According to the HKIFF program, the World Cinema category includes the film "O Riso e a Faca," the second feature film by Portuguese director Pedro Pinho.

The co-production between Portugal, Brazil, France, and Romania was nominated for the 2026 Goya Awards – Spanish film awards – for best European film and the 2026 European Film Academy Awards.

"O Riso e a Faca," by Pedro Pinho, starring Sérgio Coragem, Cléo Diára, and Jonathan Guilherme, premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival in France, earning the actress an acting award in the "Un Certain Regard" section.

In the Masters and Authors section, "Magellan," by Filipino director Lav Diaz, will be screened. It's about the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan and was the Philippines' submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

The film stars Mexican actor Gael García Bernal as the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), who embarked on the circumnavigation voyage and died in the Philippines.

"Magellan," a Portuguese co-production by Rosa Filmes, also features actress Ângela Machado as Beatriz Barbosa, the navigator's wife, and actors Tomás Alves, Rafael Morais, Ivo Arroja, and Valdemar Santos.

In the same section is the latest documentary by German director Werner Herzog, "Ghost Elephants," filmed in Angola, which premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.

Among the documentaries to be shown at HKIFF is “Amílcar”, a five-year project on the African independence politician Amílcar Cabral, directed by the Spanish director Miguel Eek.

The co-production between Spain, France, Switzerland, Cape Verde and Portugal by Lx Films features cinematography by João Pedro Plácido and is nominated for the best Ibero-American documentary award at the Guadalajara Film Festival, which will take place in April.

In the Kaleidoscope – Poetry in Motion section of HKIFF, “Last night I conquered the city of Thebes” by Gabriel Azorín will be presented, a Spanish production with the Portuguese Primeira Idade.

The festival will also present several classic films restored in 4K, including “Aniki-Bóbó” (1942), the first film by the Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira (1908-2015).

The HKIFF includes a short film competition and the Firebirds awards, and one of the nominees is "Samba Infinito," a co-production between Brazil and France directed by Brazilian Leonardo Martinelli.