Veredas (Trails). 1978. Directed by João César Monteiro

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Trails (Veredas). 1978. Portugal. Directed by João César Monteiro. Courtesy The Cinema Guild

Veredas (Trails). 1978. Portugal. Directed by João César Monteiro. Screenplay by Monteiro, based on folk tale Branca Flor, Eumenides by Aeschylus, and texts by Maria Velho da Costa. With Manuela de Freitas, Luís de Sousa Costa, Margarida Gil, António Mendes, Carmen Duarte, Francisco Domingues. 4K digital restoration by Cinemateca Portuguesa. In Portuguese; English subtitles. 120 min.

In one of his richest works, João César Monteiro films young couples fleeing their authoritarian parents in the Portuguese countryside, capturing forgotten people and landscapes while infusing them with tales of mystery and imagination inspired by ancient, traditional legends. Beautifully filmed by cinematographer Acácio de Almeida, Veredas reconfigures a nation’s cultural identity and aesthetic traditions, replacing politically fabricated imagery dictated by decades of fascism with a vibrant, inventive mise-en-scène that paved the way for a renowned docufiction tradition in contemporary Portuguese cinema.

This film accompanies João César Monteiro: Symphonies of a Libertine.

Past events

Thu, Oct 23, 2025, 6:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T1, Theater 1

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1
Mon, Oct 20, 2025, 6:30 p.m.

MoMA, Floor T1, Theater 1

The Roy and Niuta Titus Theater 1

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