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Death of the City

director: João Rosas

original title: A morte de uma Cidade

country: Portugal

year: 2022

running time: 115 min.

synopsis

The director returns to his native Lisbon to find that the city has changed almost beyond recognition in his absence. He tries to capture this process of change on camera and at least document the last remnants of the metropolis as he remembered it on film. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the development of the real estate market and mass tourism are taking their toll on the buildings in the historic centre, where everything old and nostalgic must make way for the new and shiny. This time-lapse film follows the construction of one such building over the course of a year, taking a critical look at the labour issues of wage labour in Portugal.

“Working on the form of a film is an organic process to me, which is always born from the confrontation between an idea and the material I have in front of the camera.” — João Rosas

Source: DocLisboa.org

biography

João Rosas (1981) is a Portuguese director, screenwriter, editor and writer. He studied filmmaking in Lisbon, where he is currently based, and has also studied in Bologna and at the London Film School. He is the author of a number of short fiction and documentary films and has published three collections of short stories.

more about film

director:	João Rosas
producer:	João Matos

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