The short film “The Dark Knot at the Center”, directed by Portuguese filmmaker Inês Pedrosa e Melo, has been selected for the official programme of the 25th edition of the Tribeca Festival (US).
Following a body of work developed during her Master’s degree in Documentary Film and Video at Stanford University — including “Home, Revised”, “Variations”, and “Notes on Living” — Inês Pedrosa e Melo now presents her first independent film. “The Dark Knot at the Center” was developed with the support of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM).
A co-production between Olhar de Ulisses (Portugal) and VACATIONLAND (United States), the film follows anonymous women travelling across the United States in search of access to abortion services. "The Dark Knot at the Center” (Inês Pedrosa e Melo, Portugal/US, 2026, DOC, 18’) will premiere in New York as part of the “Whatever It Takes” programme in the festival’s short film section, marking a significant presence of Portuguese cinema at one of the leading international film events.
Also screening in the shorts section, “Because Today is Saturday” (Alice Eça Guimarães, 2025, Portugal/Spain/France, ANI, 12’) will be featured in a programme curated by American actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg, further highlighting the diversity and international reach of contemporary Portuguese animation.
