TERRA

This film seeks to portray the tradition of the “Chegas de Bois” that happens every year in the area of Tras-os-Montes in Northeast Portugal as a way to record and reflect on a lifelong phenomenon that is still very much alive nowadays; By carrying out this documentary, I propose to preserve the memory of the “Chegas de Bois” and showing different ways of life that still exist today, much in contrast to most of the modern living we witness nowadays. It is intended to introduce the film, once finished, to film festivals and other platforms for dissemination, contributing to the promotion of the region and the country, bringing visibility to this event and all the partners involved.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

• Documentary Film - Total Duration: 25 minutes
  
• Written and Directed by Pedro Lino Production: Sparkle Animation (UK)
  
• Date of shooting: August 2011; Location: Trás-os-Montes, Portugal
  
• Expected date of Completion: December 2011
  

SYNOPSIS

Every summer, in the lands of Barroso, in Tras-os-Montes, in the far Northeast Portugal, on the Spanish border, thousands of people gather to witness and celebrate an ageless tradition: the "Chegas de Bois." This film is intended to guide us through a phenomenon that shows ways of life that are strange (to us, contemporary urban society), but that are timeless, and where the relationship between man and nature remains intact; Tras-os-Montes is historically one of the most isolated and impoverished areas of Portugal;Due to this remoteness, many ancient traditions survived to the present day, as is the case of the "Chegas." With its origins lost in time, the "Chegas de Bois" usually happen in the scorching August, when the emigrants return home, the villages are full and families reunited. Owners and towns compete: who has the most powerful bull? In these struggles, the ox breed mostly used is the “Barrosã”, a species native to the region, with an unique genetics. Lost in the 21st century society, further and further away from our roots, we tend to forget that there are still other ways of living nowadays. This documentary sets out to witness a moment where Man and Nature meet, an event with neither a past nor present, eternal in time. With the impressive landscape of Barroso as a background, the film stages a hidden reality and confronts the viewer with unexpected possibilities. Thus, in this documentary, through the capture of small gestures and moments, we build a narrative that uses a specific event - the "Chegas"- to trigger a deeper reflection on the viewer: who are we today, where are we headed, how do we relate to our roots?

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Ironically, the first experience of "Chega de Bois" to those who live outside the region, is mediated by television. The TV news show reports in which strange images, appear unexpected on-screen: rocks and boulders, and then, a rugged plateau, made of brown earth, the sun shinning above. Suddenly, powerful animals, similar to the earth they are stepping, break the apparent calm and invest their bodies against each other, clashing, with roar, in an unmistakable sound that spreads through the plain. Thousands of people surround them, watching them struggle. Sitting comfortably on our sofas, how do we understand these images that seem so distant these days? Are these events still part of our roots? In a world constantly mediated by innocuous and meaningless images, in the era of digital screens that surround us and that mediate our experience with reality, it seems urgent other ways of looking at what surround us became evident. The starting point for the design of this film was the will to force a reflection on the contemporary way of life, opposed to ancestral ways of living and feeling. The documentary itself is intended to be close to the actual experience, it’s physical presence, making it from a sensory experience, taking advantage inherent properties of the medium (film): the combination of light, textures, movement and sound.