The twelfth edition of the Montanha Pico Festival kicks off this Thursday, January 8, at 9:00 p.m. at the Municipal Auditorium of Lajes do Pico. The opening session is dedicated to works produced in the Azores.

“There are ten nights of cinema on three major screens across our island,” announces Terry Costa, artistic director of the MiratecArts association, producer of the film festival. “In addition to the now traditional screenings of films set in mountainous landscapes or focused on mountain culture, this year we are also highlighting the best Portuguese feature films, following a festival opening dedicated to the Azores.”

The opening session presents the short films First Date by Luís Filipe Borges, Calhau by Paulo Abreu, ilhoa by Margarida Saramago, Reviralha by Sara Massa, and Reflexos by Francisco Rosas, bringing images of the islands of Pico, Faial, Corvo, and São Miguel to the big screen. The session also includes still (not) at home by Kateryna Kondratieva, about the experience of Ukrainian women who left their homes because of the war and came to live in the Azores, as well as the medium-length film Alice: Modern Woman by Tiago Rosas, produced by Palco Ilusões.

Alice: Modern Woman is a documentary that explores the life and legacy of Alice Moderno, one of the most influential figures in Azorean history. Through a guided visit to the places where she lived and worked—led by Professor Teófilo Braga—and insightful commentary by researchers Cristina Pimentel and Isolina Medeiros, the film reveals the many facets of a woman far ahead of her time. Actress Margarida Benevides gives voice to Alice’s thoughts and emotions through adapted readings from her writings. A writer, journalist, entrepreneur, feminist, republican, anticlerical thinker, the first woman to attend secondary education in Ponta Delgada, founder of the Micaelense Society for Animal Protection, and partner of Evelina de Sousa during a period of strong social conservatism, Alice Moderno emerges in this film as a symbol of courage, modernity, and resistance in early 20th-century Portugal.

The session is open to the general public and admission is free. The Montanha Pico Festival continues with programming at the Municipal Auditorium of Lajes do Pico on Thursdays through January 29. Tuesdays are reserved for screenings at the Whalers Museum Auditorium, and the weekend of January 23–25 will take place at the Madalena Auditorium. For more details, visit www.picofestival.com and follow MiratecArts on social media.