In Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt’s film, everyone knows and adores Diamantino, the Portuguese football superstar par excellence. But shortly before he is set to bring home the World Cup trophy, his career is brought to an abrupt and premature end. His search for a new meaning in life leads him on a strange journey that confronts him with topics such as migration, genetic engineering, and above all, true love.

The 2018 winner of the Grand Prize of Critics’ Week in Cannes, Diamantino is a queer film that transcends genre categories and rejects labels. Rich in allusion, clever, and humorous, it juggles images of global pop culture while capturing the absurdity of the present. Film-makers Abrantes and Schmidt delightfully switch between political satire, science fiction, body horror, and fairy tale without hiding their preference for trash and camp. Diamantino is not just a film about football but also a chronicle of a journey that few fans could have imagined.


This screening takes place in the frame of Take the Knee.