Ghosts: Long Way Home

Tiago Siopa / Portugal / 2019 / International Premiere / 119 min.

synopsis

Picturesque Portuguese countryside is rich in legends about supernatural creatures, souls and witches who guide the locals through their everyday lives, helping them resist the hectic pace of modernity. The author meets the ghost of his late grandmother Marie, who tells him about his family history and mysterious stories imbued with rural superstitions and spirituality. Vivid, sunny images of rural idyll and seemingly real-life dialogues blur the line between a documentary ethnographic study, a family archive and a live-action film about unexplored Portuguese mythology and its thriving tradition.

“I wanted to create a fantastic world. I enjoy creating such a world removed from reality, because I feel that my grandmother's beliefs and myths are part of a fantastic world.” T. Siopa

biography

Tiago Siopa is a Portuguese director and a documentary filmmaker. He studied physics and documentary filmmaking in Lisbon. In his films, he draws on his family history and local stories. His graduation feature Setil (2015) was awarded the Special Mention of the jury at the 2015 DocLisboa.