On June 6, 7 and 8, Torres Vedras was lit up by Bang Awards. The gorgeous historical city, which is 30 minutes from Lisbon, was the stage for the highly awaited festival.

Lights and visuals at the medieval castle of Torres Vedras
Carefully planned in every detail, the festival encouraged participants to explore the typical and charming local alleys in a truly immersive experience. Inside each of the multiple exhibition rooms, scattered throughout the city’s monuments, one could witness a wide overview of relevant audiovisual achievements from Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Screenings at S. Tiago Church

Torres Vedras and its surroundings
Being the main theme of this edition CrossWorlds, the organization tried to incorporate this same spirit to the actual experience of participants. In the main scenario, the impressive medieval castle, authors from different parts of the world shared the experience of their accomplishments and strengthened the ties of friendship between their countries.

Bang Staff and film authors at the awards ceremony
The year’s big winner was the short Puzzled (01’51”), directed by the irreverent duo Timo Hensen and Jay Lee, who were able to transform a delicate topic such as prejudice into a sensitive and innocent children’s game. You can watch the animation here.
18bis would like to thank for the invitation the entire Bang staff, especially Cátia, Ulisses and the City Council, who received us dearly, reaffirming the welcoming character of the Portuguese people.

The Me Bird, finalist of the Open Theme category, screened at the castle
Finally, a special hug to the attending authors, which made the event even more fun to experience: Carolina, Cláudio, Daniel, Diego, Gustavo, Hélder, Jay, Luca, Ramon, Timo and Yaniv.
Long live Bang! :)