Rodrigo Areias

DOWN BY LIFE       

VENCIDOS DA VIDA                                                                                                                 

Portugal, 2020, 76′       

In a decrepit old cinema, several stories appear as ghosts. A compilation of films of different formats, project multiple versions of people beaten by life. “To a man, to be beaten or defeated in life depends, not of the apparent reality that he arouse – but of the intimate ideal for which he aspired.”

Rodrigo Areias

started his studies as a Management student at the Porto University, afterwards he graduated at Sound and lmage at the School of Arts and specialized in lmage. He also did a Film course at NYU’s Tisch School of Arts, and the Eurodoc production training programme. Throughout his career, Rodrigo Areias has developed creative works in the area of author cinema. He has also worked in the realm of video-art and has directed videoclips for some of the best names of the Portuguese rock scene.  As a producer his career started in 2001 and since then has produced and co-produced over 150 short and feature films, videos and documentaries. Have been co-producing with Brasil, Argentina, UK, France, Germany, Japan and Finland. As a director, among many films, Hay Road (feature Film) and Corrente (short film) stand out, having been selected for over 70 festivais and won over 20 awards. Recently he premiered his fourth fiction feature Surdine and his latest feature documentary Blue Breath premiered at the First Look competition at the Locarno festival and won the Ismailia, Prishtina, Kalajoki and Lyon Festivals. He was responsible for the film production program of Guimarães 2012 European Capital of Culture including films by JeanLuc Godard, Aki Kaurismaki, Peter Greenaway, Manoel Oliveira, Pedro Costa and Victor Erice.