Culture | Lawyer film series opens tonight

A series of six films will be screened at Casa Garden over the next month, all chosen to adhere to the theme of lawyers and the contribution that they make to society. Organized by Rui Cunha Foundation and Orient Foundation, the month-long event titled “Advogados” (Lawyers) will showcase iconic Hollywood films with lawyers as central figures.
The film screenings are considered by organizers to be more accessible than technical discussion, “especially during the hot summer months.” Organizers approached various lawyers and legal experts in Macau to select the films for the event, as well as to present them to the public on their respective screening nights.
“For the movies we invited local lawyer Francisco Gaivao to help decide the selection,” Filipa Guadalupe, who heads a department at  Rui Cunha Foundation explained to the Times in an interview. “He chose movies in which a lawyer is the central figure as he loves this type of movie.”
“I love movies and I am a lawyer, so I guess that they thought it would be a good idea to have me [select the films],” Gaivao told the Times in a separate conversation.
“I was somewhat limited with the selection this year, because some of the films I wanted to include were screened in previous years, such as “To Kill a Mocking Bird,” he explained.
Organizers say they want to showcase the importance and value of lawyers to the territory, as well as support the achievement of one of Rui Cunha Foundation’s goals, which is to preserve Macau’s Basic Law.
Filipa Guadalupe said that the difficulty of this latter aim lies in articulating the importance of the Basic Law to the public, who often “don’t care or understand how it affects their lives.”
“The problem is the population,” she said. “A system can only survive if people use it and want to keep it. So we are making an effort to preserve the Basic Law but we are not sure that everyone cares about it, or that they have considered whether life will be better or worse in its absence.”
“If we don’t make these efforts, then it will erode over time. We need strong institutions and critical thinking,” added Guadalupe.
This is the third edition of the annual event after “Justice” and “Corruption” in previous years. This year, the event brandishes a tagline pulled from a famous quote from French philosopher and writer, Voltaire. The quote translates as, “I would have liked to be a lawyer, it is the most beautiful profession in the world,” according to organizers.
“The lawyer is perhaps the most popular of the law professions, say compared to judges. It’s a significant area of employment for the Portuguese community in Macau,” said Guadalupe. “We have plenty of lawyers!” she joked.
“[In this series] we are trying to show the public how lawyers make decisions, and this is easier to comprehend through a movie than in more technical discussions.”
With a background in law herself, Guadalupe explained the importance of the lawyer by stressing that they “are the first ones to interpret the law… and sometimes this decides everything. When two lawyers meet in court both will have their interpretations of the law and it will be up to the judge to decide. But before that – and whether it gets to that – all starts with the lawyer.”
“Only in difficult situations do we realize how important the lawyer can be. It is terribly important, even to defend someone [who turns out to be] guilty,” added Gaivao.
Aside from the screenings, the month-long event features other smaller programs, such a mock court trial for students. Talks will also be conducted after the films to gather opinions from audiences and stimulate a discussion about the films.
The sessions, held each Tuesday between today and July 19, ending with an extra showing on Thursday July 21, will be held at Casa Garden, the headquarters of the Macau delegation of Fundação Oriente. Entry to the screenings is free and open to all.
A total of six films will be screened: “A Few Good Men” (tonight); “Philadelphia” (June 28); “Erin Brockovich” (July 5); “A Time to Kill” (July 12); “Reversal of Fortune” (July 19); and “My Cousin Vinny” (July 21). The movies will be screened in English and will be accompanied by English-language subtitles.
“A Few Good Men” is showing tonight at 7:30 p.m. The film tells the story of a court-­martial of two U.S. Marines charged with the murder of a fellow soldier, following the tribulations of their lawyers as they prepare to defend their clients. “It deals with an interesting case of corruption and politics within the army,” said Guadalupe.
Before the film, a short presentation will be delivered by Sergio Correia, another lawyer and private notary in Macau, and a cocktail reception will be held starting from 7 p.m. After the screening, the floor will be opened up to a public discussion.