Portugal
In 1985, former oil rig worker Richard Linklater began a film screening society in Austin, Texas, that aimed to show classic art-house and experimental films to a budding community of cinephiles. Eventually incorporating as a nonprofit, the newly branded Austin Film Society raised enough money to fly in their first out-of-town filmmaker: James Benning. Accepting the invitation, Benning met Linklater and the two began to develop a personal and intellectual bond, leading to many future encounters. Starting in the 1960s, Benning had been creating low budget films mostly on his own, while Linklater had just begun to craft his first shorts. The filmmakers have remained close even as their careers have diverged. After the cult success of Slacker, Linklater went on to make films with Hollywood support. Benning, meanwhile, has stayed close to his roots and is mainly an unknown figure in mainstream film culture.
Toby, a cynical advertising director finds himself trapped in the outrageous delusions of an old Spanish shoe-maker who believes himself to be Don Quixote. In the course of their comic and increasingly surreal adventures, Toby is forced to confront the tragic repercussions of a film he made in his idealistic youth.
In 1971, António Lobo Antunes’ life is brutally interrupted when he is drafted into the Portuguese Army to serve as a doctor in one of the worst zones of the Colonial War – the East of Angola. Away from everything dear he writes letters to his wife while he is immersed in an increasingly violent setting. While he moves between several military posts he falls in love for Africa and matures politically. At his side, an entire generation struggles and despairs for the return home. In the uncertainty of war events, only the letters can make him survive.
There is a long night when Hugo, a civil servant, is sitting on the stairs of the Ministry where he works. He can’t face going home. The images of the mysterious 8 mm films he found in António’s house after he passed away keep coming back to his mind. Hugo remembers the day when Antonio, his superior at the Ministry, told him that he was going to die. Indirectly, Antonio seemed to want to tell him something about Hugo himself. Hugo’s desire to understand what had remained unsaid between the two of them, triggers other memories from the past. Hugo unexpectedly thinks back on the last time he saw the woman he loved, Adriana, and relives once more what he feels has been his unlived life.
This is an intriguing avant-garde look at what motivates the leisurely classes in Portugal, for better or worse, by director Manoel de Oliveira. Set in a spacious country home peopled with a wide-ranging cast of characters, the drama begins as the friends of a widow come to console her on the loss of her husband. But at one point, the widow goes upstairs, encounters her husband, and is faced with his accusations about the past. This event and others provide the means of revealing the petty, self-serving, egocentric, and romantic pursuits of the melange of people in the house. – Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
An idealistic teen from rural Texas embarks on the adventure of a lifetime when she decides to leave behind starry nights for big city lights. Thrilled to be on her own and determined not to be intimidated by New York City, she accepts a job as nanny for a high-profile couple with four kids. Helping to keep her moral compass in check are Bertram, the family’s butler, and Tony, the building’s 20-year-old doorman.
For Heather music is everything. Following in her mother’s footsteps, Heather has always dreamed about getting into Juilliard and becoming a classical pianist. But all her dreams get shattered the day her mum dies. Left with nothing but a piano and debts, Heather’s only option is to move in with her estranged father and half-brother. When her application for a scholarship is rejected, Heather’s last hope to see her Big Dream come true is swept away. Until one day she meets Toby, a hip and handsome music store owner who opens up a whole new world to her – the world of DJ-ing and dance music. Heather is carried away by this enticing underground world, and her heart starts to beat again to the rhythm of a new life – and a new love. Heather eventually finds herself torn between two worlds of music and as her audition approaches, time comes for her to choose. And for the first time in her life she starts questioning what it is that she really desires.
The mysteriously familiar face of a deceased young woman shakes young surgeon Fabian out of his lethargy. On a whim, he leaves Berlin for Portugal, determined to win back his former girlfriend Doro, who works at an architectural company in Lisbon.
