The finalist short films for this year's Ymotion - Famalicão Youth Film Festival competition have already been selected. Of the 202 works submitted to the competition by young filmmakers from all over the country, with an average age of 22, 42 films have been selected, most of which were produced this year, and will compete for the Ymotion prizes.

There are 14 short films competing for the competition's main prize, the "Joaquim de Almeida Grand Prize", which involves a cash prize of 2,500 euros: "Bégan" (2023), by Maria Jorge (Gondomar); "Boredom Cycle" (2023), by Jaime Domingues (Pombal); "Capa De Honras, La Cuonta de L Garotico i L Bielho" (2023) by Rui Falcão (Miranda do Douro); "Férias em Portugal" (2023), by Francisco Torres (Lisbon); "Filhas da Pátria" (2023), by Catarina Almeida (Maia); "Icarus" (2023), by Nuno Mina (Braga); "Limpa a Vista Artista" (2023), by João Rebocho (Charneca da Caparica); "Maelstrom" (2023), by Pedro M. Afonso (Porto). Afonso (Porto); "O Abafador" (2023), by Silvana Torricella (Arcos de Valdevez); "One Card Shy of a Deck" (2023), by Filipa Viegas (Porto); "Pélago" (2023), by Maria Carneiro (Matosinhos); "Só Nós Dois" (2023), by Carolina Aguiar (Lisbon); "Ten With a Flag" (2023), by Vasco Alexandre (Vila Franca de Xira); and "The Devil Lived Here" (2023), by César Santos (Alverca do Ribatejo).

The competition also includes awards in the "Best Documentary" category, in which five short films are competing, "Best Animation", with 12 works 'fighting' for the prize, mostly by directors still in their academic career, and in the "Secondary Schools" category, with 11 nominated works.

"Here is a glimpse of a possible future for Portuguese cinema, with verve, risk and irreverence of style," says festival commissioner Rui Pedro Tendinha, who took part in the pre-selection of the short films. "We found one of the best batches submitted this decade for this hopeful festival. Films that point to an invigorating diversity," he adds.

The jury for the 2023 edition, chaired by screenwriter Tiago R. Santos, is made up of Dalila Carmo (actress), Daniel Catalão (journalist and RTP presenter), Vicente Alves do Ó (director and screenwriter), Bruno Caetano (film producer), Diana Duarte (author, journalist and television presenter) and Ricardo Leite (director, producer and screenwriter). 

It's worth remembering that Maria de Medeiros is the star of the 9th edition of Ymotion - Famalicão Youth Film Festival, which takes place from 29 November to 2 December, with screenings at the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation in Famalicão and the Castro Alves Foundation in Bairro.

In addition to the tribute to the Portuguese actress and director, which will be one of the highlights of the festival's closing session on 2 December, there will also be the presence of musician Rui Reininho, writer Valter Hugo Mãe and actor João Gonzalez during the main week of Ymotion 2023.

See the full list of short films in competition at Ymotion at: www.ymotion.org.