Samita nandy - 2026 indielisboa film festival | Samita Nandy

At the 2026 edition of IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, one of the most striking discoveries was not simply the films, but the curatorial insights into independent filmmaking. As a press delegate attending on behalf of the Centre for Media and Celebrity Studies (CMCS), I arrived expecting innovative independent cinema across geographies and genres. What I did not anticipate was how profoundly the festival’s curatorial lens of inquiry would invite audiences to re-think the foundations of spectatorship in their wider cultural practice of art. Co-funded by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, which supports independent cinema, European co-productions, and audience development, IndieLisboa's panel talks and screenings offered the following 8 insights into how the cultural landscape of European filmmaking is a unique and sustainable alternative to the systematic production models of Hollywood and Bollywood. More on CMCS blog. Special thanks to press delegate Varsha Mehra for the CMCS video & photography.