Colonization and the world in cinema

Transnational perspectives between Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, Angola and Cape Verde

Abstract

The objective of this article is to comparatively analyze different perspectives on the theme of colonization and their worldviews through transnational films involving Brazil, Portugal and the African Portuguese-speaking countries (PALOPs) in the contemporary context, between 1990 and 2020, mapping their modes of production, funding, and aesthetic-political compositions within the global cinema landscape. To this end, the methodology of comparative cinema, proposed by Mariana Souto (2020), is employed, in conjunction with the concept of the world cinema atlas (Andrew, 2004), through a filmic constellation woven by O testamento do senhor Napumoceno (1998), by Fernando Manso, Tabu (2012), by Miguel Gomes, and A rainha Nzinga chegou (2018), by Júnia Torres and Isabel Casimira. The development of the analysis reveals Portugal’s leading role in the financing and production of the films, which is expressed through aesthetic-political perspectives grounded in the idea of Lusophony and shaped by a distinctly Portuguese viewpoint on the theme. In contrast, a counter-narrative emerges through a dialogue between Brazil and Angola, informed by African ancestry and the diaspora.