14/09/2006

Portuguese distribution company Atalanta Filmes, run by Paulo Branco, is this week releasing two European titles that were also produced by Branco outfits: 98 Octanas, the latest film by Fernando Lopes, and the directorial debut of screenwriter Santiago Amigorena, A Few Days in September [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Teaming up again with film critic João Lopes after their first collaboration, the script of Lá Fora, veteran director Fernando Lopes is back on the big screen with 98 Octanas. This road movie, shot on the highway that connects Lisbon and Porto, tells the story of a man and women who meet by chance in a service station and decide to take a trip together.

Rogério Samora, a regular in Lopes' films, co-stars with debut actress Carla Chambrel. Centred on their characters’ loneliness, the two actors share thoughts and silence in the obsessive, locked atmosphere of the car, which contrasts with the landscape outside, full of service stations and motels.

The film took its inspiration from Cimêncio, a book by architect Nuno Cera and photographer Diogo Lopes, which depicts the suburban areas of Lisbon and the world of Portugal's highways through photos and accompanying text. Produced by Clap Filmes, the film is being released today in six theatres in Lisbon and Porto.

Also on the big screens today is A Few Days in September, produced by Branco’s Paris-based outfit Gemini Films. Recently shown at the 63rd Venice Film Festival (see news), the espionage thriller set a few days before 9/11 has benefited from a special promotional campaign, with its leading actress Juliette Binoche attending the film's premiere in Lisbon last Sunday. It is being released in 5 theatres.