The film by João Rosas, which had its world premiere at IndieLisboa last month, is the only Portuguese entry on the list released today by the organization.
“Living at his parents’ house, hostage to an unfulfilled dream of becoming a musician and clinging to the ideal image of an ex-girlfriend who left him a year ago, Nicolau feels unable to move forward and create a life of his own. He picks up odd jobs that do not allow him to leave his parents’ home, until the day he discovers that his mother is just as dissatisfied with life as he is,” reads the film’s synopsis available on the Midas Filmes website, which produced it.
The description continues: “Nicolau suffers a setback, but does not fall. On the contrary, he moves forward. He gets a job at a stationery store, moves into a shared house, and life then slowly gets back on track. Along with it, so do dreams and the heart.”
The film is the first fiction feature by the director, born in 1981 in Lisbon, following short films such as ‘A Minha Mãe é Pianista’ (2005), ‘Entrecampos’ (2012), ‘Maria do Mar’ (2015), and ‘Catavento’ (2020), and the documentary ‘A Morte de uma Cidade’ (2022).
João Rosas was a grantee of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and has authored several books, including ‘Qualquer Pessoa Dá um Homicida Qualquer’ or ‘Deus Morreu e Eu Não Fui ao Funeral’.
‘A Vida Luminosa’ is set to premiere in Portuguese cinemas on June 26.
In a statement, the festival’s organization recalled that it “has always addressed political issues through powerful individual stories, fully supporting artists and their freedom of expression.”
Of the 12 films in the main competition of the event, 11 were revealed today, with the 12th remaining undisclosed. It hails from Iran, where the filmmakers’ security is a concern.
The jury for the Crystal Globe competition at the festival will consist of Nicolás Celis, Babak Jalali, Jessica Kiang, Jirí Mádl, and Tuva Novotny.
Also appearing at the Czech festival will be the Brazilian film ‘Futuro Futuro’ by Davi Pretto, in the Proxima section.
The 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary festival will take place between July 4 and 12.
