‘O Riso e a Faca’ premiered in May in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section at the Cannes Film Festival in France, earning actress Cleo Diára an acting award.
The film follows the story of Sérgio, an environmental engineer who travels to “a metropolis in West Africa” to work for a non-governmental organization and help decide on the construction of a road between the desert and the jungle, according to the synopsis by production companies Uma Pedra no Sapato and Terratreme Filmes.
As he settles into a new territory, Sérgio “becomes involved in an intimate yet unbalanced relationship with two city inhabitants, Diara and Gui. As he delves into the neo-colonial dynamics of the expatriate community, this fragile bond becomes his sole refuge in the face of loneliness or barbarism.”
Filmed in Africa, the movie features performances by Sérgio Coragem, Cleo Diára, and Jonathan Guilherme in the leading roles.
‘O Riso e a Faca’ does not yet have a confirmed release date in Portuguese cinemas but will premiere in French theaters in July.
“It was sold to eight countries, and more are under negotiation,” stated programmer Cíntia Gil to Lusa. Gil, along with producer and director Filipa Reis, founded the film distributor Magenta.
Pedro Pinho, who co-founded the production collective Terratreme Filmes, is known for works such as ‘Fábrica de nada’ (2017), ‘Bab Sebta’ in collaboration with Frederico Lobo, the medium-length film ‘Um fim do mundo’, and the documentary ‘As cidades e as trocas’, co-directed with Luísa Homem.
