It’s important to take a look at the 24 films in the National Competition of IndieLisboa 2019, a selection of filmes that reinforces the increasingly important role of national production in the festival, which is one of the sections that brings more public to the festival venues.

It was the great winner of the main prize of the First Look program at the Locarno Festival for works in their post-production phase and it is the only national film selected for Festival Cinéma du Réel: Campo, by Tiago Hespanha, is a film-thesis in Europe’s largest military base, which reflects on the physical and human, the transcendent and mundane. Felipe Bragança and Catarina Wallenstein seek in Tragam-me a Cabeça de Carmen M a representation of Brazil’s history. Ana, the main character, immerses herself in the current Brazilian political nightmare, as she prepares to play the role of the fantastic Portuguese-Brazilian Carmen Miranda. A film about the artistic creation of a country in the face of a constant search for social peace. After Quatro Horas Descalço, Antero and Nyo Vweta Nafta, it is with Alva that Ico Costa returns to IndieLisboa. The director’s first feature tells the story of Henry, a man who, after committing murder, takes refuge in the forest. Shot in 16mm, in a progressively immersive style, the work transports us to a space of solitude, questioning us about what really moves the protagonist. Catarina Ruivo is also back, this time with A Minha Avó Trelotótó. A film about the absence, mixing times and all types of records (videos, letters, photographs) in a touching tribute to the memory of her grandmother. Based on the homonymous piece by Tiago Rodrigues, Tristeza e Alegria na Vida das Girafas follows the adventure of a girl and her suicidal teddy bear through a Lisbon where crisis lurks in every corner. Directed by Tiago Guedes (Coro dos Amantes, IndieLisboa 2014), this is a sweet and sad comedy that features the performances of Miguel Borges, Tonan Quito, Maria Abreu, Gonçalo Waddington and Miguel Guilherme. In Mar, Margarida Gil summarizes the memory of the Portuguese maritime exploration, the Western/Eastern polarity and the clash with the current refugee crisis. The film includes performances by Maria de Medeiros, Pedro Cabrita Reis, Catarina Wallenstein, Nuno Lopes and Augusto Amado. Finally we have Sacavém, by Júlio Alves, a trip through Pedro Costa’s cinema. The documentary revisits the filmmaker’s films in his own words, from Casa de Lava to his most recent works.

In termos of shorts, it’s worth mentioning the premieres of films by Susana Sousa Dias (Fordlandia Malaise), Catarina Mourão (O Mar Enrola na Areia, Pedro Cabeleira (Filomena) and Jorge Jácome (Past Perfect).

† World Premiere

COMPLETE PROGRAM

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