Manoel

He is the most rewarded Portuguese film director, the oldest director in the world who is still active, and he remains one of the most influential filmmakers in Europe. I'm referring to Manoel de Oliveira, who was born in 1908, in Porto city, and celebrated his 99th birthday a couple of days ago.

Last evening, I had the privilege of beeing one of the guests at the avant-première of his most recent film, "Cristóvão Colombo, O Enigma" (international title: "Christopher Columbus, The Enigma"), which took place at the Gulbekian's main auditorium, in Lisbon. Despite his old age, he presented the film and answered the journalists in perfect condition, always with his peculiar red walking-sick in his hand.

Screenshot of the film "Christopher Columbus, The Enigma".

The screenplay of "Christopher Columbus, The Enigma", a fictional documentary film, is based on the book "Christopher Columbus Was Portuguese" by Manuel Luciano da Silva and Sílvia Jorge da Silva. The story is about the mission of Manuel and his wife Sílvia to prove the world that the explorer Christopher Columbus was actually Portuguese and descendant of one of the most famous explorers at the time, João Gonçalves Zarco.

The film was shot in several Portuguese towns (Porto, Lisboa, Cuba, Sagres, Porto Santo) and in the US (Massachusetts, Newport, Rhode Island). However the film is a romanticized and fictional approch of a theory, is neither scientific nor historical.

"Christopher Columbus, The Enigma" (2007) has already been rewarded this year at the Cannes Festival and will be released in movie theatres next January 10.