Mértola, the Guadiana River, a place with old water mills where flour for bread was ground. A place where birds live and people relax. Fishing boats pass by and fish jump. The tides rise and fall, and the atmosphere changes every day. The colour of the water and the landscape varies throughout the year. At the same time, Manuela Barros Ferreira leaves us with the text “Alma”: “Why do we contemplate the river?“ – DOC Lisboa
”It’s very hard to describe a film with words that is only made of sensibility and time. You feel so deeply the passage of time, and the movement of the wind and water. We are given, by Torres and Suzuki, a chance to reflect and feel our bodies. The text is filled with grace, humor, and incomprehensible beauty. The text (written by the mother of Rosanna Torres) seeps into your soul, like the sun that creeps over the valley, slowly, without you ever noticing how profoundly present you are when you staring at a river.” – Samantha Clara, Letterboxd
Hiroatsu Suzuki & Rossana Torres
PT 2025 | German Premiere
Grand Prix, Doclisboa
72 min | Portuguese
Hiroatsu Suzuki
Born in Japan in 1970. A self-taught filmmaker and visual artist. After gaining some experience in independent film production, he moved from Kyoto to Okinawa, where he developed an interest in landscape photography. He travelled to Europe to develop his visual and artistic practice through photography and film appreciation. After watching a number of
Portuguese films, he decided to stay in Portugal.
Rossana Torres
Born in Romania in 1965. Studied fine art and film in Lisbon. She founded the Entre Imagem association for film production and cultural and educational projects. She has lived and worked in Mértola since 1994.
Collaborative films
Cordão Verde 2009 | O Sabor do Leite Creme 2012 | Terra 2018 (14. UX) | Água Mãe 2025
R+E+S+P: Hiroatsu Suzuki, Rossana Torres | DOP: Hiroatsu Suzuki | SD: Hugo Leitão | WS: Rua Escura Filmes | Voice: Rossana Torres