Longe da Amazónia

Francisco Carvalho
Portugal | 2018 | 17 min
International Premiere
Language : Portuguese
Subtitles : English, French

In the 18th century, the Portuguese explorer Alexandre Rodrigues undertook an expedition into Amazonia. In his travel journal, he detailed the mysteries emanating from the jungle, at the time considered a “terra incognita”. Through this account, we perceive the region like a mythological territory of another world. Guided by the words of this scientific journal, the film explores Rodrigues' personal cabinet inhabited by stuffed animals, exotic plants, and overlooked artefacts frozen in a time that does not exist. This capsule reproduces an image of Amazonia that is closer to a fantastic tale than scientific research, and the words of this character from the past take us back to the terrain of fantasising, adventure stories and a certain colonialist reverie. The film constructs a pared-down device that questions the value of individual memory as material for historical discourse. And a disturbing question haunts the film: can we separate these scientific expeditions from colonialism? Lacking an answer, Far from Amazonia envisages the colonial past as a staggered episode of history, never situated at the right distance.

Elena López Riera

Trailer

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International Medium Length & Short Film Competition

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