On his deathbed, his royal highness Alfredo, a king without a crown, reminisces about his youth and the time when he dreamed of becoming an “ordinary” fireman. The encounter with instructor Afonso, a young black man/dancer from the fire brigade, opens a new chapter in the lives of the two young men, who dive deep into love and desire with the will to change the status quo. One of the most idiosyncratic directors of our time revisits the musical comedy genre only to experiment with its limits. João Pedro Rodrigues embraces social and cinematographic stereotypes and twists them in new directions. The result is a fresh and witty film, full of love, both romantic and physical, music, and theatre.
Will-o'-the-Wisp
Fogo-Fátuo
63rd TIFF: Greek Premiere
Screening Schedule
No physical screenings scheduled. |
- Direction: João Pedro Rodrigues
- Script: João Pedro Rodrigues, João Rui Guerra da Mata, Paulo Lopes Graça
- Cinematography: Rui Poças
- Editing: Mariana Gaivão
- Sound: Nuno Carvalho
- Actors: Mauro Costa, André Cabral, Joel Branco, Oceano Cruz, Margarida Vila-Nova
- Production: House on Fire, Terratreme, Filmes Fantasma
- Producers: Vincent Wang, João Matos, João Pedro Rodrigues
- Costumes: Patrícia Dória
- Production Design: João Rui Guerra da Mata
- Format: DCP
- Color: Color
- Production Country: France, Portugal
- Production Year: 2022
- Duration: 67΄
- Contact: Films Boutique
- Awards/Distinctions: Directors’ Week Award – Brussels IFF 2022
João Pedro Rodrigues
João Pedro Rodrigues is an internationally renowned Portuguese filmmaker. When he was eight years old, his father gave him a pair of binoculars and he decided to become an ornithologist. He always travels with his binoculars, to foray into nature and watch birds. His work explores gender and human desire in all its guises – and disguises – reflecting the multifarious history of film, from classical genre to documentary and experimental film. His films premiered and won prizes at the world’s foremost film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Locarno, Toronto, and Berlin. In 2016, the Pompidou Centre in Paris honored Rodrigues and his partner, João Rui Guerra da Mata, with a complete retrospective and installation exhibition.
Filmography
1988 O Pastor (short)
1997 Happy Birthday! (short)
1998 A Trip to the Expo (doc)
2000 Phantom
2005 Two Drifters
2007 China China (short)
2009 To Die Like a Man
2012 The Last Time I Saw Macao
2016 The Ornithologist
2022 Will-o'-the-Wisp
1997 Happy Birthday! (short)
1998 A Trip to the Expo (doc)
2000 Phantom
2005 Two Drifters
2007 China China (short)
2009 To Die Like a Man
2012 The Last Time I Saw Macao
2016 The Ornithologist
2022 Will-o'-the-Wisp
