Banzo is a 2024 Portuguese-language drama film written and directed by . Starring Carloto Cotta as Dr. Alfonso Paivaand and Hoji Fortuna as Alphonse, the film presents the legacy of Portuguese colonialism in Africa, revisiting memories and historical scars.
It premiered in National Competition at the IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival on 28 May 2024, where it won Universities Culturgest Award for the Best Portuguese Feature Film and Árvore da Vida Award (Tree of Life Award).
It was selected as the Portuguese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Synopsis
Set in 1907, the film follows Afonso, a doctor who arrives on a tropical African island to begin a new chapter as a plantation physician. Tasked with treating a group of servants afflicted by —a profound melancholy rooted in the legacy of slavery, he witnesses the devastating toll of the condition, as many succumb to starvation or suicide. In an effort to contain the illness, the servants are relocated to a remote, rain-soaked hillside surrounded by forest. Despite Afonso's medical efforts, his inability to grasp the emotional and spiritual depth of their suffering renders his treatments ineffective.
Cast Carloto Cotta as Dr. Alfonso Paiva Hoji Fortuna as Alphonse João Pedro Bénard as Dr. Figueira Gonçalo Waddington as Raimundo Sara Carinhas as Luísa Ruben Simões as Ismael Maria Do Céu Ribeiro as Adelia Matamba Joaquim as Maianço Romeu Runa as Augusto Cirila Bossuet as Guilhermina
Production
In June 2021, Eurimages decided to support the film with €250,000.
The film set in 1907 was filmed in Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe.
Release Banzo had its world premiere at IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival on 28 May 2024. It competed for Crystal Globe with other eleven feature films at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on 4 July 2024.
The film selected in Official Selection at the Seville European Film Festival was screened in November 2024.
It was released in French theaters on 25 December 2024.
Reception
On the AlloCiné, which lists 5 press reviews, the film obtained an average rating of 3.6/5.
Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref 2024 IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival Universities Culturgest AwardBanzo Árvore da Vida Award Grand Prize City of Lisbon 2024 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Crystal Globe Grand Prix 2024 Camerimage Golden Frog 2024 Caminhos do Cinema Português Best Screenplay Margarida Cardoso 2025 Prémios AIP Cinema Awards Best Cinematography in a Feature Film Leandro Ferrão 2025 Golden Globes (Portugal) Best FilmBanzo 2026Sophia Awards (Portuguese Cinema Academy)Best Original ScreenplayMargarida CardosoBest Secondary ActorGonçalo WaddingtonBest Main ActorHoji FortunaBest Secondary ActressCirila BossuetBest Original ScoreBanzo, Rutger ZuyderveltBest Art DirectionBanzo, Artur PinheiroBest Photography DirectionBanzo, Leandro FerrãoBest Special EffectsBanzo, Arnaud Chelet, Filipe PereiraBest WardrobeBanzo, Sílvia GrabowskiBest FilmBanzoBest Makeup, Characterization and HairBanzoBest EditingBanzoBest DirectingBanzo, Margarida CardosoBest SoundBanzo
See also
List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Portuguese submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links
Banzo at Uma Pedra no Sapato