Film '48'

We got an an introduction for a film called '48' (2009) by Susana de Sousa Dias

sent to us on our mailing list. Sounds fascinating. 

What can a portrait photograph reveal about a political system?

Based on photographs taken on the arrest of political prisoners during the Portuguese dictatorship (1926-1974), this documentary aims to convey the mechanisms by which a dictatorial regime sought to sustain its existence throughout 48 years. After her film Natureza Morta-Visages d'une Dictature (Still Life), Susana de Sousa dedicates herself again to the time of the Portuguese dictatorship. By means of an innovative cinematographic approach she succeeds in creating a film of universal impact. At a time when the topic of torture is confronting us almost every day, reminds us of the practice of the Portuguese dictatorship and of the after effects, which still can be felt today. 48 was embarked upon with a single certainty: that it is possible to tell the history of the Portuguese dictatorial regime (1926-1974) just through the photographs taken on the arrest of political prisoners and their witnesses. 

However, this stood in contrast to the number of questions. The facial shots taken by the PIDE (Portuguese Secret Police) stare out at us, appealing and disturbing. 

How to film them while maintaining the integrity of this appeal? How to set about transfiguring an image through the duration imposed upon it? What balance should be established between the words and silences so that the image would not be entirely swamped by the text? And how to set about building up an environment that is conceptual rather than physical?

Source: Filmville (UK Portuguese Film Festival) and Birkbeck University