The jury found “On Falling” to be “a richly nuanced portrait of a world governed by the corporate profit motive, as seen in the story of an immigrant woman whose alienation is deeply felt, told with masterful cinematic precision and discreet performance.” Statement issued by the festival organization.
“On Falling” is, for the judges, a “powerful, fascinating and daring” first feature film.
Laura Carreira’s first feature film, after having directed the ‘shorts’ “Red Hill” (2918) and “The Shift” (2020), was awarded the Silver Shell for best direction at the São Film Festival in September. Paulo of San Sebastian. in Spain, ex-aequo with “El llanto”, by Pedro Martín-Cale.
In all her films, Laura Carreira explores issues linked to work and precariousness.
In “On Falling,” the central figure is Aurora, a young Portuguese immigrant to Scotland, who works in a warehouse and has difficulty making ends meet and socializing in a house shared with other immigrants.
[o trailer de “On Falling”:]
Starring actress Joana Santos, “On Falling” had its world premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada.
“On Falling” is produced by the Portuguese company BRO Cinema, in co-production with the United Kingdom, through Sixteen Films, co-founded by director Ken Loach.
Laura Carreira, who was born in Porto in 1994, went to Scotland in 2012 to study Film, coinciding with the economic crisis that hit Portugal, and it is in the United Kingdom where she still lives and works.
In an interview with the Lusa agency, in 2020, when “The Shift” was screened at the Venice festival, Laura Carreira said that she wanted to continue exploring topics that, in her opinion, are little covered in cinema, related to poverty, work . , loss of rights, precariousness, but always through fiction.
The 68th edition of the London Film Festival, which ends this Sunday, began on the 9th of this month.
“Al Caer”: is it in San Sebastián where the conquest of Laura Carreira and Joana Santos begins?
In addition to “On Falling,” Denise Fernandes’ “Hanami” was also selected for the feature debut competition.
The festival program also included “Grand Tour”, by Miguel Gomes, and “Fogo do Vento”, by Marta Mateus.
They are also joined by “The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder,” by Mozambican director Inadelso Cossa, which premiered at the Berlin Festival in February and reflects on the memory of the civil war in the country, and the short film “Our Lady Who Queima”, by visual artist and filmmaker Alice dos Reis, filmed in the Serra da Gardunha, in Beira Baixa.
Source: Observadora
