A short fiction film directed by Salvador Mendes and produced by a group of friends who are Film students at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema!
About the project:
The story follows a young woman on the troubled night of her twentieth birthday. Over the course of a night, she navigates the streets of a city marked by a youthful and university atmosphere and is confronted with the uncertainties of the future and the ghosts of her own identity. The project has a strong authorial character and aims to explore universal themes such as growth, emancipation and memory.
Project Synopsis:
Leonor, an inhibited university student, celebrates her 20th birthday on a chaotic night that leads her to confront who she will become in her adult life. She wanders the streets dominated by young university students, where she forces herself to make decisions in order to enjoy the adolescence she will leave behind, ending up kissing a boy she barely knows, which she immediately regrets. With her sister Joana, she laughs, smokes and sings, reconnecting with her childish side. A meeting with Benjamin, a friend from the past, brings nostalgia, unresolved tension, long drunken conversations and an awkward kiss. And at dawn, people are already getting ready to go to work in the city. Meanwhile, Leonor, already on the bus, smiles, more confident about what is to come.
Cinematographic treatment and director's note of intent:
Turning 20 is something that leaves its mark on all of our lives, no matter how insignificant it may seem. This is what happens to the protagonist of this film, Leonor, who feels that she did not enjoy her adolescence as promised. She feels that she wasted these years being confused and apathetic. Deep down, adolescence is a false promise of fun and rebellion that never arrives, a creation of false illusions based on what is posted on the internet.
I want to explore with Leonor a desire to expose herself to enjoy the last moments of this phase of her life, creating memories almost by force. A self-discovery driven by social media and friends, led by Leonor in several directions: in the way she presents herself, in her relationships with men, in her relationship with alcohol. We see this in scenes where she faces these moments with doubt, but throws herself headfirst into a night that she wants to keep alive in her memory.
At night, the approach will be raw and naturalistic, with yellowish lighting from street lamps and a handheld camera, intimate with the protagonist, who guides the story. I want to introduce archive images of Leonor's birthdays, from childhood to pre-adolescence, as transitions, to reinforce the current situation and the influence of technology in the lives of these characters, who think and live in the present, surrounded by screens. This is a personal but universal project about Leonor's evolution, growth and acceptance, felt as a real and tangible story. The camera will follow Leonor closely, almost as an extension of her emotional state, unafraid to get closer in moments of vulnerability or hesitation.
Team:
Cast: Leonor Alberto, Benjamin Barroso and Joana Resende
Screenplay and Direction: Salvador Mendes
1st Assistant Director: Catarina Acciainolli
Script Supervisor: Francisco Mendonça
Line Producer: Francisca Miguéis
Assistant Production and Extras Coordination: Rafael Sousa
Cinematography: Beatriz Silva
Gaffer and Key Grip: Guilherme Magalhães
Colorist: Nicoleta Toma
Direction and Sound Mixing: Tiago Tiza
Art Direction: Alice Almeida
Production and Editing: Francisca Miguéis and Salvador Mendes
