Portuguese Cinema Days return to Berlin with 12 sessions

Os “English Cinema Days in Berlin” return to the German capital between October 26 and December 3, with 12 Portuguese film sessions and a program that crosses different themes and styles.

“ It was really difficult to choose between so many films, and so good”, he revealed to Lusa Helena Araújo, organizer of the festival and founder of the cultural association 2314, explaining that the organization began to predict eight sessions, but ended up extending the program to 12.

This year's edition brings together long films and documentaries addressing topics such as racism, immigration, climate change and social change in Portugal.

“ Some films change the perspective of this look, putting ‘the other’ to speak in the first person and inviting the viewer to empathy that is born of listening”, said Helena Araújo.

The festival opens on 26 October with Paolo Marinou-Blanco’s “Dream with Lions”, and a conversation with the director. On October 29, he shows "The Memory of the Smell of Things", by António Ferreira, also chosen for being in the Oscar race for best international film.

“ One of the initial objectives of the festival was to allow the Portuguese residents in Berlin to see in the movies the most talked about in Portugal,” Helena Araújo explained.

Among the following highlights are “Orlando Pantera”, documentary by Catarina Alves Costa about the Cape Verdean musician, the first feature film by Diogo Costa Amarante, “We are in the Air”, and “The Girls Exemplares”, by João Botelho, in an adaptation of works by the Countess of Ségur that dialogues with the universe of Paula Rego.

The program also includes “The Tree of Knowledge”, by Eugène Green, “Lavagante”, by Mário Barroso, and the documentary “We People of the Islands”, by Elson Santos and Lara Sousa, about the struggle for independence of Cape Verde.

On November 26, "The Wind Whistle in the Cranes", adaptation of Lídia Jorge's novel, and on November 30, there will be a double session with "Kora", by Cláudia Varejão, and "Bulakna", by Leonor Engagement. The festival ends on December 3 with “18 Holes for Paradise”, by João Nuno Pinto.

The selection seeks to reach both the Portuguese community and the international public.

“ We seek to choose films that seem accessible to us both for a Portuguese public resident in Berlin and for an international audience,” the organizer said.

The conversations with directors after the sessions are one of the brands of the festival, although the presence of guests depends on the professional commitments and the budget available.

“Our audience greatly appreciates this possibility of talking to the director at the end of the exhibition,” Helena Araújo stressed in the statements to Lusa, also highlighting the informal coexistence that follows, often accompanied by Port wine.

“The Portuguese Cinema Days in Berlin would be unthinkable without this element of conviviality and exchange of ideas after the film’s exhibition,” he added.

Created in 2018, the festival reaches the eighth edition and has joined the list of film festivals of the city’s official portal, “berlin.de”.

“ It is a great pleasure to see that the city of Berlin officially recognized that our film festival is an integral part of the city’s cultural offer,” said Helena Araújo.

The festival remains mainly thanks to voluntary work, but the team has been growing with the entrance of Portuguese youth.

“ This generational renewal gives us confidence in the continuity of the festival and the possibility of developing it in the coming years ", highlighted.

The “English Cinema Days in Berlin” take place at the Movie cinema in Berlin, with original language films and English subtitles.