The premiere of ‘Locked Love’, a short film “100% made in the Algarve”, will take place on Saturday, November 27 at the Vila do Bispo cultural centre at 8pm.
The event will be open to everyone, with those looking to attend (either in person or via online streaming) being asked only to sign up for free online.
The film follows the story of Michelle who comes to the Algarve to meet her boyfriend for a romantic trip. But soon after this plan falls through, she meets a group of surfers in Sagres and finds comfort in the arms of one of them.
“Between smiles, flirts and provocations, the two end up in bed and making the most of their time together. Surprisingly, Nathan gets sick after these encounters and Michelle might be the one to blame. How can one deal with the burden of self-blame,” the film’s synopsis reads.
Speaking to the Resident, writer, producer and director Lou di Giorgio explained that the film was born from the “idea of a sad love story set among the surfing community”. It was also a way of keeping active at a time when he was confined in the Algarve due to the pandemic, although he lives in Seychelles.
‘Locked Love’ was filmed in less than a week in Sagres.
“Of course, we had to measure temperature every day, keep distance, do PCR tests for the actors, wear masks all the time, which made working difficult,” said the director, adding, however, that the script was written in a way that made it easier to shoot most scenes outdoors.
Most of the crew featured “people we have worked together with for years in smaller projects, like commercials, music videos, interviews and events,” explained Lou.
However, the 21-minute film does feature the debut performance of South African (but Algarve-based) actress Vianca Meyer as Michelle, alongside Portuguese actor Marcus André who plays Nathan.
Scenes were filmed at several of Sagres’ main landmarks, from the five-star Martinhal Resort to the Cabo de São Vicente lighthouse.
While the production was a challenge at times due to the pandemic, the 59-year-old filmmaker had many positive things to say about the Algarve as a filming location.
“There are no people around in winter, so it’s easier to work. It’s quiet, warm, cheap and there are different locations, which makes it easy to film fiction productions,” said Lou.
The film has already raised some eyebrows, having won an ‘Award of Merit’ at the Best Shorts Competition in La Jolla, California (USA).
For now, ‘Locked Love’ can only be viewed on YouTube by registering for the premiere. The link will stay private until the end of the submission period of Cannes Film Festival 2022, after which it will go public.
To sign up for the premiere or learn more about the film, visit www.lockedlovemovie.com
About the director
Lou di Giorgio is a Swiss-Italian filmmaker who has been involved in numerous productions over the years. He was a producer of Spanish director’s Jaime Falero’s first feature film ‘El Clan’ in Tenerife, and a supporting actor in Ron Hopper’s ‘Misfortune’, Falero’s latest movie starring Vinnie Jones.
He has also worked on several commercials in Seychelles and Algarve, on a short film as an audio recorder, and as an equipment provider for ‘Blood Sweat and Tears’, a short made by Stephanie Ginger in Algarve.
He was also involved in the audio recording of a documentary for Red Bull in the Algarve and has worked on several music videos.
At the moment, he is trying to push a feature film project called ‘Kristel’ to be filmed in Portugal, for which he is lacking funds. He is also due to participate in a movie project with Antonio Banderas called ‘The Amazons are Back’ to be shot in Spain next year and an Italian movie to be shot in Italy, also in 2022.
By MICHAEL BRUXO
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