The Seasons
As Estações- PORTUGAL, FRANCE, SPAIN, AUSTRIA / 2025 / Portuguese, German / Color / DCP / 83 min
Director, Script: Maureen Fazendeiro
Photography: Robin Fresson, Marta Simões
Editing: Telmo Churro, Maureen Fazendeiro
Sound: Luca Rullo, Xavi Souto, Vasco Pimentel
Music: Luís J Martins
Producers: Luís Urbano, Sandro Aguilar Cast: Simão Ramalho, Cláudio Da Silva, Ana Potra, Manuel Leitão, António Sozinho
Co-producers: Valentina Novati, Beli Martínez, Lukas Valenta Rinner
Production Company: O Som E A Fúria
Co-Production Companies: Norte Productions, Filmika Galaika, Nabis Filmgroup
World Sales: Square Eyes
The Alentejo region of Portugal dotted with prehistoric giant stone tombs called dolmens, stretches out in plains and meadows lush with wildflowers and grass. A van gliding across the land invites us on a journey through history and folklore. The letters of German archaeologists Mr. and Mrs. Reissner, who excavated the dolmens during World War II, and the legends of the Alentejo are read aloud in various voices, blending into the present landscape and closing a circle in time. The birth of goats, songs of resistance to the fascist regime sung by agricultural communities, fables about the dolmens, children playing with rabbits. The beautifully stripped bark of the cork oak symbolizes the rich time lived in harmony with the cycles of nature, leaving a lingering resonance with cheerful music. (HH)
[Director’s Statement] This is an archaeological film. It excavates the landscape, and the voices and gestures of the people of Alentejo to uncover the vestiges of a shared history, one of wars and revolutions, fear and resistance, permanence and metamorphosis.
Maureen FazendeiroBorn 1989. French native, living in Lisbon. Her films have been screened at FIDMarseille, the Toronto International Film Festival, Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, Cinéma du réel and the Jeonju International Film Festival, among other festivals, and in cinematheques and museums. She divides her time between solo projects and collaborations with Miguel Gomes as screenwriter and casting director.