25/04/2007

João Pedro Rodrigues' upcoming film To Die Like a Man is one of the 15 projects selected for the third edition of the Cinéfondation Atelier, held as part of the 60th Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27).

The Portuguese filmmaker – whose feature debut O Fantasma was one of the most controversial titles screening at Venice back in 2000 and whose second feature Odete won the Cinémas de Recherche Special Mention at the 37th Directors’ Fortnight – will present his new project, which has a 10-week shoot scheduled to start in Lisbon in February 2008.

To Die Like a Man is based on the true story of Tonia, a transvestite star of Lisbon's drag scene, who has since passed away. Rodrigues, whose disturbing style often mixes reality and fantasy, chose not to stick to a straightforward narration of Tonia's last winter, despite all the interviews initially done with the transvestite's former friends and colleagues.

"The writing moulded itself around the demands of fictional construction in dialogue with the genre codes of musicals, melodrama and tragedy," stated the director, who also "wanted this story to contribute towards the visibility of another identity, ultimately another way of expressing our humanity."

Produced by Rodrigues' regular partner Maria João Sigalho for Lisbon-based Rosa Filmes with the support of ICAM, the film has a US $1.53m budget, $1m of which has already been acquired.

While the Critics’ Week and the Directors’ Fortnight line-ups have yet to be revealed, Rodrigues is so far one of three Portuguese personalities to be under the spotlight at Cannes this year. The other two are actress and official jury member Maria de Medeiros and maestro Manoel de Oliveira, one of the 35 filmmakers to take part in the anniversary film To Each His Cinema.