The Metamorphosis of Birds

Catarina Vasconcelos

Beatriz married Henrique on the day of her 21st birthday. Henrique, a naval officer, would spend long periods at sea. Ashore, Beatriz, who learned everything from the verticality of plants, took great care of the roots of their six children. The oldest son, Jacinto (Hyacinth), my father, dreamed he could be a bird. One day, suddenly, Beatriz died.  My mom didn’t die suddenly, but she too died when I was 17 years-old. On that day, me and my father met in the loss of our mothers and our relationship was no longer just that of father and daughter.


FESTIVALS:
[2020] Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival (FIPRESCI Award) [Germany] 
[2020] True False Film Festival [USA]
[2020] International Debut Film Festival "Spirit of Fire" [Russia]
[2020] Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival - FICCI [Colombia]
[2020] Vilnius International Film Festival (Best Film Award)  [Lithuania] 
[2020] Thessaloniki Documentary Festival [Greece]
[2020] Jeonju International Film Festival [South Korea]
[2020] Taipei Film Festival (Special Jury Prize) [Taiwan] 
[2020] DokuFest International Documentary and Short Film Festival (Best Feature Film) [Kosovo] 
[2020] Beijing International Film Festival [China]
[2020] Melbourne International Film Festival [Australia]
[2020] Pesaro Film Festival (Lino Miccichè Award, Giuria Studenti award) [Italy]
[2020] IndieLisboa - International Film Festival (Best Director in a Portuguese Feature Film, Audience Feature Film Award) [Portugal]
[2020] Beldocs - International Documentary Film Festival [Serbia]
[2020] Festival Internacional de Cinema de San Sebastián (Best Film Zabaltegi - Tabakalera) [Spain]
[2020] Vancouver International Film Festival [Canada]
[2020] Black Canvas Film Festival [Mexico]
[2020] Dili International Film Festival [East Timor]
[2020] Camden International Film Festival [USA]
[2020] Olhar de Cinema - Festival Internacional de Curitiba (Audience Award, Best Artistic Contribution Award) [Brazil]
[2020] Silk Road International Film Festival [China]
[2020] Athens Avant-Garde Film Festival [Greece]
[2020] Viennale - Vienna International Film Festival [Austria]
[2020] MIDBO - Muestra Internacional Documental De Bogotá [Colombia]
[2020] Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival [Czech Republic]
[2020] Golden Apricot Film Festival (Golden Apricot Grand Prize) [Armenia]
[2020] New Horizons Film Festival (Grand Prize for Best Feature Film, Audience Award) [Poland] 
[2020] RIDM - Montreal International Documentary Festival [Canada]
[2020] Sheffield Doc/Fest [United Kingdom]
[2020] ZINEBI – International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao [Spain]
[2020] PÖFF / Black Nights Film Festival [Estonia]
[2020] IDFA - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam [The Netherlands]
[2020] Festival Cinematográfico Internacional del Uruguay [Uruguay]
[2020] FIDOCS 24: Santiago International Documentary Festival (Best Film - International Competition, Best First Feature Film) [Chile]
[2020] Pravo Ljudski Film Festival Sarajevo [Bosnia and Herzegovina]
[2020] Subversive Festival Zagreb [Croatia]
[2020] New Directors New Films [USA]
[2020] Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival [China]
[2020] Portuguese Film Festival in Seoul - Seoul Cinematheque [South Korea]
[2021] Transcinema [Peru]
[2021] Docpoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival [Finland]
[2021] Victoria Film Festival (Best Documentary Prize) [Canada]
[2021] Panorama Coisa de Cinema (Special Jury Prize and Audience Feature Film Prize) [Brazil]
[2021] Durango Film Festival [USA]
[2021] Luxembourg City Film Festival [Luxembourg]
[2021] Kosmorama Trondheim International Film Festival [Norway]
[2021] Festival Internacional de Cine de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [Spain]
[2021] CPH:DOX Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival [Denmark]
[2021] LICHTER FilmfestFrankfurt International [Germany]
[2021] FILM CLUB 35K - DFFB [Germany]
[2021] Molodist International Film Festival [Ukraine]
[2021] Costa Rica Festival Internacional de Cine [Costa Rica]
[2021] One World Romania | International Human Rights & Documentary Film Festival (Special Jury Award, Audience Award) [Romania]
[2021] Bildrausch - Filmfest Basel [Switzerland]
[2021] MOIDF - Macao International Documentary Festival [Macao]
[2021] Gegenkino [Germany]
[2021] Brussels International Film Festival (Jury's Special Mention, European Young Jury Award) [Belgium]
[2021] ASUFICC - Festival Internacional de Cine Contemporáneo de Asunción [Paraguay]
[2021] Frames - Portuguese Film Festival [Sweden]
[2021] Caminhos do Cinema Português (Special Mention from Federação Internacional dos Cineclubes, Best Director Award, Revelation Award, Audience Award) [Portugal]
[2021] Dias do Cinema Português em Berlim [Germany]
[2021] Malatya Film Festival [Turkey]
[2021] Ambulante [Mexico]
[2021] Prémios AIP 2021 (Special Mention to Paulo Menezes for Cinematography) [Portugal]
[2022] 9ª Semana de Cine Portugués en el MALBA [Agentina]
[2022] 6ª Semana de Cine Portugués en Santiago [Chile]
[2022] 6ª Semana de Cine Portugués en Ciudad de México [Mexico]
[2022] Habitat International Film Festival New Delhi [India]
[2022] ArtScience Museum [Singapure]
[2022] Festival del Cine Iberoamericano [India]
[2022] 7ª Semana de Cine Portugués en Uruguay [Uruguay]
[2022] Prémios Sophia 2022 (Best Director Award; Best Documentary Award; Best Sound Award; Best Editing Award) [Portugal]
[2022] Festival Internationale du Film de la Rochelle [France]
[2022] Planalto - Festival das Artes [Portugal]
[2022] Periferias Festival Internacional de Cinema de Marvão [Portugal]
[2022] Royal Cine [Portugal]
[2022] Eurocine 2022 [Ecuador]
[2022] KASKcinema [Belgium]
[2022] European Film Festival [South Africa]
[2022] Month of European Film [Montenegro]
[2022] Azores Birdwatching Arts Festival [Portugal]
[2022] Festival de Cinema Europeu [Sweden]
[2023] SPA - Pémio Autores 2022 (Best Script Award; Best Film Award) [Portugal]
[2023] Festival Ojoloco du Cinéma Ibérique & latino-américain [France]
[2023] Alvalade Cineclube [Portugal]
[2023] CINE|MAFRA 2023 [Portugal]
[2023] Semana de Cinema Português na Costa Rica [Costa Rica]
[2024] Mostra do Instituto Português de Oncologia de Lisboa [Portugal]
[2024] VERSÁTIL- Feira do Livro de Leiria [Portugal]
[2024] Film Festival Résistances [France]
[2024] Cinema Verde Viana [Portugal]

Documentary, Fiction,
2020, Portugal, 101'

Script: Catarina Vasconcelos
Cinematography: Paulo Menezes
Sound: Adriana Bolito, Rafael Cardoso
Editing: Francisco Moreira
Production: Primeira Idade / Pedro Fernandes Duarte, Joana Gusmão
Cast: Manuel Rosa, João Móra, Ana Vasconcelos, Zé Maria Rosa, Henrique Móra, Inês Melo Campos, Nuno Vasconcelos, Henrique Vasconcelos, Catarina Vasconcelos

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