DocNomads films awarded in Viana Encounters, Portugal
Farewell to the Books by Diego Quinderé won the main prize of the PrimeirOlhar/FirstLook annual student awards, and Water and Salt by Luisa Mello was awarded an Honourable Mention.
Three more DN films were also presented in the 20th Cinema Encounters of Viana do Castelo: QHUBEKA, THABO by Jethro Westraad, KIDS THESE DAYS, by Kristen van Schie, and THE CELLULOID WOMAN, by Ananthakrishnan Pillai.
PrimeirOlhar Award is an international competition open to film and communication students from Portugal, Galicia, Brazil and other Portuguese-speaking countries. The award aims to encourage young people to produce and direct innovative and creative documentaries and to reward the best Portuguese-Language documentaries. Watch this year’s winners here.
By Diego Quinderé
13' • Portugal • 2020
Synopsis:
A second-hand bookstore on the outskirts of Lisbon is overcrowded from floor to ceiling with books of all kinds. In addition to precious rarities, less relevant books, a few remnants of torn papers, worthless antique objects, and old random magazines. José Ribeiro is a 76-year-old bookseller facing the impossibility of organizing his shop. Under pressure from real estate speculation, he struggles between memory preservation and excessive accumulation.
By Luisa Mello
10' • Belgium • 2019
Synopsis:
During the 2018 Brazilian presidential elections, a woman floats in waters far from home. When everything seems calm, a wave hits and carries her to the depths of her being.
Water and Salt is a journey through the consciousness of someone whose country is under threat from a fascist government.
Trailer here.