On Falling

TIFF65: Greek Premiere

Drawing on the long-standing tradition of British social drama, Laura Carreira’s solid debut crafts the portrait of Aurora, a Portuguese immigrant working at a vast warehouse in Scotland. Crammed into a small apartment with five other migrants from the European periphery, Aurora, lonely and withdrawn, is immersed in the hypnotic repetition of an alienating job, watching her dream of a better life crumble – not with a bang, but with a whimper. Built from small gestures and whispers, with the soft breath of a crushed expectation of someone striving to survive with dignity, the film tenderly captures the unseen, melancholic reality of the modern proletariat. The film’s nuanced political stance – dotted with comedic touches that subtly mock the rhetoric of postmodern capitalism – never becomes loud or preachy, imparting an emotional impact far more powerful than any manifesto.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Laura Carreira

Script: Laura Carreira

Cinematography: Karl Kürten

Editing: Helle le Fevre

Sound: Ines Adriana

Actors: Joana Santos, Inês Vaz, Piotr Sikora, Jake McGarry, Neil Leiper

Production: Sixteen Films, BRO Cinema

Producers: Jack Thomas-O’Brien, Mário Patrocínio

Costumes: Carole K. Millar

Production Design: Andy Drummond

Executive producer: Ama Ampadu, Kieran Hannigan, Sean Greenhorn, Kristin Irving, Claudia Yusef, Noëmie Devide, Rebecca O'Brien, Habib Rahman, Ana Paula Catarino, Luis Campos, Bia Tafner, Clarice Laus

Make Up: Kat Morgan

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: UK, Portugal

Production Year: 2024

Duration: 105'

Distribution in Greece: Cinobo

Contact: Goodfellas

Awards/Distinctions: Best Director, Special Mention – San Sebastián IFF 2024

Laura Carreira

Laura Carreira is a Portuguese filmmaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her short film Red Hill won the New Visions Award at the 73rd Edinburgh International Film Festival and was nominated for the Best Short Film award at the 2019 BAFTA Scotland Awards. Her short film The Shift premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2020 and was nominated for the European Film Awards and the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards. In 2022, Laura was named one of the Rising Stars in Scotland by Screen International magazine. Her first feature film was produced by Sixteen Films and BRO Cinema and counts on the support of the BFI, BBC Films, Screen Scotland, ICA and Wild Bunch. Her second feature film is under development with Sixteen Films and Film4.