The Island of Contenda

// overview

The Story

Original title: O Ilhéu da Contenda

Cape Verde, 1964. At the feet of a mighty volcano, the traditional Cape Verdean society is undergoing a steady change. The old land-owning aristocracy is disintegrating. A class of "mulattos" begins to emerge, with a trade-based financial power that threatens the landlords. A new identity arises, a mix of old and new, of African and Portuguese culture, sensual and dynamic. The songs of Cesária Évora follow this inevitable transformation. From the novel by Henrique Teixeira de Sousa.

Production House

Instituto Português da Arte Cinematográfica e Audiovisual

Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

Instituto Caboverdiano de Cinema

Ministère de la Communauté Française de Belgique

Ministère de la Coopération