The films “Verdade ou consequência?” (2023) and “Ilusão” (2014), directed by actress and filmmaker Sofia Marques, are set to be screened on Wednesday and Thursday at the Cine Estúdio do Círculo de Belas Artes in Madrid. This event is part of a cycle dedicated to Luis Miguel Cintra and Sofia Marques, which aims to explore the intimate relationship between theater and life, as noted by the institution.
Following the screening of “Verdade ou consequência?” on Wednesday, a discussion will take place with the participation of Luis Miguel Cintra, Sofia Marques, and Spanish filmmaker Pablo Llorca.
Both documentaries featured in this cycle received the Audience Award at the Doclisboa Festival.
The first to be screened, “Verdade ou consequência?”, was produced by C.R.I.M. with financial support from the Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual (ICA).
In this documentary, Sofia Marques, who acted at the Teatro da Cornucópia in Lisbon for two decades, embarks on a journey to find “one of the most important and cherished people” in her life. The film creates an intimate and delicate portrait of actor and director Luis Miguel Cintra, extending beyond his persona to explore the essence and memory of theater, cinema, and life itself, according to C.R.I.M.
“Verdade ou Consequência?” not only received the Audience Award at Doclisboa but was also nominated for the best documentary award at the Sophia Awards, presented annually by the Portuguese Academy of Cinema.
“Ilusão,” also by Sofia Marques, documents the three-month process of staging the play of the same name at Teatro da Cornucópia, using texts by Federico García Lorca.
The play was distinctly different from previous productions by the company, as it featured 59 non-actors, including amateurs and theater students, as highlighted by C.R.I.M. in a recent press release.
“Sofia Marques documents this unique experience while showcasing Luis Miguel Cintra’s welcoming, guiding, and directing process with his new collaborators to bring Lorca’s ‘Ilusão’ to life,” added the production company in a press release about the film cycle at the Círculo de Belas Artes in Madrid.
The Círculo de Belas Artes in Madrid is a nonprofit private cultural entity recognized as being of “public utility” by Spanish authorities.
As per the institution’s website, it was founded in 1880 and is regarded as “one of the most important private cultural centers in Europe,” conducting work of “international scope in the field of cultural creation and dissemination.”
The Teatro da Cornucópia was established in 1973 in Lisbon by Luis Miguel Cintra and Jorge Silva Melo, who passed away in 2022.
Until its closure in 2016, Cornucópia was directed by Luis Miguel Cintra.
The theater debuted with the play “O Misantropo” by Molière on October 13, 1973, at the former Teatro Laura Alves on Rua da Palma in Lisbon.
In 1975, the company relocated to the Teatro do Bairro Alto (formerly the Centro de Amadores de Ballet), where it remained until it closed.
Over four decades, it focused primarily on contemporary playwriting.
Luis Miguel Cintra, recipient of the 2005 Prémio Pessoa, devoted much of his life to the Teatro da Cornucópia and retired from the stage in 2015 for health reasons.
