May 9, 2026 | Má Língua
Short Film Night - Vol.1
The first Watching & Touching screening took place in May 2026, bringing together films from around the world. Interestingly, the programme was largely made up of comedies from Estonia, France, the United States and Iran, alongside a drama from the UK, a surreal fantasy from the Philippines, and an Almodóvaresque anecdote about parents waiting for their daughter from Lebanon.
The program included
Virago
Directed by Kerli Kirch Schneider, 2019
A dark comedy by Estonian director and film scholar Kerli Kirch Schneider about the village of Virago, where no man lives beyond the age of forty.
Rizoo
Directed by Azadeh Navai, 2023
A warm coming-of-age dramedy about a girl nicknamed Rizoo, who returns to school in Iran after living in California.
Gladiolus
Directed by Azadeh Navai, 2021
An étude on the gladiolus, a flower that holds a special place in Iranian culture.
It’s Raining Frogs Outside
Directed by Maria Estela Paiso, 2021
A surreal fever dream about the end of the world and the metamorphosis unfolding within the protagonist's own body.
The Sticky Woman
Directed by Alice Guy, 1906
A short comedy about an unusual profession by cinema pioneer Alice Guy.
Beity
Directed by Isabelle Mecattaf, 2021
A mother waits for her daughter. A visually whimsical short film by a French-Lebanese director.
Struck
Directed by Aurora Fearnley, 2017
A conversation between a victim and a saviour, where shifting dynamics reveal how trauma transforms everyone involved.
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Directed by Julia Aks, 2025
A witty comedy about what sincerity around menstruation might look like in the nineteenth century.
