A television series is being filmed in Porto in which fiction draws inspiration from advertising formats. It is called “Sem Filmes” and it is directed by Francisco Lobo, José Pedro Lopes, Marco Freire and Pedro Santasmarinas.
This short comedy series – with nine episodes of two minutes each – narrates the strange days of João (João Delgado Lourenço) who, after meeting Lara (Lília Lopes), sees his life transformed into a loop of advertisements. The reasons for this supernatural phenomenon are unveiled at the end – a resolution that, according to José Pedro Lopes, draws references to science fiction.
The idea for the project was born in the middle of the pandemic, during long Zoom meetings between the four directors and producer Manuel Barbosa. The goal was to test new advertising ideas and practices, at a time when the audiovisual sector was paralyzed.
Shortly afterwards, the filmmakers learned about the Garantir Cultura support program, promoted by the Ministry of Culture – and what was supposed to be advertising became fiction. “If the original idea was for us to make advertisements, and not exactly a series, why not make a series of fake advertisements?”, explains director José Pedro Lopes. “It turned out to be a way of showing the work we know how to do because these episodes are very much based on our creativity, on more challenging, bold ideas.”
Silo Auto, Largo do Amor de Perdição, the bus terminal at Mercado Bom Sucesso, Parque da Cidade and Rua de Cedofeita are some of the series scenarios, filmed entirely in Porto and with a team made up entirely of professionals from the city.
In addition to Francisco Lobo, José Pedro Lopes, Marco Freire and Pedro Santasmarinas (Direction and Script), the project has the collaboration of João Delgado Lourenço, Lília Lopes, Leonor Carreta and Romi Soares (Cast) and André Júlio Turquesa (Original Music). It is produced by Infilms Portugal and financed by the Garantir Cultura support program. The premiere is scheduled for 2022.
