Beginning from a desire to rekindle a historical connection that began in the 1940s, Batalha has invited Cineclube do Porto to revive the format of the matinees that took place here for several decades, through an interpretative programme of the history and role of the Cineclube for the city and the country, from its foundation to the present day. Every second Sunday, we host screenings dedicated to key moments in the life and practice of Portugal's oldest active film club. In February, we revisit a film programme of 1958 dedicated to Spanish cinema, featuring Luís Garcia Berlanga and Juan António Bardem, two directors critical of the Franco regime. One of the first female directors in Spanish cinema, Margarita Alexandre, was left out of the programme at the time, but is included here. In March, Cineclube do Porto revisits the programme Women in Cinema, which it screened in 1962. At the time, the programme, which included only films directed by men, sought to “examine how a woman evolves in a society like Hollywood”. The Goddess, starring Kim Stanley as Rita Shawn, was one of the films featured. In parallel, around the same time, Ida Lupino directed Harry, the Bigamist, a critique of the traditional family unit, which we show now to trace the role of women at a time of prescriptive moral conformity in 1950s American society.

In April, as part of the commemorations for the Cineclube’s 80th anniversary — which aim to reflect on the future of the society and its complex constructions over time and in the history of cinema — we highlight Stanley Kubrick and his critique of Cold War paranoia. The programme ends with a film adaptation of the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, directed by Joy Batchelor and John Halas — British pioneers of animation to whom the Cineclube dedicated a programme in 1966.

Curated by Cineclube do Porto