Information about the film "The blossoming gesture"

Director's biography:

Pedro Ludgero is a writer, filmmaker, and musician based in Porto, Portugal, where he was born in 1972.

His films, both analytical and synthetic, explore and blend diverse genres and artistic disciplines, striving to safeguard their power of fascination against the threat of trivialization.

Director's filmography:

1996

“Waiting – theorem in five movements”

(selected to Festival Internacional de Cinema da Figueira da Foz)

 

2012

“Checkpoint Sunset”

 

2021

“Senhorim Senhorinha”

(co-directed with Lucas Tavares and Regina Guimarães)

 

2022

“Buried in the blues”

(award winner in New York Neorealism Film Awards, Naples Film Awards, Green Ciak Film Awards, Frida Film Festival and 8 & Halfilm Awards)

 

2023

“Light footprint”

(selected to Festival Fotogenia)

 

2024

"The blossoming gesture"

Synopsis of "The blossoming gesture":

A young saleswoman crafts a bouquet of roses with the same heartfelt joy and care as if it were meant for her to receive. Yet, the bouquet is destined only to be sold…

Trailers

Por causa das exigências caprichosas dos festivais de cinema, comecei a fazer trailers para as minhas curtas-metragens. Enfim, um trailer de uma curta-metragem pode parecer nada mais que a síntese de uma síntese, mas a verdade é que me divirto bastante a fazer estas pequenas montagens alternativas de cada projeto, aproveitando para lançar discretas pistas para a sua leitura.

Because of the whimsical demands of film festivals, I started making trailers for my short films. Admittedly, a trailer for a short film might seem like nothing more than a summary of a summary, but the truth is that I really enjoy putting together these small alternative edits of each project, using them as an opportunity to drop subtle hints for their interpretation.

"Buried in the blues" 

"Light footprint"

"The blossoming gesture" 

"The blossoming gesture" - poster

 

"THE BLOSSOMING GESTURE"

Writer, director: Pedro Ludgero

Cinematographer: Lucas Tavares

Sound director: Lucas Tavares

Editor: Saguenail

Music: Norman Meehan, J. S. Bach

Cast: Francisca Saavedra, João Guerreiro

Film length - 26:05

Shooting moment

 

Photo by Filipa Saavedra

Norman Meehan

 

2024

A Filipa Saavedra, minha ex-aluna de piano entretanto tornada atriz profissional, mostrou-se disponível para fazer um filme comigo, nas condições de ausência de financiamento em que normalmente trabalho. Surgiu assim a possibilidade de fazer um filme em torno do trabalho do ator, apesar de eu ter acima de tudo perguntas a fazer sobre esse trabalho e de cada vez me sentir menos apto a fazer filmes filmes do que a traçar tangentes a filmes.

De algum modo, a esse estímulo inicial vieram juntar-se o poema "in time of daffodils(who know" de e. e. cummings (texto que muito estimo) e a memória do trabalho da minha mãe como florista.

A rodagem decorreu entre 30 de julho e 2 de agosto de 2024. O generoso compositor neozelandês Norman Meehan deu autorização para eu utilizar gratuitamente uma canção sua baseada no poema de cummings.

Filipa Saavedra, a former piano student of mine who has since become a professional actress, showed herself available to make a film with me, under the conditions of no funding in which I usually work. Thus arose the possibility of making a film centered around the actor's work, although I mostly have questions to ask about this work and I'm beginning to feel less capable of making films than of drawing tangent lines to films.

In some way, to this initial stimulus were added the poem "in time of daffodils(who know" by e. e. cummings (a text that I highly esteem) and the memory of my mother's work as a florist.

Filming took place between July 30th and August 2nd. Generous New Zealand composer Norman Meehan gave permission for me to use one of his songs based on the cummings' poem for free.

