Historic Center / Centro Historico
Portugal / 2012 / 89 min.
Director: Pedro COSTA, Manoel de OLIVEIRA, Victor ERICE, Aki Kaurismäki
[Introduction]
In the northwest region of Portugal lies the ancient capital Guimar‹es. As the birthplace of Portugal's first king, Afonso the 1st, the city is known as "The founding region of Portugal," and possesses a variety of historical structures that have been preserved. It has been acknowledged as a UNESCO World Heritage site called "Historic Center of Guimar‹es" and in 2012, was designated a European Capital of Culture which is supported by the European Union. Various cultural events are held throughout the year in the city, and "Historic Center" is the film that was produced as a part of those events. In the film, four preeminent contemporary European masters capture Guimar‹es from different aspects. It can be said that this invaluable omnibus film which obviously conveys the charms of the city, archives the respective styles of four masters as a single work. Aki KAURISM€KI's "Tavern Man" portrays without dialogue the day-in-the-life of a man who works at a bar in a historic district of the city. The contrast of the classic bar's interior where time seems to have stopped with the modernized areas of the city that appear in the latter half of the film is fascinating. Pedro COSTA's "Sweet Exorcist" deals with the revolution of 1974 using a surrealistic setup. The protagonist is Ventura, a character who has appeared in "Colossal Youth" and other COSTA films. A participant in a coup d'tat by young commissioned officers, Ventura loses his way within the woods. Eventually, Ventura is admitted into a mental hospital where he has conversations with "ghosts" of the past in the hospital's elevator....... Victor ERICE's "Broken Windows" is a film about Rio Vizela, a textile factory which was founded in the mid-19th century and closed down in 2002. Former laborers visit the vacant site of the factory which at one time was principal to the European textile industry and share their memories from individual viewpoints. A photograph of the factory's dining hall from that era will have a tremendous affect on the audience who will be moved to tears. Manoel de OLIVEIRA's "Conquered Conqueror" is a humorous film shot at Guimar‹es' fortress. A group of tourists march toward an imposing bronze statue of Afonso the 1st that stands before the fortress....... The film world premiered at the Rome International Film Festival.
O Tasqueiro
2012 / 13 min. / Dir. Aki Kaurismäki) Sweet Exorcist / Lamento da Vida Jovem
2012 / 30 min. / Dir. Pedro COSTA Broken Windows / Vidros Partidos
2012 / 36 min. / Dir. Victor ERICE O Conquistador, Conquistado
2012 / 10 min. / Dir. Manoel de OLIVEIRA
Aki Kaurismäki
Born in 1957 in Orimattila, Finland. Majored in literature and communication theory at the University of Helsinki, and later wrote film criticism for a Finnish film magazine. Wrote the screenplay for his older brother Mika's film "The Liar" in 1980 and also played the lead role, then set up a production company with him in 1981. In 1983, his feature directorial debut "Crime and Punishment" elevated his profile in Finland, and his 1986 film "Shadows in Paradise" was selected by the Cannes Film Festival. From then on, he has been one of Finland's foremost filmmakers whose inimitable works constantly attract international attention. "The Man Without a Past" (02) won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Other noted works include "Ariel" (88), "The Match Factory Girl" (90), "La Vie-de Bohème" (92), "Drifting Clouds" (96), "Juha" (99), "Lights in the Dusk" (06), and "Le Havre" (11).
Pedro COSTA
Born in 1959 in Lisbon, Portugal. Majored in history and literature at the University of Lisbon, and also studied at Lisbon Theatre and Film School under Ant--nio REIS. Worked as an assistant director on films by Jo‹o BOTELHO, Jorge Silva MELO and others. Made his directorial debut in 1987 with short film "Cartas a Jœlia", and directed his first fiction feature "O Sangue" in 1989. "In Vanda's Room" (00) won accolades including the Locarno Film Festival's Youth Jury Award and the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival's Prize of Excellence, and "Colossal Youth" (06) was selected for the Cannes Film Festival's competition section. Other noted works include "Casa de Lava" (95), "Ossos" (97), "Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?" (01), and "Change Nothing" (09).
Victor ERICE
Born in 1940 in the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. Served in the military after graduating from film school. Following his discharge, he made his directorial debut at the age of 29 with an installment in the omnibus film "Los Desafios" (68), winning a Silver Seashell Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival in 1969. His 1973 film "Spirit of the Beehive" won the Golden Shell at San Sebastian. After a 10-year gap, his second feature "El Sur" (82) was also highly praised and made him known around the world as one of Spain's master filmmakers. After another 10-year interval, his third feature "Quince Tree of the Sun" (92) won the Jury Prize and FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2002, he directed the segment "Lifeline" in the omnibus film "10 Minutes Older: The Trumpet". Apart from his films, he co-created the 2006-2007 multimedia installation "Correspondences" with Abbas KIAROSTAMI, commissioned by the Centre de Cultura Contemporˆnia de Barcelona.
Manoel de OLIVEIRA
Born in 1908 in Porto, Portugal. Harbored a desire to become a director, but debuted as an actor to gain a foothold in the film industry, and subsequently made his directorial debut in 1931 with the documentary "Douro, Faina Fluvial" and his first fiction feature in 1942 with "Aniki-B--b--". "Rite of Spring", which he directed in 1963, was deemed to contain criticism of the incumbent dictatorship of Prime Minister Ant--nio de Oliveira SALAZAR, which resulted in his imprisonment shortly after it was released. As the filmmaking environment in Portugal improved in the 1970s, he created a string of masterpieces including "Francisca" (81), "The Satin Slipper" (85), and "The Divine Comedy" (91). Continued to make films at a rate of almost one per year after entering his eighties, and will turn 104 this December, making him the world's oldest active film director. Other noted works include "Abraham's Valley" (93), "The Letter" (99), "Belle Toujours" (06), and "Eccentricities of a Blonde-Haired Girl" (09).
