Synopsis
1907. Afonso starts life anew on a tropical island off the African coast, as a plantation physician. He is tasked with treating servants “infected” by Banzo, a profound homesickness fatal to many enslaved people who succumb to starvation or take their own lives. To prevent spreading, the group is sent to a secluded hill encircled by forest. Afonso tries to heal them, but understanding their spirits is a challenge stronger than any medical intervention.
Filmmaker
Margarida Cardoso
She started directing in 1995, exploring subjects that cross her personal history experiences and prominent post-colonial issues in recent Portuguese history, such as the Portuguese revolution and colonial war in Africa. Her previous work includes features Yvone Kane and the short Two Dragons (Locarno, 1999).
Filmography: Banzo (2024, D'A 2025), Sita - The Life and Times of Sita Valles (2022), Understory (2019), Yvone Kane (2014), Sempre Estivemos Aqui (2014), Licínio de Azevedo, The Storyteller of Mozambique (2010), Aljubarrota (mid-length film, 2008), Do Something (2007), The Murmuring Coast (2004), Kuxa Kanema, the Birth of Cinema (mid-length film, 2003), With Nearly Nothing (2001), Christmas 71 (2000), Among Us (short film, 1999), Two Dragons (short film, 1996)
Awards and festivals
Árvore da Vida Award
Universities Culturgest Award
Poster
