Toppling statues and symbols, constructing new memories, framing the destroyed landscape, writing letters to the future, reversing power dynamics: Big Bang Henda is a documentary-poetry-manifesto about the work of Angolan artist Kiluanji Kia Henda. He takes us on a journey through his creations and reflections, which are at the forefront of anti-colonial thinking, urging us to consider how generations that grew up during or in the aftermath of the war reinterpret this event. This film is part of a long investigation of the history and the legacy of colonialism in Portuguese speaking countries. Coming from Brazil and currently living in Portugal, I am in constant search for the traces of what makes us a community and what distances us. The language? The brutal past? I have been working in and with many authors, directors, researchers and producers in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Brazil for many years, since my first collaboration in the documentary Triangle as a co-director along with a Portuguese and an Angolan director. The film toured festivals and looked at the relations between ex pats in the three countries. From there, I have done many other projects with this perspective and BIG BANG HENDA follows my research into transforming a tragic past into a creative and vibrant present and future. This film doesn’t just cast light on wars in a broader context; it also encourages contemplation of their origins and repercussions, scrutinising the wielders of power and the oppressed. Ultimately, it prompts us to reflect on the memories they leave behind and how we might work with them to construct a brighter, more attainable future.
Biography
Fernanda is a screenwriter and director, living between Brazil and Portugal. She has been working in the intersections between Brazil, Portugual and the African Portuguese speaking countries and former colonies of Portugal for decades. Her first feature as a writer, Mosquito, was the opening film at the Rotterdam FF (2020) and won the Critics Prize at the São Paulo International FF (2020) besides touring dozens of festivals. Her second feature, The Last Summer, is currently in production after being selected for the Script Station at Berlinale 2023 and RACCONTI. She has been developing, writing, and directing for TV, streaming and cinema, and some of her works have received awards and nominations at the Brazilian Cinema Academy, New York TV&Film Festival, Hollywood Woman’s FF, among others. She is part of the Torino Film Lab 2023. She is a co-founder of MUTIM, a woman in film association in Portugal.