Jaime
Jaime Fernandes, a villager born in Covilhã, spent over 30 years suffering from schizophrenia at Miguel Bombarda, Lisbon's first psychiatric hospital. Four years before his death, he underwent a mysterious transformation and began to draw. Jaime’s disturbing works are incredibly impactful and have now become the canvas for António Reis' experimental and independent debut. Through its narrative structure, the utilization of symbolic images, and the "montage of attractions," the director, in the absence of the deceased artist, interprets his work.
António Reis
António Reis, a visionary artist, poet, teacher, and revered mentor in his native Portugal, influenced the resurgence of Portuguese cinema in the new, post-Salazar era. Reis was born in Porto, where he met Manoel de Oliveira, who invited him to the set of Rite of Spring (1963) as his assistant. Reis also collaborated with Paulo Rocha, another luminary of Portuguese film. He was a pioneer of poetic ethnographic cinema, which he defined, in collaboration with his wife, psychiatrist Margarida Cordeiro, in the landmark film Trás-os-Montes (1976). Trás-os-Montes is a lyrical exploration of the essence of Portuguese culture and history through myths and rural folklore. The films of Reis and Cordeiro created a radical cinematic language that left its mark on a generation of filmmakers who emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Selected filmography
1974 Jaime (short)
1976 Trás-os-Montes (co-dir.)
1982 Ana (co-dir.)
1989 Rosa de Areia (co-dir.)