Archive of films Hay Road / Estrada de Palha

Portugal / Finland
2011, 95 min

Section: Official Selection - Competition
Year: 2012

Not every avenger must set out on a journey with visions of bloody revenge, and not every journey takes place on a galloping horse. But each one offers a solution in the end. An enthralling, philosophizing Western that highlights the timelessness of its ideas as well as the lasting attractions of this versatile genre.

Synopsis

The year is 1908. A middle-aged man finds out that his brother has died and he sets out to avenge his death, and also to round up his scattered flock of sheep. During his journey the man won’t have to dodge bullets or join in any light-hearted saloon banter, as the film’s Western slant might suggest, but there might be a few mellow debates on various issues that are still relevant one hundred years on. The film reflects upon universal values and, through its lead character, spreads a sense of tranquillity, giving the impression that justice will be served. It’s not simply the easy-going tempo or the surprisingly topical quotations from Henry David Thoreau’s essay "Civil Disobedience” which shift the film onto the level of a timeless mystery. Hay Road generates a meditative tone and subliminal tension which compensate for the absence of the explicit drama we generally associate with genre films.

About the director

Rodrigo Areias (b. 1978) studied management and then switched to the arts, attending a training programme at Eurodoc and a film course at New York’s Tisch School of the Arts. He directed several videos for leading Portuguese rock artists, and since 2001 he has produced more than thirty short films, video clips and documentaries. His feature film debut was Thebes (Tebas, 2007). He produced films by Portuguese directors Edgar Pêra and João Canijo through the Lisbon-based production company Periferia Filmes. Areias also established Bando à Parte, his own production and distribution company. In 2009 he was involved in the Producers on the Move panel at the Cannes IFF. He also worked on the film programme for Guimarães – European City of Culture for 2012.

Contacts

Bando à Parte
Urb. quinta do mosteiro, lote 5 - 4a esq., 4810-015, Guimares
Portugal
Tel: +351 918 612 754
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.bandoaparte.com

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About the film

Color, DCP
International premiere

Section:	Official Selection - Competition

Director:	Rodrigo Areias
Screenplay:	Rodrigo Areias
Dir. of Photography:	Jorge Quintela
Music:	The Legendary Tigerman & Rita Redshoes
Editor:	Tomás Baltazar
Producer:	Rodrigo Areias
Production:	Bando à Parte
Cast:	Vítor Correia, Inês Mariana Moitas, Nuno Melo, Ângelo Torres
Contact:	Bando à Parte

www:	www.bandoaparte.com

Guests

Rodrigo Areias

Film Director

Susana Abreu

Film Crew

Victor Correia

Actor

Ricardo Freitas

Producer

Jorge Quintela

Director of Photography

Ricardo Preto

Film Crew