INDUSTRY>MONSTRA TRAINING
Masterclass - Camila Reis: Character Design with Clip Studio Paint
Portuguese artist Camila Reis talks about her professional journey and reveals her creative process for building animated characters, using Clip Studio Paint. From initial ideas and early drafts to the final character turnaround, the session includes a demonstration and presentation of projects developed using the programme, exploring its potential in professional and personal contexts, including the official advertising spot for MONSTRA 2025.
13 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 10:00
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass - Brothers Quay: ‘IN ABSENTIA’, A Case History
In this masterclass, we will discuss the history of this film, included in a BBC project, which selects directors to create films through original compositions from international composers, through which we were given Karl-Heinz Stockhausen. We will discuss the source material for our film, the story of Emma Hauck, a psychiatric patient. We will explore our visual approach using our studio as a laboratory to capture light, the combining of puppetry and live-action, and how the music established a soundscape décor in itself.
13 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 14:15
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass - Quimbé: The Voice of Anime. Dubbing in Portugal
Quimbé, actor and dubber, leads a masterclass dedicated to the world of dubbing in Portugal. Part of MONSTRA’s programming and in partnership with Iberanime, this session explores the creative process behind the voices that give life to the characters, international content adaptation challenges and the present and future of dubbing, with special focus on animation and anime.
14 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 10:30
mandatory pre-registration
From Gaza with Love
‘To Gaza With Love’ is a collective project, which brings together 329 short films from over 50 countries. The works cross different animation styles with messages of hope and resistance, highlighting the power of art as an instrument of intervention and unity. The panel will discuss the role of animation as a form of activism and the artistic responsibility in contexts of conflict. Joanna Quinn brings ‘This Land is a Woman’, a poetic portrait about the strength of Palestinian women.
14 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 14:30
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass - Cécile Noesser: Animation & Female Gaze
Animated short films have long been a free and privileged creative space for many female directors, who have increasingly used this medium since the 1970s. The film lecture will explore how animated short films have proved to be a particularly suitable field for the deployment of the “female gaze”, inviting a new aesthetic of desire, an intimate relationship with the female body, and a community of women’s experiences.
16 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 10:00
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass Amid Amidi - Flat, Graphic, and Bold: The Influence of Cartoon Modern
This talk traces the rise of a design revolution that transformed animation forever. Cartoon Modern marked a shift away from traditional realism toward bold design, abstraction, and graphic stylization. But more than an effort to create a different look, it also aimed to expand the expressive potential of animation itself. We’ll examine the movement’s origins, its defining aesthetic principles, and the artists who shaped it, along with its lasting influence on contemporary animation.
16 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 14:15
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass - Michèle Lemieux: Animating Light and Shadow: The Alexeïeff-Parker Pinscreen
In this masterclass, Michèle Lemieux will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about this rare and mythical instrument. She will discuss its history, its inventors, the instrument and the tools used to work with it. We will talk about light and shadow as raw materials, optical effects, and, above all, the working process. The director will tell you the story behind a production and answer all your questions.
17 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 10:00
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass - Image and Sound in the films of Vladimir Leschiov
This masterclass offers a unique insight into the creative world of the Latvian director, through a conversation on his thematic and visual approach to animated filmmaking. Leschiov will share his creative process, revealing how he discovers themes, develops narratives, and defines the visual language that characterizes his films. The session will also explore the art of soundtrack composition and sound design, drawing on the artistic collaboration between Leschiov and composer Pierre-Yves Drapeau.
17 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 14:15
tickets available at the venue
Masterclass - Edmunds Jansons: Visual Storytelling in Animation
“It is widely accepted that we think through language, but through my creative experience I can argue that a non-verbal form of thinking is also possible. Within the masterclass, I plan to share my creative experience developed while working on the short films Choir tour, Isle of Seals, Guard of Honour, and Freeride in C, as well as to examine various examples from cinema, caricature, comics, and visual art, where such methods of visual storytelling are clearly evident”. - Edmunds Jansons
18 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 10:00
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass - A Collective's Will to Create by Alexandra Ramires and Laura Gonçalves
In this masterclass, we open the doors to the creative and technical processes that bring the filmmakers' visions to life, demonstrating how animated film takes shape when multiple hands build the same world. A celebration of the power of the collective and the strength that arises by creating together.
18 March | CINEMATECA PORTUGUESA | 10:00
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass - Origins of Abstract Animation + Best of Punto y Raya 2025
Noel Palazzo traces the origins of abstract animation, from its emergence within the historical _avant-garde_ to its consolidation as a distinct audiovisual language.Through key examples, the session explores how early artists liberated film from representation, focusing instead on pure form and light in motion. The masterclass offers both a historical framework and a critical perspective on abstract animation as a living, evolving art form. The talk will conclude with the screening of the 15 finalist and awarded films in the latest edition of Punto y Raya Festival, held in 2025 in Bulgaria.
18 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 14:15
mandatory pre-registration
Masterclass - Anete Melece: Turning Life into Stories
Anete Melece shares the inspiration behind her animated films and picture book, reflecting on how personal inner journeys through life become stories. She explores how self-exploration shapes the creative process, and how one’s own stories can, in return, offer guidance on how to live. Inspiration can be found in two places: deep in your heart and right in front of your nose. Bring the two together—and off you go!
19 March | CINEMA SÃO JORGE | 14:15
mandatory pre-registration
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