16mmFILMES

Amid the aftermath of Mozambique’s civil war, I visit my grandmother, confronting fading memories and blurred lines between truth and fiction. A former rebel’s presence in the village echoes the relentless ghosts of war, mirroring the tensions of my generation.

Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975, following a bloody struggle that lasted more than a decade. In three acts (plus a poetic prologue and epilogue), some of those who lived through it tell their story about the struggle for independence. A former political prisoner returns to the building named Villa Algarve, where he was tortured—though dilapidated now, it is still maintained as a monument to what took place. We also get to hear the other side of the story, as told by the daughter of an agent of the secret police who was murdered before her eyes following the fall of the Portuguese dictatorship. This striking mix of archive footage, shots of present day and the pervasive soundtrack give us the feeling that past and present are inextricably linked. The oral testimonies bear witness to a multifaceted colonial trauma, and the wounds are still fresh.