Local filmmaker Luís Campos will be presenting his latest short film ‘Boca Cava Terra’, which was shot in Portimão and at the Alvor estuary, during a free screening at the Algarcine movie theatres in Portimão.
The event will be held on Saturday, February 25 at 5pm and last around one hour, starting with the screening of the 17-minute film (with English subtitles) followed by a short debate with the crew who will be attendance.
The film tells the story of a “10-year-old girl’s relationship with a man who has never recognised parenthood throughout two days in the Algarvian winter,” filmmaker Luís Campos, 37, told the Resident.
The idea came to him whilst organising DRAMA.pt, a programme which he organised in Portimão in 2018 and which combined scriptwriting with leisure activities.
“The landscape of the fauna and flora of Ria de Alvor, where the colonies of Boca Cava Terra (Afruca tangeri, a type of fiddler crabs) stand out, inspired me to tell a story centred on marginalised characters, who have been beaten by life and have a last chance to create ties of parental affection,” he explained.
“The desire to portray the latent economic equality in the Algarve motivated me,” he added.
The filmmaker also spoke about the experience of filming in Portimão, the town where he has lived most of his life and which bolstered his desire to film in the region.
“The Algarve is simultaneously a land of dreams and despair – and I wanted this film to promote some reflection on this socio-economic inequality by painting a portrait of marginalised and ostracized characters,” Campos told us.
It was nonetheless a special moment for the local filmmaker.
“The energy that was established between the local people and local entities involved was very gratifying and natural, it was a pleasurable process which I hope to repeat in the future,” he said.
Admission to the screening is free and open to everyone, although seats must be booked in advance by sending an email to [email protected]
Luís Campos is also in the process of completing a “more ambitious” short film entitled ‘Monte Clérigo’, which was filmed in Odemira and Aljezur and is due to be launched in the first half of 2023.
He is also working on his first feature film, which has already secured the backing of the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual and is due to be shot at the start of 2024 in the Entre-os-Rios region.
His own production company Matiné is also working on a TV show which has already sparked the interest of RTP.
The local filmmaker’s resumé includes the founding of GUIÕES – Portuguese Language Screenplay Festival, PLOT – Professional Script Lab and DRAMA.pt. He has also worked in film development at renowned companies such as RT Features (Brazil) and Savage Film (Belgium) before founding Matiné.
