Negotiations for a Portuguese film to become a Netflix series

Homo Verum is a short film with Virgilio Castelo in post-production. This is a historical drama with elements of horror.

“Glory”The first Portuguese TV series premiered on Netflix on November 5. At the same time, there are other national projects under negotiation with the streaming platform. One of them is the short film “Homo Verum”, which is currently in post-production.

It was recorded over four days in April by a team of 30 – and is about 25 minutes long. This is a project of three young directors, the Portuguese Gonzalo Valle and Renato Dias and the Slovak citizen Bruno Mois.

The three are responsible for the production company Elite Pictures, based in England but developing this work in Portugal in collaboration with the more experienced AG Films, which is in direct contact with Netflix.

The short film was shot as a pilot with the aim of presenting it on a streaming platform with the potential to become something more. “The original idea was to turn this into a movie. [de longa duração]but now we are talking about the possibility of turning it into a series, ”explains Gonzalo Valle NiT.

This is a story set in 1894. “Gabriel, a young man who has just graduated from university – medical school – goes to spend time with an older doctor who lives in an isolated mansion. Eventually, a drama ensues with the senior physician’s wife, who ultimately bonds with the younger. In this film, a lot of attention is paid to moral issues – what is right and what is not, ”adds Gonzalo Valle, who was in charge of cinematography.

Virgilio Castelo plays the oldest doctor, while Thiago Aldea plays Gabriel. Ines Aguiar plays the wife of a character from Kastelo. “They saw this as an opportunity to show what other actors they are. They are so used to playing the same role in soap operas and the like that they have the opportunity to do such a strange project … “

Gonzalo Valle describes the narrative as a historical drama with elements of psychological terror. 21 year old glasses “Mid summer”, by the American Ari Astaire, as a reference to the tone of this film. “It’s kind of a psychological horror movie that’s done very well, and we’ve tried to incorporate some elements from this movie – and others, of course.”

The director explains that the script was created at the location where it was filmed, in the Vale de Prazeres area of ​​Fundao. “We knew that we wanted to implement a very ambitious project using the resources we had. In this case, I had access to a unique place, so we started to create history from there – a historical space very well preserved. We had a general idea of ​​the topic, and it was Bruno who took it and developed the story with feedback from me and Renato. “

Ines Aguiar is another actress taking part in A real man.

They recently completed sound design in collaboration with a Los Angeles-based songwriter and are currently in the process of painting. The task should be completed in January. Only later will the future of this work be determined. Gonzalo Valle explains that they have already submitted a preview that serves as a presentation, but they are waiting for the final product to be officially shown on the streaming platform.

“The main plan is Netflix, although if it goes wrong, we’re thinking of other platforms to be presented. So far, everything depends a little on the end of post-production. Everyone wants to see the final product, that’s what we focused on. After that, our co-production home will have a bit of an effort to move the project forward and see what we can do. ”

Gonçalo Valle, who also worked as a lighting technician on the set of the prequel to “Guerra of Thrones” in Portugal, says the door to Netflix is ​​open and they are waiting for a short film. “That’s why it takes us a little longer too, because we’re trying to polish it as much as possible.”

If streaming platforms don’t want to turn a project into a series (or film), Homo Verum will always see the light of day as a short film at a film festival. Anyway, a trailer is coming soon.