From March 2nd to June 8th, Solar – Cinematic Art Gallery and the FILMar project of the Cinemateca Portuguesa present the 19th edition of ANIMar: a visual and sensory journey to the border between the sea and cinema, with films, sounds, sessions and activities designed for the most diverse audiences.

Steering clear of the usual tendency to focus on Animated Cinema, this edition proposes, from March 2nd, a programme centred on the history of Portuguese Cinema, which includes: a main exhibition, film cycles, talks, as well as guided tours and themed workshops, led by the Curtas Metragens CRL's Educational Service.

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Opening on March 3, with the participation of Tiago Bartolomeu Costa, the exhibition, organised by Galeria Solar and FILMar, navigates through documentary, ethnofictional and even advertising productions, all closely linked to the sea. The films include a tour of the country, its beaches, the stories of fishing communities, from factories to labour, from tourism to fear, not to reinforce the narrative of a country of sailors and fishermen, but to question the multiple and contrasting identities that have resisted the limited and humble definition that for so many years was imposed as true.

Alongside the exhibition that occupies the Solar Gallery, ANIMar also has a film cycle, which will run from 2 March to 8 June at the Teatro Municipal de Vila do Conde's Municipal Theatre, in collaboration with the Cineclube de Vila do Conde, with the presence of Abel Coentrão, from the Bind'ó Peixe Cultural Association. There will also be a special screening at the Cine-Teatro Garret, in partnership with the Cineclube Octopus.

At the same time, while remaining faithful to its main mission, ANIMar cultivates educational dynamics with the educational community of the Northern Region through different initiatives. In addition to guided tours tailored to different audiences, schools are taken to sessions of short films, Curtas sobre o Mar, designed for different age groups, as well as short and long-term workshops that promote the teaching and practice of filmmaking by the artists themselves.

With the 50th anniversary of the 25 April Revolution in mind, ANIMar is also promoting two new initiatives that celebrate one of the most important dates in Portugal. This is how the Conversas de Abril (April Conversations) were born, which will take place in the Loja das Curtas adjacent to the Gallery. Open to the public, these gatherings will create a space for sharing stories and anecdotes about the Carnation Revolution. There will also be a series of cinema sessions, Curtas de Abril, which will bring images and narratives reminiscent of the dictatorship, resistance and freedom to the region's schools.

The permanent exhibition, with free admission, will be open from Monday to Saturday from 14:00 to 18:30. The entire programme can be consulted on the gallery's website and social networks, which are always updated with all the latest news.