04/10/2017 - Tackling the issue of human trafficking, Carga is the first title by new production outfit Caracol Protagonista

Human trafficking lies at the heart of Bruno Gascon’s feature debut, Carga (working title: (Sobre)Carga), post-production for which has just begun after a 54-day shoot at several locations in Portugal’s central region.

A tale of survival, Carga tells the story of Viktoriya, a young Russian woman who leaves everything behind in search of a better life and eventually winds up the victim of a human-trafficking network. The other main character is António, an old truck driver who agrees to carry a cargo that is too big for him to handle. At a time of crisis in Portugal, António’s daughter emigrates, and he now has to support both his wife and granddaughter, only to find that he is also embroiled in an illegal trafficking scheme.

“My concern with social themes and painting a raw portrait of the realities that human beings often choose to ignore are always part of what I write,” says director-scriptwriter Gascon, whose credits so far include two short films. “The movie talks about choices and about the selfishness of a society in which the instinct for survival often prevails over the common good.”

Carga stars polish actress Michalina Olszanska, Vítor Norte, Rita Blanco, Miguel Borges, Ana Cristina Oliveira, Dmitry Bogomolov, Duarte Grilo and international top model Sara Sampaio, making her film debut. This local and international cast highlights how the project also pushes cultural and linguistic boundaries. “In the film, we are confronted with the cultural differences and the misunderstandings that linguistic barriers can pose, which was the reason that led me to use three languages: Portuguese, English and Russian,” continues the SAE Institute Netherlands graduate, who is now based in Portugal.

Carga is being produced by Caracol Protagonista, a new production outfit on Portugal’s film scene, funded by entrepreneur Tim Vieira. A date for the local theatrical distribution is yet to be announced.