Luz obscura

Special Mention of the Jury for the Feature Length Documentary (Ex Aequo)

How many members of a family get dragged into the web of the political police on the arrest of a political prisoner? How do you give form to someone who disappeared without having had a historical existence? Taking as its starting point the photographs taken by the portuguese political police (1926-1974), Luz Obscura seeks to reveal how an authoritarian system operates within the family intimacy, simultaneously revealing areas of repression which mould the present.

Main Festivals & Awards

Cinéma du Réel, France (2017)

Director's Biography

Susana de Sousa Dias was born in Lisbon, Portugal. She holds a PhD in Fine Arts/Video, an MPhil in Aesthetics and Art Philosophy, a BA in Fine Arts-Painting, and a BA in Cinema. She studied music at the National Conservatory. Among her cinematic works are Natureza Morta-Visages d’une dictature (2005, Atalanta Award, Merit Prize Taiwan IDF), 48 (2009, Grand Prix Cinéma du Réel, FIPRESCI Award) and Natureza Morta | Stilleben (installation, 2010). Obscure Light is her most recent film. She exhibited her works at international film festivals and art exhibitions worldwide (Viennale, Visions du Réel, Sarajevo IFF, Torino FF, Mar del Plata Independent FF, PhotoEspaña, Documenta, etc.).

In 2012, she was honoured with a tribute by Cinéma du Réel and was guest artist at the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, New York. In the same year, sh directed the International Film Festival Doclisboa for two consecutive editions (2012 and 2013). She lectures at the Fine Arts Faculty of the University of Lisbon.