The idea for the project started in 2014 in Sarajevo, where the director lived at the time, but ended up being transformed in Portugal: “By chance, I went to Pátio do Limoeiro, in Lisbon, and became interested in this place, where the last Portuguese executioner lived”, says André Gil Mata. The stories ended up crossing each other giving rise to the director’s fifth short film.
“O Pátio do Carrasco” jumps from character to character to narrate the same event – a murder – from the perspective of four people: Schmar, his brother Mr. Wese, Mrs. Wese, and their neighbor Pallas.
The film, which follows the different daily lives of a courtyard where everyone knows each other, ends up reflecting also on community relations and the concept of privacy. The idea of the ambiance of the typical Porto houses inspired the director: “The number of people who lived on ‘islands’ in the late 1950s was enormous. It makes me think about what life seemed like in those places, where there was a closer human relationship, compared to now that people live isolated and without contact with their neighbors”.
“O Pátio do Carrasco” features in the cast Catarina Lacerda, David Almeida, António Júlio and André Gil Mata himself. Frederico Lobo (Photography) and Sandra Neves (Artistic Direction and Scenography) are also part of the team.
This is the first production by Rua Escura – a cooperative from Porto formed by André Gil Mata, Frederico Lobo, João Vladimiro, Luís Palito and Marta Lima – in co-production with Primeira Idade and Agente a Norte. In addition to the Filmaporto’s grant, the film has the support of the ICA – Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual and the GDA Foundation.
