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| Image: Desassossego |
In the late nineties Portugal experienced a revival in documentary film production due to the work of a number of independent directors whose common bond has been a strong commitment to the documentary medium. New Portuguese documentary deals with subject matter that is eclectic, but often based in Portuguese culture and day-to-day life. It is thematically broad in scope, while maintaining an intimacy and dedication to telling the stories of indiviudals and communities. The Melbourne Filmoteca is proud to present two recent documentaries from independent production house Laranja Azul (Blue Orange).
7.30pm
Desassossego (Restless)
Catarina Mourão, 76 mins, Portugal, 2002
A triptych of life in the city of Porto, this film deals with the process of moving house, following three characters at different stages of the process. The stories of a real estate agent, a young mother moving house and an elderly removalist are woven into a chain, contrasting the points of view of these three individuals from very different social backgrounds, and providing an unconventional portrait of a city. Desassossego is directed by Catarina Mourão who has directed and produced a number of documentaries, among them the award-winning A Dama de Chandor (The Lady of Chandor) (1998).
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| Image: Entre Muros |
9.00pm
Entre Muros (In Between Walls)
João Ribeiro & José Filipe Costa, 75 mins, Portugal, 2002
Since the late nineties, African immigrants have been replaced by Eastern European immigrants as the dominant illegal immigrant group in Portugal. Eschewing journalistic documentary conventions in its treatment of this issue, Entre Muros is a deliberately intimate documenatry about two Ukrainians, Sergey and Eduard, who work as construction workers in the suburbs of Lisbon and share a converted garage with three other illegal Ukrainian immigrants. The film describes their final months in voluntary exile, when yearning for home becomes more acute and the possibility of prolonging their stay also arises. Entre Muros is the first feature-length documentary directed by cinematographer João Ribeiro, who has worked on a number of award-winning Portuguese documentaries, and film critic José Filipe Costa.
All films in Portuguese with English subtitles.
