The programme opens on 18 July at 3:30 pm at the Municipal Theatre with a film-concert dedicated to Segundo de Chomón, one of the great pioneers in the history of cinema. In collaboration with duo tangente, formed by Beatriz Rola and Inês Lapa, and the Vila do Conde Choir, conducted by maestro Tiago André Pereira, the screening invites families, children, and the local community to discover a world of visual tricks, unexpected transformations, and small cinematic wonders from the early days of cinema. The programme includes eight films by the French filmmaker, including The Electric Hotel, The King of Dollars, Jim the Trickster, and A Terrible Symphony, in an experience that brings together cinema, music, and collective performance.

The film programme for younger audiences is organised into different screenings for various age groups. The Curtinhas M/3, M/6, and M/9 screenings present an international selection of animated and live-action films, with stories exploring friendship, imagination, courage, discovery, and our relationship with the world around us.

The Curtinhas Cineciência screening, for audiences aged 9 and over, explores the relationship between cinema and knowledge, bringing together films that address topics such as adapting to a changing world, the body, death, the origins of the universe, and the search for extraterrestrial life. Curtinhas no Planetário, for audiences aged 6 and over, invites families on a journey through space with films including 3 – 2 – 1: Partida!, Vítor e Sofia vão à Lua, and Há Formas no Espaço, at the Ciência Viva Centre.

The programme also includes three workshops aimed at different age groups. Curtir o Som, led by the Ciência Viva Centre, offers a journey into the world of acoustics, exploring sounds, instruments, and different ways of producing and recognising sound. In Desenha com Som!, led by Roberto Santos, children will be able to observe, through an oscilloscope, the transformation of sound waves into moving shapes and images. Bedê de Mão em Mão, led by Rui Monteiro and Guilherme Oliveira, invites participants to discover the elements of comics and create a collective story, passed from one person to the next.

The programme also includes a Conto Contigo – Book Readings & Play session on 25 July at the Brincar ao Cinema space, featuring a dramatised reading of a children's story led by Xana Miranda, followed by a surprise playful activity.

From 18 to 25 July, the Kid's Space, located on the second floor of the Municipal Theatre, welcomes children aged 4 to 12 with a continuous programme of playful and educational activities. While adults attend festival screenings, children can take part in short workshops, stop-motion and pixilation experiments, film screenings, and other activities centred on moving image and this year's Curtinhas theme: the relationship between sound and image in the early days of cinema. Admission is free upon presentation of a ticket for a film screening taking place at the same time.

The programme concludes on 26 July with the Curtinhas Awards Ceremony and Award-Winning Films at 3:00 pm, followed by the Closing Party at 4:00 pm in the garden of the Museum of Bobbin Lace. Free and open to all ages, the party brings to a close a week dedicated to cinema and creativity for younger audiences, in a moment of celebration and outdoor socialising.