Doclisboa and SOS Racismo unite at the Monument of the Discoveries 19-25 July with a programme that looks for possible alliances between cinema and the fight against racism. The programme kicks off 19 July with Olhares sobre o Racism, by Bruno Cabral, Eddie Pipocas and Dércio Ferreira.
Cinema to Fight Racism is a programme of films and debates presented by the Portuguese organization SOS Racismo, scheduled from 19th to 25th of July. At the invitation of Doclisboa, SOS Racismo “aims to bring to the controversial Salazar-era Monument of the Discoveries a reflection on the identity of the racialised subject as represented in the collective imaginary of our society,” says a Doclisboa statement.
The programme starts with Olhares sobre o Racism, by Bruno Cabral, Eddie Pipocas and Dércio Ferreira, a documentary produced by SOS Racism and BANTUMEN magazine. The film discusses the contributions of different personalities who have been part of the fight for freedom and equality. It reflects “the intersectionality, diversity and transversality of the different fronts of this struggle and focuses on three decades of anti-racist fights in Portugal.”
In the following days, it is also possible to attend the screenings of the first two episodes of Racismo à Portuguesa, an online series realized for the Portuguese newspaper Público and directed by journalist and writer Joana Gorjão Henriques and Frederico Batista; Mikambaru, by Vanessa Fernandes; Treino Periférico by Welket Bungué; Nôs Terra by Ana Tica and O Canto do Ossobó by Silas Tiny, who was recently awarded at the Sheffield Doc/Fest 2021.
The last film of this programme is Era uma vez um arrastão, a documentary co-directed by Diana Andringa, Mamadou Ba, Bruno Cabral, Joana Lucas, Jorge Costa and Pedro Rodrigues.
The screenings are also the starting point for daily debates based on the political and racial issues suggested by each film.
“By bringing this programme to a symbolic venue like the Monument to the Discoveries, we aim to emphasize the clash between the collective memory and the contemporary of the Portuguese society,” say event organisers.
“It is our belief that it is urgent to talk about Portuguese colonial past and its historical continuity, as well as the way racialised communities are represented.”
The programme is available at doclisboa.org.
