In an edition of Porto Femme dedicated to the theme of Work, it seemed inevitable to turn our attention to the festival itself and to one of the forms of work that most often remains invisible: film programming. Who chooses the films? How are decisions made? What negotiations, constraints, and creative visions make a program possible? And how could feminist programming transform not only what we see on screen, but also the ways of working and being together that sustain a festival? It was from these questions that the workshop developed Feminist Strategies for Alternative Film Programming, supervised by programmer and researcher Anastasia Lukovnikova.

The first part of the workshop consisted of an online theoretical session. For about three hours, participants with diverse backgrounds and experiences shared practices, questions, and strategies related to film programming, addressing topics such as representation, decision-making processes, audience building, and the tensions between cultural work, activism, and institutional sustainability.

The second phase of the workshop took the form of practical research. A group of seven participants closely followed the festival over several days, attending sessions, debates, and side events. The group conducted interviews, engaged in informal conversations with invited professionals, and observed different contexts of programming and cultural mediation.