The animated short film ‘Porque Hoje é Sábado’, which portrays the disproportionate burden of family life on women, is on the longlist for the 2027 Oscars. The production was carried out by Os Filmes do Pinguim, a brand of Pinguim Atrevido, an animation and illustration studio based at UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto.

In addition to its success in Portugal, the film has already won more than a dozen awards and honourable mentions at international film festivals in countries such as Greece, Switzerland, Spain, and Armenia. It was thanks to the Best Animated Short Film Award at the POFF Festival in Estonia that the team behind ‘Porque Hoje é Sábado’ saw the short film automatically qualify for the 2027 Oscars longlist.

“Although the road to an Oscar nomination is still long, being automatically included on the longlist is something that makes us very happy. We are even more excited by the fact that, to date, the film has already won 17 awards”, says the team at Os Filmes do Pinguim. Once the longlist is finalised, Academy members will vote on around 15 films to make the shortlist. Five films will then be officially nominated for the Oscars.

Directed by Alice Eça Guimarães, the film seeks to portray the reality of many women for whom a day usually associated with rest and freedom is, in fact, associated with domestic work. “Even though we have come a long way in the fight for equality between men and women, the burden of family life still disproportionately constrains the lives, freedom and creativity of most women”, explains the director. “This type of work, routine and imperceptible, is often undervalued. However, it effectively translates into an overload in women’s lives and becomes a catalyst for common mental disorders such as depression, insomnia and low self-esteem”, she adds.

The production company based at UPTEC teamed up with Animais AVPL, a production company with which it had previously worked on the RTP series ‘As 7 Caixas’, and was responsible for developing part of the animation, as well as for frame clean-up, painting and audio post-production.

The short film ‘Porque Hoje é Sábado’ was directed by Alice Eça Guimarães, produced by Animais AVPL, co-produced by Studio Kimchi and La Clairière Ouest, and with Os Filmes do Pinguim as associate producer. The film’s trailer can be viewed here.

12 January 2026