EDGAR PÊRA: RETROSPECTIVE - 16 NOV

The Door | 10 min.Inspired by the Chinese classic, I-Ching - the Book of Changes, a changing work composed of several layers that overlap in time, The Door focuses almost exclusively on a single perspective: a door framed by off-screen darkness. In the background, the river Tejo marks the land-line, horizon and vanishing point, between which a series of acrobatic actions develops in the entire space of the frame


Sharp Korners | 12 min.Sharp Korners, like The Door (2000) is loosely based on the ancient I-Ching - the Book of Changes. The two films, which focus on corners and doors respectively, are the polar opposite of each other, opening a window onto ironic reversal of the conventional place of representation, in a passage from the encoded interior of the room to the public space. The film’s location is a busy street corner in Lisbon, where we can read the inscription, "theatre", which thereby confirms the goal of the film and the manner in which the social space is represented therein.


The Man-Theatre | 61 min.An exercise in shattering an accelerated montage, the starting point of The Man-Theatre is the life and work of António Pedro – a multifaceted artist, nonconformist, social and cultural agitator of Portugal and a spectral character in the history of Portuguese theatre during the first half of the twentieth century. The film is decomposed by its violent speed and parallel shots, in a continuous flow, that are reminiscent of Étienne-Jules Marey’s chrono-photographic experiments, while at the same time it questions and reinvents the protocols of documentary cinema.
THE DOOR, 2000 SHARP KORNERS, 1999 THE MAN-THEATRE, 2001
Original idea, camera, director and editing: Edgar PêraAssistant director: João GomesCast: Miguel Borges and Rita Só, and others Production: Edgar Pêra in an artistic residency in Espaço Ginjal-OlhoFormat: video colour, 10 min.

Original idea, camera, director and editing: Edgar Pêra Sound: Nuno Câmpio  Cast: Adriana Bolito, Alix Mcalister, Amândio Pinheiro, Carla Bolito, Carla Ribeiro, Henrique Pêra, Irmãos Falkão, Lee Tat Kan, Maria José França, Marina Albuquerque, Miguel Borges, Miguel Pereira, Rita Headstorm, Sofia de PortugalAssistant cinematography and editing: Catarina Ramalho, João Gomes, Paula Figueirinha, Pedro MachadoProduction: Akademya Lusoh-Galaktika Format: video, colour, 12 min.

Original idea Director, and editing: Edgar Pêra  Director of Photography: João Dias  Editing: Pedro Machado  Music: Vítor RuaCast: Nuno Melo (proto-researcher), Carla Bolito (proto-scribe), David Almeida (sub-researcher), Sara Paz (proto-voiceover artist)Special appearances: Patrícia Afonso, Miguel MeloProducer: Francisco Villa-LobosCo-production: Contracosta Produções, São João National Theatre, RTPFormat: video black and white/colour, 61 min.