But Not for Ever

The combination of archival footage from the African island of São Tomé, a former Portuguese colony with a slave system, and contemporary shots of Lisbon's decaying greenhouses, among which busts by Manuel de Oliveira hide in the lush vegetation, is complemented by urgent, poignant verses by São Tomé’s poets Alda Espírito Santo and Conceição Lima, recited by musician Gerson Marta. The images are linked by the image of the cocoa bean, a symbol of oppression – but not forever. (Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival)