Eija-Liisa Ahtila (b. 1959, Hämeelinna, Finland) is a artist working in video and photography. Lives and works in Helsinki. Between 1989 and 2003 her works - instalations, photographs, video art and films - have been shown worlwide and exhibited at museums such as Documenta 11 and Kiasma Museum. One of the most important exhibitions of her work was the retrospective "Fantasized persons and taped conversations" presented at the Tate Modern in 2002. Retrospective at Vila do Conde, 2003: Me/We, Okay, Gray, Finland, 1993, Fic, 3x90’’, 35mm, Col. Tänään (Today), Finland, 1996, Fic, 10’, 35mm, Col. Jos 6 Olis 9 (If 6 was 9), Finland, 1995, Fic, 10’, 35mm, Col. Lohdutusseremonia (Consolation service), Finland, 1999, Fic, 24’, 35mm, Col. Rakkaus On Aare (Love is a treasure), Finland, 2002, Fic, 55’, 35mm, Col. Supports: Embassy of Finland Finnish Film Foundation Frame – Finnish Fund For Art Exchange Genelec

Considered the finest experimental filmmaker – or in his words – "fringe filmmaker" of his generation, the prolific and mercurial Mike Hoolboom (b. 1959, Toronto) has made over 50 films and videos since 1980. He has also played a major curatorial and critical role in the Canadian avant-garde film community, working as the fringe film officer at the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre from 1988 to 1990, where he started the now defunct magazine The Independent Eye. In 1989, with Jonathan Pollard, Barbara Sternberg, Philip Hoffman and Gary Popovich, he formed the artist-run exhibition group Pleasure Dome, devoted to fringe film and video. By Jason McBride Retrospective at Vila do Conde, 2003: Tom, Canada, 2002, Doc, 75’, BETA SP, Col. Imitations of Life, Canada, 2003, Doc, 75’, BETA SP, Col. Escape in Canada, Canada, 1993, Fic, 9’, 16mm, Col. Passing on, Canada, 1997, Fic, 21’, 16mm, Col. Mexico, Canada, 1992, Fic, 35’, 16mm, Col.

Born in 1974. Directed several short films between 1997 and 2000. Sandro won twice the National Competition in Vila do Conde. The Festival commissioned his first incursion on videoinstalation to be presented in Work in Progress 2003.

Pedro Costa was born in Lisbon (1958) where he graduated in History. He directed several shorts and features since 1988, and he's one of the most respected contemporary portuguese directors. This videoinstallation was part of the project “True stories”, first presented at the Witte deWith Centre for contemporary art, Rotterdam, in 2003. The Festival invited Pedro to show this work as national premiere at the WIP' section.

The young Nicolas Dufranne (b.1977) studied photograph in the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre. Nowadays he's a director working and living in Brussels. He produced some videos presented in Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Spain.

With the idea of creating special projects that go beyond the sole presentation of cinema, the Festival in collaboration with the Lomographic Society International (a reference brand in low budget photographic cameras) invited several directors who have visited the festival before, to photograph with this camera which enables the registration of sequences of four images, a very suggestive effect, which is easily associated with the idea of images in motion and therefore with cinema. Trying somehow to explore the concept of the Work in Progress section of the festival, we suggested an image contribution to the guest artists where they would explore their personal world or some work to be developed. The shooting took place in different countries and were carried out by the directors themselves and the outcome is quite laid back and diverse. Thus, the first images from this experience point at projects, ideas, intentions and fragments of a reality yet to be constructed. This photograph exhibition took place in the Solar de S. Roque during the 11th International Short Film Festival of Vila do Conde (from 29th June to 6th July of 2003).