19 December 2023

"A Minha Casinha" ('Autumn' in English), a Portuguese film about Portuguese people, was the first national work to win the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival. American critics fell in love with the very human portrait it paints, but also with the natural way in which it brought the traditions, sounds and landscapes of Baião, in Douro.

This film, which claims to be "made for Portuguese people" and which reminds us of so many of our traditions and particularities, tells us the story of a couple and their two children living in the interior of Portugal over the course of a year.  Everything changes when a child goes to university, even more so when the move involves another country. People change, grow up, mothers and fathers try to adapt to the empty nest, but everyone feels the weight of the first goodbye. This film tells us about these family dynamics and the challenges of growing up and growing old. It portrays the reality of many Portuguese families in the 21st century, who see their children leaving to study at university, investing in their own dreams far from home.

"A Minha Casinha" is set against the backdrop of the beautiful landscapes of the Douro... and its soundtrack is music by Maro, Quinta do Bill, Xutos e Pontapés and more.

Written and directed by António Sequeira, "A Minha Casinha" has an excellent cast, including Beatriz Frazão (Morangos com Açúcar, Conta-me como Foi), Elsa Valentim (A Série, Praxx), Miguel Frazão (Pôr do Sol; Salgueiro Maia - O Implicado) and Salvador Gil (Um Filme em Forma de Assim). Special appearances by Sara Barradas and Ricardo de Sá.

Filmed in the town of Baião, Douro, and directed by António Sequeira, this is a good example of independent filmmaking. It seems naive, because it's a "feel good movie", so you leave the theater in a good mood, even though it has important things to say.

It opened this Thursday in cinemas. It's Portuguese. We invite you to see it.