The festival "Encontros da Imagem" arrived in Guimarães with the theme "Territories of the Imaginary | Enchanted Places", proposing a reflection on the relationship between human and non-human worlds. In the city, the programming takes place at the B-Lounge of the University of Minho and at Convívio, integrating a network of cultural spaces in the North of the country. Curator Wiktoria Michałkiewicz selected 15 artists for this component of the program.
Among the highlights of this edition are Cooper & Gorfer, César Dezfuli, Ciril Jazbec, Tânia Dinis and Eurico Lino do Vale, with projects addressing migration, war, climate change, identity and resistance. César Dezfuli's work "Passengers" is dedicated to the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, while Katia Motylova-Babinska's "Mother Tongue" addresses the trauma of war in Ukraine. Ciril Jazbec presents "Dream to Heal Glaciers," about adaptation to the climate crisis in the Andes.
The festival received over 600 applications from dozens of countries for the three promotional awards. The finalists for the Encontros da Imagem Award 2026 are Lena Ruzhytska, Emilia Martin and Roger Grasas, whose projects will be on display during the festival. The programming also includes Portfolio Reviews with 32 selected artists and the Photobooks Award 2026, which presents over 170 photobooks at the Lúcio Craveiro da Silva Library.
The Inaugural Week takes place on September 18 and 19 in Braga, followed by the Mediation Week on October 8 and 9. The festival crosses photography, cinema and visual arts, with a film cycle dedicated to the theme "Cinema as a Territory of the Imaginary and the Real", between September and October. The artistic residencies include "Mãos na Terra" (Hands on the Land), by Tânia Dinis, about memories of women's agricultural work in Minho, and "nervo torto ao seu lugar" (crooked nerve to its place), by Emanuel Constantino, inspired by the legend of São Longuinhos. Entry is free, except for Mosteiro de Tibães, Museu Pio XII and Sociedade Martins Sarmento.
