The 21st edition of Doclisboa is set to open with Wang Bing’s Man in Black on 19 October and conclude with Leonor Teles’ Baan on 29 October. Wang Bing, a prominent Chinese filmmaker, returns to the festival to showcase the life of Wang Xilin, a Chinese composer and dissident. Using excerpts from Xilin’s symphonies, the film delves into the octogenarian composer’s memories of dehumanisation in a country in constant turmoil. Wang Xilin will be present in Lisbon for the festival’s opening session.
Portuguese director Leonor Teles will close the festival with Baan, her first feature-length fiction film. The film, which means «house» in Thai, follows young architect L, played by Carolina Miragaia, through her romantic life in Lisbon and Bangkok. In the backdrop of Lisbon’s real estate speculation and migratory tensions, and Thailand’s vibrant streets, Teles portrays two young women in search of home.
The New Visions section once again is dedicated to revealing new perspectives on the cinematographic landscape featuring Colombian-Brazilian Paula Gaitán and Finnish filmmaker Mika Taanila. Two films by Gaitán and three works by Taanila will be screened during the festival.
Adding to the lineup is Luciana Fina’s Andromeda, a retrospective on Italian public television during the 1960s and ’70s.
