International Competition Award: FUCK THE POLIS by Rita Azevedo Gomes

Georges de Beauregard International Award: FRÍO METAL by Clemente Castor

Special mention of the International Competition Jury: COBRE by Nicolás Pereda

French Competition Award: BONNE JOURNÉE by Pauline Bastard

Georges de Beauregard National Award: HORS-CHAMP, LES OMBRES by Anna Dubosc, Gustavo de Mattos Jahn

Cnap (National Centre for Visual Arts) Award: DES MILLÉNAIRES D’ABSENCE by Philippe Rouy

Special mention of the Cnap (National Centre for Visual Arts) Jury: L’AMOUR SUR LE CHEMIN DES RONCETTES by Sophie Roger

First Film Award: FANTAISIE by Isabel Pagliai

Special mention of the First Film Competition Jury: LOS CRUCES by Julián Galay

Special mention of the First Film Competition Jury: SI NOUS HABITONS UN ÉCLAIR by Louise Chevillotte

Claudia Cardinale Foundation Award: FERNLICHT by Johanna Schorn Kalinsky

Cine+ Distribution support Award in partnership with GNCR: MORTE E VIDA MADALENA by Guto Parente

Flash Competition Award: گل‌های شب ِدریا by Maryam Tafakory

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: A PRELUDE by Wendelien van Oldenborgh

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: CONTROL ANATOMY by Mahmoud Alhaj

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: LENGUA MUERTA by José Jiménez

Alice Guy Award: ABORTION PARTY by Julia Mellen

Renaud Victor Award: BULAKNA by Leonor Noivo

Special mention of the Renaud Victor Jury: SI NOUS HABITONS UN ÉCLAIR by Louise Chevillotte

High School Award: NEXT LIFE by Tenzin Phuntsog

Special mention of the High School Jury: MIRACULOUS ACCIDENT by Assaf Gruber

The Second Chance School Award: NEXT LIFE by Tenzin Phuntsog

Special mention of the Second Chance School Jury: JACOB’S HOUSE by Lucas Kane

Audience Award: LA JUVENTUD ES UNA ISLA by Louise Ernandez

International Competition Award: FUCK THE POLIS by Rita Azevedo Gomes

Georges de Beauregard International Award: FRÍO METAL by Clemente Castor

Special mention of the International Competition Jury: COBRE by Nicolás Pereda

French Competition Award: BONNE JOURNÉE by Pauline Bastard

Georges de Beauregard National Award: HORS-CHAMP, LES OMBRES by Anna Dubosc, Gustavo de Mattos Jahn

Cnap (National Centre for Visual Arts) Award: DES MILLÉNAIRES D’ABSENCE by Philippe Rouy

Special mention of the Cnap (National Centre for Visual Arts) Jury: L’AMOUR SUR LE CHEMIN DES RONCETTES by Sophie Roger

First Film Award: FANTAISIE by Isabel Pagliai

Special mention of the First Film Competition Jury: LOS CRUCES by Julián Galay

Special mention of the First Film Competition Jury: SI NOUS HABITONS UN ÉCLAIR by Louise Chevillotte

Claudia Cardinale Foundation Award: FERNLICHT by Johanna Schorn Kalinsky

Cine+ Distribution support Award in partnership with GNCR: MORTE E VIDA MADALENA by Guto Parente

Flash Competition Award: گل‌های شب ِدریا by Maryam Tafakory

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: A PRELUDE by Wendelien van Oldenborgh

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: CONTROL ANATOMY by Mahmoud Alhaj

Special mention of the Flash Competition Jury: LENGUA MUERTA by José Jiménez

Alice Guy Award: ABORTION PARTY by Julia Mellen

Renaud Victor Award: BULAKNA by Leonor Noivo

Special mention of the Renaud Victor Jury: SI NOUS HABITONS UN ÉCLAIR by Louise Chevillotte

High School Award: NEXT LIFE by Tenzin Phuntsog

Special mention of the High School Jury: MIRACULOUS ACCIDENT by Assaf Gruber

The Second Chance School Award: NEXT LIFE by Tenzin Phuntsog

Special mention of the Second Chance School Jury: JACOB’S HOUSE by Lucas Kane

Audience Award: LA JUVENTUD ES UNA ISLA by Louise Ernandez

Complô, Complô

João Miller Guerra

Portugal, 2025, Color, 78’

World Premiere

Bruno (Ghoya) is a pioneering kriolu rap artist. His body and his life have been marked by Portugal’s colonial past and the racism of the State, yet he exudes a defiant identity.

