça River and have since disappeared. This reference symbolises the relationship between heritage and contemporary artistic creation, evoking the essence of cinema as a continuous process of movement, transformation and renewal.
Direction
The festival was created and is directed by André Almeida Rodrigues, filmmaker and programmer, who develops the project with a focus on innovation, diversity and the appreciation of short‑form cinema.
Moinho Manifesto
Short‑form cinema is born from a gesture. A minimal gesture capable of opening an entire world.
We believe in the moment that breathes. In the silence that precedes the image. In the proximity that turns the gaze into territory.
Moinho exists to celebrate what is small but essential. What fits in the palm of a hand. What passes quickly but remains.
Here, every film is a spark. An attempt to hold on to what escapes. A form of resistance against excess, noise and haste.
Short‑form cinema is not less. It is more concentrated. It is the gesture that needs no explanation. It is the light that appears for a moment and illuminates everything.
Moinho is that place. A place where cinema finds shelter. Where territory becomes narrative. Where the instant has space to exist.
Because sometimes a single gesture is enough to change everything. And short‑form cinema lives from that gesture.