On January 15th, three short films will open the 6th edition of MONSTRARE – International Exhibition of Social Cinema, which will take place from January 15th to 18th, at the Auditorium of Solar da Música Nova, in Loulé.
Through the seventh art, this festival aims to bring to the public "some of the most pressing social issues of our time, such as the refugee crisis or mental illness," explains the organization.
There will also be a debate with the presence of directors and figures linked to cinema, as well as a workshop in the audiovisual area.
The opening day, January 15th, is the Short Films Day, dedicated to the projection of three “shorts”: “On the threshold of thought”, by António Sequeira, “Egeu”, by Tomás Barão da Cunha and Raúl Carregas, and “Direito à Memória”, by Rúben Sevivas. Presentations start at 21 pm.
“On the Threshold of Thought” addresses the issue of mental illness. When Dinis is diagnosed with schizophrenia, before entering university, his mother has to take care of him and ensure his safety, but at the same time allow him to have a normal life like other teenagers. This story will be told from the point of view of the mother, a nurse used to taking care of other people, but who finds herself with difficulties and obstacles to take care of her own child, thus exploring this vulnerable side of a caregiver, rarely explored in cinema.
“Direito à Memória” brings us one of the most prominent figures in opposition to the Estado Novo. On the 22nd of 1958, General Humberto Delgado delivered the famous speech with which he closed the key rally at Cine-Parque. PIDE destroyed the General's voice records after the election campaign, except for this one. The recording survived as it was buried in a backyard for several years. The speech stood the test of time, the Cine-Parque didn't…
On the Aegean coast, the refugee crisis grows with each passing day. By land and by sea, hundreds of refugees arrive with no view to the future. Between Athens and Thessaloniki, between Greece and the world, three distinct paths that cross in a refuge on the Aegean coast. “Aegean” thus addresses a current theme, the refugee crisis.
The acclaimed film critic, curator of Cinema MED, Rui Tendinha, will be present, as well as one of the trainers of the workshop that integrates this program, the director Diogo Simão.
On Thursday, the 16th, at 21 pm, the feature film “Carga”, by Bruno Gascon will be highlighted. Viktoriya (Michalina Olszanska) is a young Russian woman who dreams of a better future. António (Vítor Norte) is a Portuguese truck driver facing serious financial difficulties and who only wants to support his family. Their paths will cross when he is hired to transport a group of illegal immigrants. But what António later discovers is that, by accepting that job, he ended up unwittingly entering a dangerous human trafficking scheme.
Shot in Belmonte, Fundão, Covilhã and Castelo Branco, it is a dramatic story about the intricacies of sexual exploitation and slavery that marks the debut of Bruno Gascon's feature film.
In addition to Olszanska and Norte in the main roles, the film also includes Rita Blanco, Miguel Borges, Ana Cristina Oliveira, Dmitry Bogomolov, Duarte Grilo and international model Sara Sampaio. The director will be present at this session.
Bernardo Lopes will also be present at the Solar da Música Nova Auditorium, on the 17th, at 21 pm, for the presentation of the documentary “Doctors Clowns”, which he is co-author, alongside Helder Faria.
Where suffering reigns, Doctors Clowns, specialists in smiles, enliven hope and alleviate the pain of patients, families and hospitals' clinical staff. Its effect on those in greatest need is revealed throughout the documentary, which follows the teams present in five of the fifteen national hospitals covered by the visits of Operation Red Nose: Lisbon IPO, Hospital D. Estefânia, Hospital Amadora-Sintra, Hospital Coimbra Pediatric and North Maternal and Child Centre. The film explores the mission of Red Narizes, since its foundation in 2002, when Beatriz Quintella, Dra. Da Graça, proposed to Hospital D. Estefânia to take her clown character to children, until today.
“Made in Bangladesh”, by Rubaiyat Hossain, is the feature film that closes this 6th edition of MONSTRARE. Shimu, 23, works in a textile factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Faced with increasingly harsh working conditions, she decides to create a union with her colleagues. Despite threats from her bosses and her husband's disapproval, nothing moves Shimu. She and her companions will have to fight together until the end.
It is a joint production of France, Bangladesh, Denmark and Portugal.
In parallel to the presentation of short and feature films, on the 17th (14:00 to 19:00) and 18 (from 11:00 to 13:30 and from 14:30 to 16:00) there will be an intensive workshop in the audiovisual area. This training is organized by ShortCutz Faro, presenting various trainers who will teach the recipients about the various stages of the film production process.
On the second day of training, the exercises performed in the scope of the workshop will be exhibited.
“Monstrare”, a Latin word that means to make something visible or to denounce, once again sets the tone for this Exhibition promoted by the Municipality of Loulé, through the Loulé Film Office. This is the first event in Portugal dedicated exclusively to cinema on social issues, in 2020.
For those responsible for the Municipality of Loulé, «Cinema is one of the arts that is increasingly gaining ground in the municipality, mainly as a result of the work carried out by the Loulé Film Office that has allowed to bring to Loulé various national and international productions. 2020 is expected to be a decisive year in this matter”.
Comments