The second edition of the film festival promoted by TAP Air Portugal on board its aircraft announced its winners on World Cinema Day, at a ceremony held at the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian. The short films in competition were screened on TAP flights throughout October and voted on by passengers and an international jury that included Rui Tendinha, Sónia Balacó, Paul Visser, João Antero, and Elisabete Mendes.
Around 30,000 passengers watched the ten finalist films, five in the Fiction category and five in the Documentary category, and it was also the passengers who chose the winners of the Altitude Film Fest in 2025:
- Best Fiction Film: Mother - Director: Carla Miranda
- Best Documentary: Between Earth and Sky – Director: Luís Dalvan
After viewing and carefully analysing all entries, the Festival jury selected five finalists for each category. The winners were selected in two stages: 40 per cent of the final score was awarded by the jury, composed of film industry experts, and 60 per cent was determined by votes cast by passengers travelling on TAP flights with an in-flight entertainment system.
Mário Cruz, Chief Commercial & Revenue Officer at TAP Air Portugal, opened the event, which he says "shows the importance of the airline's commitment to Portuguese culture. We know that our passengers feel like they are in Portugal as soon as they board our planes, and with the Altitude Film Fest, we want to transport Portuguese ideas, history and culture around the world. We know that these films all have a focus on Portuguese identity, and we believe that they celebrate Portuguese talent, Portuguese culture and the seventh art in Portugal. We want the Altitude Film Fest to add value to the TAP experience, to culture in Portugal and to take Portuguese cinema to greater altitudes."
The films awarded the Grand Prizes for Best Fiction Film and Best Documentary were rewarded with a travel grant worth €1,500. The trophies presented to the winners, designed by sculptor ZÉVI, consisted of upcycled sculptures made from recycled parts of TAP A321 aircraft, giving them a unique and original symbolic value. The ten finalist films will now be shown on the entertainment systems of TAP's long-haul aircraft until the end of September next year.
