A blockbuster movie premiere, a banquet of motorcycle short films, and scores of colorful motorcycling cinephiles; welcome to the Lisbon Motorcycle Film Festival.
Hosted at Cinema São Jorge?a 78-year-old cinema on Lisbon’s swanky Avenida da Liberdade?the annual Lisbon Motorcycle Film Festival celebrated its eighth running this year. Eight years on the go is a remarkable feat for such a niche event, but it’s easy to understand the appeal when you’re there in person.

Running from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon, the event focuses mostly on the films that are being screened, with little else to distract?and that’s its charm.
Each day has its own vibe. Legions of motorcycles crowd the cobbled boardwalk outside the venue on Friday night, overshadowing the myriad vendors that occupy the street market. A giant banner hangs illuminated from Cinema São Jorge’s facade, proudly displaying Adi Gilbert’s brilliant poster illustration.
Tickets are sold per screening, and tonight is sold out. The LxMFF has bagged a coveted early screening of The Bikeriders?a slow-burn epic inspired by and named after Danny Lyon’s groundbreaking photography book. The film’s all-star cast of Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, and Jodie Comer stuns under the guidance of writer-director Jeff Nichols.
Cinema São Jorge’s main theater, the Manoel de Oliveira Room, holds 800 at maximum capacity?so a second, 200-seater theater is opened to cover the 1,000...