Amor, Avenidas Novas, by Duarte Coimbra in Cannes [16/04/2018]

The 57th Cannes Film Critics Week today announced its official selection of the film Amor, Avenidas Novas, directed by Duarte Coimbra and produced by Lisbon Theater and Film School (ESTC).

The film, distributed by Portugal Film - Portuguese Film Agency, was done in a school context by a team of students. Following the selection in Berlin of David Pinheiro Vicente's film Where the Summer Goes (chapters on youth), ESTC is once again present at a major international film festival and in a section of enormous prestige such as Critics Week in Cannes, which this year takes place between 9th and 17th May.

For Duarte Coimbra, "the main intention was to make a happy romantic film, if possible, focused on the Love that I believe in, fantastical and immature, from the things that made me miserable and sad: my relationship with the city, the loneliness and the emptiness.It may be necessary to be very sad to find comedy and happiness.What is recurrent to me, every time I leave for a new project, is to portray my reality: Love, Avenue, Music, Friends, My Generation.I wanted the film to have a force as strong as the greatest pop song, which has the ability to mask, and seems to give an almost magical and inexplicable breath.

The presence at Cannes marks the international premiere of the film, which may be seen before during IndieLisboa - International Independent Film Festival, from 26th April to 6th May, where it is selected for the National and International Competitions.


[16/04/2018]

Fiction, Portugal, 21'

Synopsis:
Lisbon, 2017. Manel is twenty years old, lives on Avenida Almirante Reis and idealizes love inspired by the relationship of his parents. Out of compassion, he hands over his double mattress to Nicolau and his girlfriend, who returned to Lisbon. Manel is alone with the mattress that he exchanged with his friends and on his way back home when he invades a film set, with a team entirely composed by girls. One of them, Rita, a beautiful production intern who helps with the mattress. They talk. This encounter has a profound effect on Manel who goes home to reconsider his life sinking into a magical feeling of passion.

Director: Duarte Coimbra
Script: Luís Miranda; Duarte Coimbra; Pedro Ramalhete
Cinematography: Miguel Barbosa
Sound Direction: Vera Lopes
Editing and Sound Mix: Miguel Coelho
Editing: Bruno de Freitas Leal, Inês Petiz Viana
Art Direction and 1st Assistant Direction: Raquel Teixeira
Production: Pedro Ramalhete / ESTC

Cast:
Manuel Lourenço, Beatriz Luís, Marcelo Tavares, Carolina Caramujo, Nena Coimbra