Amid societal pressures to conform, a protagonist grapples with fitting into predetermined roles. Yet, through a journey of self-discovery, they confront the constraints of conformity, navigating the intricate dynamics of identity and societal norms.

Official Selection, AVIFF Art International Film Festival (FR/06.24)
Official Selection, Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin (DE/10.24)

Created as a poem about the inherent relation between identity and normativity, Olhares is a visual journey that leads us into the realm of our emotions. A dreamlike moment where realizing how unique and interwoven each of our feelings is becomes essential to who we are as a whole.

Drawing inspiration from the book Le Partage Social des Émotions (Rimé, 2005), Olhares illustrates a scene from a social chain, where the emotional experience itself alters as the account progresses from one person to another. With the aim of delving into the effects that sharing complex emotional situations can have on a societal climate, I intended to embody how it feels when the individual self is humbled and the identity of a group is enhanced.

Nearly all captured in two sequence shots, the emphasis is on the scattering that occurs in the movement rather than a contrast from a binary perspective. By bridging polarized viewpoints, Olhares presents a time when our personal lives become political imperatives, compelling us to reevaluate what makes up our inner worlds.

Team
Production & Film Direction Alexia Fernandes
Co-Creation & Performance Suevia Rojo
Cinematography Rafael Pais
1st Assistant Camera Francisco Bartilotti
Gaffer Henrique Moura
Ass. Gaffer Guilherme Mota
Art Direction & Set Design Alexia Fernandes
Ass. Set Design Luís da Silva
Original Music Jökull Logi
Foley Art Nina Fernandez
Film Editing Alexia Fernandes
Color Grading Rafael Pais
Set Photography Miguel Ferraz

Cast
Frederica Campos • Luís Pinto • Daniel Rios • Francisca Alves • Cátia Silva •
Rafael Pinto • Rui Alves • José Ferreira • Vicente Campos • Joana Pinto • Manuel Gonçalves • Telmo Fernandes

Special Thanks
SUPERNOVA • Mónica Almeida & Staff
ESMAE Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo • Diogo Leichsenring Franco
ESAP Escola Superior Artística do Porto • Andreia Saraiva Santos
João José Santos
Pedro Sena Nunes