‘Fogo do Vento’ Director Marta Mateus Intends to Challenge the Mass Media’s ‘Banal Image of War’ at Locarno

Overflowing with imaginative ideas while maintaining a sharp anthropological focus, Marta Mateus’ debut feature, “Fogo do Vento,” pushes the boundaries of cinema. Taking more than four years to complete, the film manages to convey ambition and precision within a concise 70-minute runtime, adding to its intense and focused nature.

During an interview at the Locarno Film Festival, where her film debuted in the main competition, Mateus emphasized her approach to filmmaking as akin to working in an atelier.

She views her film more as a carefully crafted art object, a notion reinforced by the stillness of the camera throughout the film. The camera’s lack of movement lends the film a sense of deliberate composition, reminiscent of painting rather than traditional cinema.

Although Mateus studied various disciplines, including philosophy, theatre, and music, she deliberately avoided formal film studies to maintain her unique vision. Her forest-set film, mostly shot in broad daylight, uses natural light to highlight the landscape and the people within it, capturing the sun’s rays as they interact with the environment.

This attention to light underscores the film’s themes of transience and history. “Fogo do Vento” explores deeper concepts of community, nation, and struggle, blending intimate storytelling with broader historical narratives.

Mateus’ personal experiences growing up in rural Portugal, steeped in oral traditions and storytelling, inform the film’s ritualistic approach to history and the possibility of liberation. The film challenges the contemporary linear, capitalistic narrative style by embracing a more symbolic and emotionally resonant form of storytelling.