"Light footprint" - poster

 

"LIGHT FOOTPRINT"

Writer, director: Pedro Ludgero

Cinematographer: Lucas Tavares

Sound director: Lucas Tavares

Editor: Saguenail

Music: J. S. Bach, Nuno Jacinto

Cast: Rita De-Francesco, Danilo Resende, João Guerreiro

Singers: Patrícia Quinta, André Lacerda

Film length - 13:35

The film was selected to:

Festival Fotogenia, November 2024 (Mexico City, Mexico)

The brilliance of religious art

"Evocation" (also known as "Tête du Christ" or "Inspiration d'une mosaïque à Ravenne") by Odilon Redon

2023

A tristeza infinita que me inspira a frequência de um rito religioso cristão é inversamente proporcional à embriaguez baudelairiana que extraio de iluminuras, vitrais, ícones ortodoxos, corais de J. S. Bach, textos de Etty Hillesum ou filmes de Carl Dreyer. 

Fosse qual fosse o lugar de sentido que o projeto "Pegada luminosa" me permitisse atingir, o seu ponto de partida, o seu motor, foi tão-somente esta agitação peculiar da minha erótica.

As filmagens terminaram a 11 de maio.

The infinite sadness instilled in me by the attendance of a Christian rite is inversely proportional to the Baudelairean intoxication that I derive from illuminated manuscripts, stained glass windows, orthodox icons, chorales by J. S. Bach, texts by Etty Hillesum or films by Carl Dreyer.

Whatever scope of meaning the "Light footprint" project eventually leads me to, its starting point, its drive, was just this peculiar agitation of my erotica.

Filming ended on May 11th.

An interview...

... to Florence Film Awards

"BURIED IN THE BLUES"

 

Writer, director: Pedro Ludgero

Cinematographer: Lucas Tavares

Sound director: Lucas Tavares

Editor: Saguenail

Cast: João Guerreiro, Joana Guedes, Guilherme Almeida, Valentina Guedes, Vitória Guedes

Link to watch the film (with english subtitles)

Film length - 17:26

Premiered: 26/10/2023, at Batalha, Centro de Cinema (Porto)

The film won several awards

"Best indie short film" - Naples Film Awards, June 2023 (Naples, Italy)

"Best original story" - 8 & HalFilm Awards, May 2023 (Rome, Italy)

"Best experimental film" - 8 & HalFilm Awards, 11th Cannes Event, 2023

"Best european director" - New York Neorealism Film Awards, April 2023 (New York, U.S.A.)

"Best editing" - Frida Film Festival, May 2023

"Best inspirational film" - Green Ciak Film Awards, October 2023

"Honorable mention (Experimental film)" - Red Fox International Film Festival, May 2023 (Rome, Italy)

"Honorable mention (Experimental film)" - Purple Sky International Film Festival, August 2023 (Hamburg, Germany)

René Magritte

"God's Salon" (1948)

2022

Pensei bastante sobre como fazer um filme para a minha sobrinha que, a despeito da irracionalidade da ternura, não fugisse ao meu habitual compromisso com a discrição e o rigor. 

A primeira hipótese de trabalho, que prolongava em território shakespeariano o conceito de "ensaio" iniciado em "Senhorim Senhorinha", não se pôde concretizar, dada a dificuldade em encontrar atores para uma no budget production.

A mágoa desse falhanço levou a que o filme que foi possível fazer se mostrasse simultaneamente austero e permeável às dificuldades da rodagem. 

I thought a lot about how to make a film for my niece that, despite the irrationality of tenderness, would not deviate from my usual commitment to discretion and rigor.

My first project, which extended the concept of "rehearsal" started in "Senhorim Senhorinha" into Shakespearean territory, could not be produced, given the difficulty in finding actors for a no budget production.

The hurt caused by this failure meant that the film that was possible to make resulted simultaneously austere and permeable to the hardships of filming.

"SENHORIM SENHORINHA"

 

Directors: Pedro Ludgero, Lucas Tavares e Regina Guimarães

Camera: Saguenail, Lucas Tavares e Regina Guimarães

Sound: Lucas Tavares

Editor, producer: Saguenail

Cast: Matilde Gandra, Maio Afonso, Lira Keil do Amaral, João Guimarães

Link to watch the film (no subtitles)

Film length - 24:06

Exquisite corpse

The "exquisite corpse" is a surrealist game in which several people participate in the production of an object of a verbal or visual nature without any of the players knowing the parts that lie before or after their contribution.

