The Lisbon & Sintra Film Festival ’17 will feature a retrospective of the work of José Vieira, a director of Portuguese origins and the pioneering author of a singular filmography (though as of yet barely known in Portugal) dedicated to the issue of immigration, and in particular the mostly clandestine exodus of thousands of Portuguese citizens to France in the 1970’s.
Born in Oliveira de Frades, José Vieira left for France in 1965, aged seven. Since 1985, encouraged by the political transformations that took place in Portugal and by his own involvement with immigrant solidarity groups, he has directed around thirty documentaries for France 2, France 3, Cinquème and Arte, creating a portrait of immigration in France based on his own personal experiences and the individual stories that he has come to know.
The great difficulties endured by Portuguese immigrants – life in the slums, fraudulent employers, as well as hate and discrimination – motivated José Vieira to reconstruct a collective memory and a narrative that applies to all of these immigrants, regardless of their origins, by explaining the motives which led them to leave their country and fight for a better life.
AT THE FESTIVAL
LÉS ÉMIGRÉS + THE LAND WE NEVER RETURN TO
November 22nd, 9.30PM
Cinema Medeia Monumental
LE PAIN QUE LE DIABLE A PÉTRI
November 23rd, 9.15PM
Cinema Medeia Monumental
LE BATEAU EN CARTON
November 24th, 9.30PM
Cinema Medeia Monumental
LE DRÔLE DE MAI, CHRONIQUE DES ANNÉES DE BOUE + L'ILE DES ABSENTS
November 26th, 18.45PM
Espaço Nimas