Difference between revisions of "Documentary about Portugueses in Soho Presented in MoMA"

Latest revision as of 10:43, 20 April 2016

On the 16th of April MoMA Will Present a Documentary about a Portuguese Community Living in the Neighborhood of Soho

April 09th, 2016

Portuguese from Soho - A story that changed geography is a documentary about a Portuguese community of the 60s, living in this neighborhood in Manhattan. It will be shown for the first time at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, on the 16th of April.

When Ana Ventura Miranda, this documentary director, moved to New York, she quickly understood the strong Portuguese heritage present in the Soho area. She learned that there were a lot of immigrants that had moved in after World War II, and that kept their cultural habits from back home. In her research, she discovered that in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, this community reached its highest point, with around 700 families living in the area, and even, a school with lessons in Portuguese, and a church with a portuguese celebration.

This phenomena was what inspired “Portuguese from Soho”, the documentary that will premiere at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), on the 16th of April. It aims to tell the story of the Soho neighborhood, its emigrants, and their relationship with the New York city.

Ana Ventura Miranda explained that “It is a pleasure to show Portuguese movies at MoMA. To have this extensive work, means to preserve the Portuguese heritage in Soho, to honor this incredible people, and to avoid this amazing story to disappear. It is a great honor as well as an emotional moment.”

There are already more events created to show this film, and it will also be present at the NY Portuguese Short Film Festival. For this occasions, Portuguese artists will be invited, like Rita Redshoes, who composed the documentary's music, and José Luís Peixoto, a writer who also contributed to the movie.

Outside the U.S.A., “Portuguese from Soho” is predicted to be shown at Berlin, by the Caixa Geral de Depósitos, and then in Lisbon, on Centro Cultural de Belém.