The Invisible City: short films shot on the outskirts of Lisbon remember Odair Moniz and will premiere at Cinema Ideal on 28 November.

A series of six short films made by students from the Swiss school HEAD, directed by Basil da Cunha, will premiere on 28 November at 9:30 pm at Cinema Ideal in Lisbon. The screening is supported by Doclisboa - International Film Festival and the Swiss Embassy and will be a unique opportunity to see these films, which portray the suburbs of Lisbon and were shot in a particularly unusual and unexpected context: the murder of Odair Moniz by a PSP officer on 21 October 2024.

During the workshop organised in Lisbon by HEAD students, the death of Odair Moniz had a profound impact on the authors, the protagonists and the films themselves. Having occurred in the middle of production, this event transformed the projects into works that transcend the simple documentary portrait. The Invisible City is an X-ray of a crucial moment in Portugal's recent history, a country that has for too long silenced the reality of police violence in its suburbs.

Working in pairs, the film students created a documentary portrait of local residents, shaping a sensitive cartography of the city's periphery. The project was initiated by António Brito Guterres, a researcher and "urban facilitator" whose work illuminates the shadowy areas of the "white city", opening up a crucial reflection on the invisibility of these territories.

The first meetings with the protagonists took place in various neighbourhoods of Greater Lisbon, guided by visual artist and producer Maíra Zenun. This first phase alternated between location scouting, writing and initial filming, complemented by a technical workshop led by cinematographer Rui Xavier. In the following weeks, under the supervision of director Cláudia Varejão, the students continued writing and filming, with the support of Basil da Cunha, Pedro Diniz and Eliana Rosa, long-time collaborators rooted in these communities.

The films that make up The Invisible City were created as part of HEAD's "Grand Atelier", a three-week workshop held abroad. In 2024, the workshop took place in Lisbon, in collaboration with the Lusófona University Film School, led by Basil da Cunha, a filmmaker and professor at HEAD since 2013, who has dedicated two decades to filming the Reboleira community.

Anita Hugi, Director of the Film Department, welcomes the premiere of these films in collaboration with Doclisboa at Cinema Ideal: "They are remarkable works of cinematic and human beauty. They reflect our film school's approach: innovative cinema, strong individual voices and a working process based on close collaboration with the protagonists, who actively participate in the creation of each film."