ALPHA is a short film by Miguel Fonseca, premiered at Vila do Conde Short Film Festival 2008, and screened in numerous national and international festivals, including Rotterdam International Film Festival or International Encounters Paris-Berlin-Madrid.
ALPHA speaks of what starts as an animal lab experiment leads, in the future, to the development of artificial beings capable of carrying out the most varied and complex of tasks.
Before being delivered to their customers, the manufacturer develops a kind of final quality control test, supervised by a technician, where certain skills (like learning the customer’s language) are improved. This part of the process invariably occurs in a closed environment, usually a house with key characteristics of the customers home.
Alpha is one of such artificial beings. He and Beta are a couple only a few weeks away from being shipped to their future owners in Japan.
SONG OF LOVE AND HEALTH, the latest short film by Portuguese director João Nicolau, was screened at the prestigious Director’s Fortnight, in Cannes Film Festival, and won the National Competition Prize at Vila do Conde Short Film Festival.
This film, that succeeds the multi-awarded “Bird of Prey” (which was also selected in 2006 to Cannes), introduces us to João, the only employee that we can see in Morais Key Cutting shop. He is also the son of the owner and he doesn’t hesitate about leaving the shop and following his heart’s whispers to spend coin after coin in the slot of a Love Machine. Marta of the Hills is a Fine Art Student who brings an unusual request. The key that João duplicates for her opens more than a single door.