BCC's LusoCentro to host free screening of award-winning Portuguese short films

Lurdes C. da Silva, O Jornal
·2 min read
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FALL RIVER – The LusoCentro will be showcasing some of the finest short films from Portugal on Oct. 30 at Bristol Community College, including Ice Merchants, the first Portuguese film nominated for an Oscar.

The free screenings are made possible through a collaborative effort with CineMar, a film festival highlighting sea-themed Portuguese cinema.

The showings will start at 7 p.m. in Building C, Room 111 of the Fall River campus, 777 Elsbree St.

According to a press release, the featured films “cover mainly the themes of work, access to the sea, the role of women in activities related to the sea, environmental issues and others in which the sea/water is also the scene of inspiration, imagination, questioning, forms of perception and possibilities for action providing a space for reflection on our relationship with the sea and raising awareness of the urgency of change.”

The films will be screened in Portuguese with English subtitles.

What films will be shown?

  • Ice Merchants (2022) directed by João Gonzalez. The 14-minute short about family love is the first ever Portuguese animation to be awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. Featured in a number of international film festivals, it has received many accolades and awards, such as the Gold Hugo award for Best Animated Short at the Chicago International Film Festival and a nomination for the 95th Academy Awards in the category of Best Animated Short Film.

  • Octopus (2022) directed by Catarina Sobral. The 8-minute short tells the story of a foreigner who arrives in a new city and does not speak the language of the locals, nor does he look like them: instead of two, he has several arms looking like an octopus.

  • The Foam and the Lion (2022) directed by Cláudio Jordão. The 17-minute short retraces the intrepid voyage of “Bom Sucesso,” a caique that left Olhão, Portugal, towards Rio de Janeiro, on July 6, 1808, with 18 fearless sailors onboard, taking with them the good news that Portugal was finally free of Napoleon’s enemy troops.

  • Water in the Gills (2021) directed by Marco Schiavon. Set in the Azores, the 25-minute short tells the story of a German boy who at the age of 12 saw his world turn upside down when his family decided to move from a large German city to Faial. By building a relationship with the sea, he found adaptation to this new life and the feeling of belonging.

For more information, contact LusoCentro’s Director Dr. Carlos Almeida at carlos.almeida@bristolcc.edu or call 401-919-4293.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: BCC's LusoCentro to host free screening of Portuguese short films