At the beginning of “Dystopia”, a documentary that is already available on HBO Max, the director Tiago Afonso gives coordinates on the meaning of gentrification and the processes of social change in cities. The director took thirteen years to finish the film, between 2007 and 2020 he filmed what was happening in some areas of Porto, Bacelo, Bairro do Aleixo and Feira da Vandoma. At one point in this conversation, he tells the Observer that “at the time you could see the damage, now you can see the consequences.”
When thinking about gentrification, it is customary to focus on the consequences. Perhaps because of the fear that they will reach us, in the most diverse ways. In “Dystopia” the damage is filmed, the change through demolition, expulsion, relocation or creation of new locations. There is a constant disturbance throughout the 60 minutes of the film: it is a portrait of a past but, in a way, it feels permanently like a present. “Dystopia” won the HBO Portugal Award for Best Film in the Portuguese Competition at DocLisboa 2021, as well as the Cinema Falado Award at Porto/Post/Doc 2021.
[o trailer de “Distopia”:]
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Source: Observadora
