PRODUCTION / FUNDING Switzerland
Basil Da Cunha’s O jacare at the Les Arcs Coproduction Village
- The Swiss filmmaker is taking part in the 12th Les Arcs Film Festival’s online Industry Village with a project that will wrap his trilogy on the Reboleira neighbourhood in Lisbon’s suburbs
After initially rising to prominence in the 2013 Directors’ Fortnight with his feature debut, After the Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Basil da Cunha
film profile], and then proving popular in competition at Locarno in 2019 with his subsequent opus, O fim do mundo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Basil Da Cunha
film profile], Swiss director Basil Da Cunha is about to take part in the showcase of Industry Village's Coproduction Village (see the news) at the 12th Les Arcs Film Festival (set to unspool online from 20-22 January 2021) with his new project in development, O jacare.
O jacare will wrap the filmmaker’s trilogy hinging on the very popular neighbourhood of Reboleira, in the suburbs of Lisbon. The story, written by the director himself, kicks off the day after a particularly memorable party. The inhabitants learn from the news channels that a tidy sum has been stolen by some young people from their neighbourhood. A rumour starts circulating about where the treasure might be hidden. The hunt that follows jeopardises the well-oiled solidarity that exists among the residents and brings the visions of the different gangs into conflict. As a consequence, the very survival of the neighbourhood, the target of an eviction campaign by Lisbon city council, is at stake.
Billed as a blend of drama and thriller, O jacare paints a portrait of Reboleira through the crossed paths of those who live there, for better or for worse. It will skip from one character to another, each embodying different facets of this microcosm. After 12 years of writing for and with the inhabitants, who became incredible actors, the film, which boasts an ensemble cast, is the culmination of this collaboration, but also a challenge to venture further in terms of narration. It teeters between plot and social portrait, bringing together genre cinema (film noir), the comedy of life and the reality of this Cour des miracles that society wishes to put a lid on.
O jacare is being produced by Palmyre Badinier for Akka Films.
(Translated from French)
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