Mozambican short-film ‘Vandals’ premieres in Maputo with two sold-out sessions

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Mozambican short-film ‘Vandals’ premieres in Maputo with two sold-out sessions

2:20 CAT | 15 May 2025

Photo: MZNews

An unparalleled milestone in the history of Mozambican cinema. The premiere of the documentary ‘Vandals’, directed by Melchior Ferreira and Bill Boy, on Tuesday (13), attracted a crowd of fans that did not fit in the auditorium of the Franco-Mozambican Cultural Centre, so the film was shown in two sessions: at 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm, with both sessions were completely sold out.

The audience watched the 15-minute film which, despite having no dialogue, places Lembranço, a child who seeks survival by selling on the streets and goes through several tribulations that contribute to his disappearance, the event at the centre of the plot.

In fact, the film proves beyond doubt that the absence of dialogue does not mean the absence of voice; on the contrary, it is a powerful way of giving body and soul to our experiences.

Lembranço, this voiceless character, tries to build his dreams and make them come true while working to support himself and his family, living on the fringes of society, in a home without structure and where love is scarce, and in a context where he is just one more, facing situations of abuse and violence.

The way the directors show us the boy’s routine is rhythmic and dynamic: quick cuts, precise angles, handheld camera and a mix of sounds that build the idea of a life marked by constant absence.

The entire audio-visual experience of the film is meticulously thought out and reveals a touching and very sensitive vision of the directors.

These are realities that reflect the experiences of other marginalized Mozambicans, but with dreams and talents that deserve to be seen and valued by all of us. Lembranço is one of them.

Vandals.file_

The end leaves us with a very current reflection on our reality as Mozambicans. It is, above all, a provocation about how our current socioeconomic context perpetuates violence and destroys dreams and prevents us from moving forward.

Cinema is a powerful art form for describing these and other scenarios, and films like ‘Vandals’ offer “an intimate and sincere perspective that helps us to endure the harsh realities that we are forced to live, inspiring us, perhaps, to better understand where we are, who we are and where we have not yet managed to escape from”.

In addition to the film itself, viewers had the opportunity to watch the production process of this short film through its backstage and, to top it off, they immersed themselves in the performance of Lenna Bahule, who composed most of the film’s soundtrack.

Independently produced by the production companies Codec Life and Panic Station, with support from Create Moçambique, ‘Vândalos’ is the result of a team passionate about stories that touch, provoke and transform.

“It’s a film about exclusion. But also about presence. About not giving up on being seen — even when the world looks away,” says Billy Boy, co-director and visual storyteller.

The premiere was the beginning of a longer journey. The film has already won the award for Best Short at the Cinalfama Film Observatory, in Portugal, and has been selected for four international film festivals.

Source: MZNews