World premiere
Dreaming of Lions
A surreal, brilliant comedy about euthanasia with black humour, carried by a wonderful cast.
The opening film of the Critics’ Picks competition, “Dreaming of Lions” from Portugal, introduces us to Gilda, who is terminally ill. Gilda's only wish is to die without pain, but that's easier said than done, as all her suicide attempts comically fail. So she decides to seek professional help and, as there are organisations for everything these days, she joins Joy Transition International, which offers training in how to die without pain. During the hilarious course, Gilda meets the younger Amadeu, who works in a funeral parlour. When the workshop doesn't deliver the promised results, they both run away to end their lives.
Gifted director Paolo Marinou-Blanco, supported by a wonderful cast, presents us with a heartwarming and brilliant black comedy about the one subject we are not supposed to laugh at: death.
Nikolaj Nikitin
Paolo Marinou-Blanco is a Portuguese scriptwriter, director and producer. He studied at London and New York, obtained a master´s degree in Film and TV. His first feature "Goodnight Irene” (2008) premiered at Edinburgh Film Festival, was in over 30 film festivals worldwide and received critical acclaim upon Portuguese cinema release. Over the years he has worked as a screenwriter and producer on numerous film and TV projects in US, Brazil and Europe ("City of Mist”, "The Last Harem”). Several of his works have received funding grants from ICA (Portuguese Film Institute).
Goodnight Irene (PÖFF 2008), Empty Hands (2021), Sonhar com Leões (Dreaming of Lions, 2024)