MOTELX Selections 2025
MOTELX – Lisbon International Horror Film Festival returns for its 19th edition from 9 to 15 September 2025 at Cinema São Jorge. Since its inception in 2007, MOTELX has become one of the cultural highlights of Lisbon, promoting the best of international horror and supporting the growth of Portuguese genre cinema. As an Affiliated Member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation, the festival proudly hosts the competitions for the Méliès d’argent – Best European Feature Film and Best European Short Film.
MOTELX 2025 Announces Méliès d’Argent Short Film Competition Lineup
Presented in collaboration with the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), this competition highlights bold and visionary short films from across Europe.
Here is the official 2025 selection:
- Amarelo Banana (Amarelo Banana) – Alexandre Sousa (Portugal, Hungary) – 2025 – 13’
- Antenna (Antena) – Duarte Pedroso de Lima (Portugal) – 2025 – 28’
- BeNice – Tiago “Ramon” Santos (Portugal) – 2025 – 30’
- The Comedown – Theo Watkins (United Kingdom) – 2025 – 18’
- The Crust That Came Back to Life – Paul Fritz (Switzerland) – 2024 – 9’
- Dagon – Paolo Gaudio (Italy) – 2024 – 6’
- Defect – Guust Mulder (Netherlands) – 2024 – 7’
- Dog Alone (Cão Sozinho) – Marta Reis Andrade (Portugal, France) – 2025 – 13’
- Femme – Nina Noël Raaijmakers (Netherlands) – 2024 – 17’
- Gardunha – Ana Marques Vilela da Costa (Portugal) – 2024 – 18’
- Greying – Paul Guédon (France) – 2025 – 2’
- Happy Meat – Matt Green (United Kingdom) – 2024 – 16’
- Hard Cash – David Füsgen (Germany) – 2025 – 20’
- La Cordá – Milan Camille Friedlos, Luis Kunfermann, Yura Chaim (Switzerland) – 2024 – 16’
- Light Was a Break (Grito) – Luís Costa (Portugal) – 2024 – 18’
- Mother of Dawn (Mãe da Manhã) – Clara Trevisan (Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Portugal) – 2025 – 8’
- Occhio – Giulia Falciani (Germany, Italy) – 2025 – 6’
- Pearls – Alastair Train (United Kingdom) – 2025 – 15’
- Pimple (Borbulha) – Fernando Alle (Portugal) – 2025 – 4’
- Redman – Edith Morris (United Kingdom) – 2025 – 1’
- Sequential (Sequencial) – Bruno Caetano (Portugal, France, Poland, Italy) – 2025 – 12’
- Tako Tsubo – Eva Pedroza, Fanny Sorgo (Austria) – 2024 – 6’
- Trolsk – Edith Morris (United Kingdom) – 2025 – 5’
- Where the Wind Comes From (Odkud přichází vítr) – Soňa Jelínková (Czech Republic) – 2025 – 16’
- Would You Rather – Sophie O’Donovan (Ireland) – 2025 – 11’
- Yazza – Francisco Lacerda (Portugal, Finland) – 2025 – 5’
The winner will move forward to compete for the Méliès d’Or, the highest award for European fantastic short films.
MOTELX’s short film selection once again affirms the festival’s role as a platform for daring stories, new visions, and genre-defying creativity. The winning short will qualify for the Méliès d’Or competition, which annually crowns the best European fantastic short film across the MIFF network.
MOTELX 2025 Announces Méliès d’Argent Feature Film Competition Lineup
As an Affiliated Member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), NIFFF is part of a global network committed to championing European fantastic cinema. The feature films in this year’s selection embody the boldness, artistry, and innovation that define the genre.
Here are the movies competing for the Méliès d’argent:
- Bulk – Ben Wheatley (United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, USA) – 2025 – 91’
- Buzzheart – Dennis Iliadis (Greece, USA) – 2024 – 110’
- Hallow Road – Babak Anvari (United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, USA) – 2025 – 80’
- Her Will Be Done (Que ma volonté soit faite) – Julia Kowalski (France, Poland) – 2025 – 99’
- The Ice Tower (La tour de glace) – Lucile Hadžihalilović (France, Germany) – 2025 – 117’
- Karmadona – Aleksandar Radivojević (Serbia) – 2025 – 115’
- Mother’s Baby (Mutterglück) – Johanna Moder (Austria, Germany, Switzerland) – 2025 – 108’
- Shadows (Sombras) – Jorge Cramez (Portugal) – 2025 – 104’
The winner will be automatically nominated for the prestigious Méliès d’Or, the top prize for European fantastic feature films.
MOTELX 2025 continues to push the boundaries of imagination and genre, creating a unique space where fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and the surreal converge.
📍 Lisbon, Portugal
📅 September 2025
🌐 www.motelx.org/en