Here is an example by Valentine Hugo, Nusch Éluard and Paul Éluard.

2021

À boa maneira surrealista, não sei por que razão tive a súbita vontade de fazer um "cadavre exquis". Os realizadores Lucas Tavares e Regina Guimarães aceitaram o desafio e a Hélastre organizou a produção.

Cada autor trabalhou sem conhecer absolutamente nada dos projetos dos seus parceiros de filme, havendo apenas dois elementos unificadores: um par de jovens atores e o espaço "As Casas do Visconde", em Canas de Senhorim.

O Saguenail assegurou a montagem transversal.

In good surrealist fashion, I can't explain why I had the sudden urge to produce an "exquisite corpse". Directors Lucas Tavares and Regina Guimarães accepted the challenge and Hélastre organized the production.

Each author worked without knowing absolutely anything about their film partners' projects, and there were only two unifying elements: a pair of young actors and the space "As Casas do Visconde", in Canas de Senhorim.

Saguenail secured the transversal editing.

"CHECKPOINT SUNSET"

Writer, director: Pedro Ludgero

Cinematographer, editor: Tiago Afonso

Sound: Rui Coelho

Music: Carlos Brito Dias

Set design: JAS & Manuela Pimentel

Wardrobe: Diana Regal

Production assistant: Samuel Barbosa

Producer: Inês Maia

Cast: Alberto Augusto Miranda, Carolina Carvalho, Filipa Raquel, Inês Barros, JAS, João Costa Huther, Jorge Domingues, Maria Carvalho, Miguel Ramos, Patrícia Sousa, Ricardo Casaleiro, Rosário Melo, Tânia Dinis e Vítor d’Andrade

Link to watch the film (with english subtitles)

Film length - 22:22

Shooting moments

 

Photos by JAS (João Alexandrino Silva), Vítor d'Andrade and Regina Guimarães.

2012

Depois de uma segunda experiência falhada e muitos percalços biográficos, só voltei à realização em 2012. O projeto, contudo, tinha sido concebido mais ou menos na mesma época em que rodei o primeiro filme.

Foi uma produção financiada sobretudo com o dinheiro recebido por um prémio literário. O essencial das filmagens decorreu em Leça da Palmeira, em frente à antiga Refinaria da Galp.

Na altura, fiz um site para o filme: https://checkpointsunset.wordpress.com

After a failed experience and many life setbacks, I didn't get back to directing until 2012. The new project, however, had been designed around the same time I shot my first film.

It was a production financed mainly with the money I had received from a literary prize. Most of the shooting took place in Leça da Palmeira, near the old Galp Refinery.

"WAITING - theorem in five movements"

Writer, director: Pedro Ludgero

Cinematographer: Ernesto Monteiro

Sound: Rui Coelho

Editor: Saguenail

Producer: Armando Pinheiro

Link to watch the film (no subtitles)

Film length - 08:53

The film was selected to Festival Internacional de Cinema da Figueira da Foz.

Herberto Helder

 

1996

Tinha 24 anos de idade e o desejo imperioso de começar a filmar. Não sabia, contudo, o quê...

Nas minhas visitas ao jardim da Casa das Artes, no Porto, costumava deambular por uma enorme álea de árvores que, para o meu olhar em contrapicado ante as copas, me parecia narrar algo que era tão rigoroso quanto implacavelmente abstrato. Decidi filmar isso, sem perceber que, afinal, me estava a filmar a mim mesmo.

A rodagem estendeu-se desde o verão até ao inverno de 1996, com produção do Cineclube do Porto. O imenso poeta Herberto Helder deu autorização para eu utilizar gratuitamente um texto seu.

I was 24 years old and very much desired to start filming. However, I didn't know what...

On my visits to Casa das Artes garden, in Porto, I used to wander through a huge tree-lined avenue that, to my eyes peering at the canopies, seemed to narrate something that was as rigorous as abstract. I decided to film this, without realizing that, at the end of the day, I was filming myself.

Filming lasted from summer to winter of 1996, with production by Cineclube do Porto. The great poet Herberto Helder allowed me to use one of his texts for free.