The Last Flight of the Flamingo from Mozambique to Spanish screens
Hitting Spanish screens today is Mozambican director João Ribeiro’s debut feature, the co-production The Last Flight of the Flamingo [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. After its release in Portugal and Brazil through Lusomundo and its screening at festivals including Cannes, Montreal, Pusan and Leuven, the film is being launched in Spain by Potenza Producciones.
Besides its undisputed cinematic qualities, this film represents a landmark in Europe for it combines a film production project with cultural cooperation between several European countries (Portugal, Spain, France and Italy) and Mozambique. The production in Mozambique therefore put special emphasis on cooperation initiatives aimed at employing women at risk of social exclusion and youngsters, who were trained in the different aspects of audiovisual production.
The film is based on the homonymous novel by Mozambican author Mia Couto, who has described it as the best big-screen adaptation of his literature, which is laden with magic realism. The story opens when five explosions in the town of Tizangara kill five soldiers, of whom only their genitals and blue helmets remain intact.
Italian lieutenant Massimo Risi (played by one of the film’s producers, Carlo D'Ursi), posted in Mozambique’s capital Maputo, arrives to investigate events. With the help of local translator Joaquim, he launches an investigation to clear up the mystery. However, he discovers that in this country not everything is as it seems.
The Last Flight of the Flamingo was produced by Luís Galvão and D’Ursi with backing from ACP-UE, ICA, Eurimages, Fonds Sud, Ibermedia, Ancine, the MEDIA Programme, Gothenburg Film Fund and RTP.
(Translated from Spanish)
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