Bruno’s voice weaves through the film and gives it its rhythm, in a constant back-and-forth between a life story told in the first person and the flow of kriolu rap. The open recording studio door introduces us to other artists for whom making music is also as an act of resistance to oppression. In a profoundly collective cinematic gesture, João Miller Guerra and the film crew share in the daily life and struggles of this community. Their presence on-screen reflects the spirit of friendship and activism at the heart of this film.

Margot Mecca

Interview

João Miller Guerra

Bruno “Ghoya” is at the centre of the film, where his personal journey intersects with Portugal’s colonial legacy and state racism. Firstly, could you tell us more about your encounter with him and the relationship that enabled you to make this film together?

I first met Bruno (Ghoya) in 2009, while filming “Li Ké Terra” alongside Filipa Reis and Nuno Baptista. We shot with part of his family. He was on the run, and we sensed it was only a matter of time before he’d be arrested again. Even in that short encounter, I felt the urgency and strength of his voice—he was already seen as a pioneer of the Rap Crioulo movement. The power we carried within stayed with me.

After that, our paths kept crossing. I met his mother, his wife and his daughter. His return to prison interrupted all these lives. Over the years, through other projects, especially around prisons and ghettoized communities, my understanding of these themes deepened. When he was released almost a decade later, I finally had the chance to make this film. I wasn’t just a filmmaker observing, I was involved, present, and implicated in this story.

The film opens with a striking scene of an anti-racist protest in Lisbon. The collective nature of this struggle is evident throughout the film, representing a statement of resistance against institutional violence. How did you collaborate with Bruno and his community?

This film emerged from a deep sense of engagement, with Bruno, but also with his community, his history, and the political struggle they embody. I never intended to remain an outside observer. My approach is grounded in building relationships that evolve into collaboration. I work with the same film crew from project to project, which creates a reliable, intimate environment for everyone involved. This continuity allowed me to propose scenes and improvisations that felt natural and respectful.

We didn’t stage the protest or orchestrate it as a symbolic moment. Instead, we participated. Just like Bruno, I and my team were there—not just to capture an image, but to be present in the urgency and resistance of the moment. That collective experience of protest, grief, and determination is what shaped the film’s tone. The collective resistance shown in the film against systemic racism, institutional neglect, and social erasure is something Bruno and his community live daily. It’s not symbolic for them. So our “job” was to be in it with them.

Rap in Creole plays a central role in the film, representing territory, identity, dignity, public outcry and mutual support. Can you tell us more about this dimension?

Rap Crioulo was always the soundtrack of this story, even before COMPLÔ existed as a film. From our first encounter, Ghoya’s music embodied the life he lived, the streets he walked, and the oppression he resisted. His lyrics narrate not only his own biography but also a collective experience of ghettoisation, imprisonment and survival.

The music was integral to the storytelling. The music wasn’t just about atmosphere - it was about testimony. And in this film, that voice is everything. The rawness of Ghoya’s lyrics, the repetition of certain refrains, and the emotional weight of his delivery helped us shape the rhythm and the emotional depth of each scene. Rap in Creole became a means of asserting identity, reclaiming space, and connecting isolated moments of pain and pride into a unified expression of collective resistance. The marginalization, the pride, the rage, the dignity are all there. His lyrics are rooted in the neighbourhoods that raised him and the violence that shaped him. He speaks of identity, exile, and love. For me this is key—Love is the answer, always!

Interview by Margot Mecca

Technical sheet

  • Subtitles:
    English, French
  • Script:
    João Miller Guerra
  • Photography:
    Vasco Viana
  • Editing:
    Pedro Cabeleira
  • Sound:
    Rafael Gonçalves Cardoso
  • Production:
    Filipa Reis (Uma Pedra no Sapato)
  • Contact:
    Tommaso Priante (Uma Pedra no Sapato)