Filmmaker happy that ‘handover fears’ did not materialize

Carlos Fraga

Portuguese documentary filmmaker Carlos Fraga has returned to Macau to shoot his new documentary, the fourth in a six-part series.
This installment will revolve around Portuguese-speaking people and countries, a topic which also took center stage at the recent Lusofonia Festival.

The trip to Macau was also an opportunity for Fraga to screen the third instalment of the series, which focuses on “Portuguese Marks”. The idea behind the third installment was to represent the “two sides of the coin”, while the second focused on the Macanese community in Lisbon.

Speaking on the sidelines of the “Give and Receive – Macau’s Portuguese Marks” screening at the Macau Portuguese School (EPM), Fraga explained that the series’ overarching theme was “Macau 20 years after” and that each of the six parts addresses a different aspect of Portuguese heritage.

“What we are looking to portray, as accurately as possible, is the place and the people in their own words […] without any influence from our side,” he said. “We just collect the statements and organize them. They are very anthropological documentaries, in fact.”

When asked what he has learned during the recording of the current installment, the documentary filmmaker said, “There is a variety of opinions and of feelings and sensitivities, but I think that generally speaking, it’s curious to realize that on the statements we collected, people said that somehow things are better [after the handover] – although with some ‘complaints’ I would say, regarding some bureaucracies that are apparently more complex.”

“In general they were happy that the fears they had regarding the handover, that things would become a lot more difficult for the Portuguese […] didn’t happen. It seems like the Portuguese are living well here and even in political terms, [it] looks like the policy is even to protect the Portuguese [language and culture]. My feedback on this was a generally positive feeling towards the change.”

According to the statements collected, Fraga said the general sentiment is that post-handover Macau is in fact still a work in progress.

“They feel the handover is in fact a process that is still happening, and I would add that my perception points in that same direction too.”

Fraga said his inspiration for the series was that “in Portugal, Macau is not very well known [even after] all these years” and that he was interested in raising awareness of Macau in Portugal and vice versa.

To film the fourth installment, the filmmaker collected several statements, mostly from individuals who are deeply rooted in the community and who represent local associations. He remarked that this might have contributed to a “more politically correct approach” but added that it was “perfectly normal and acceptable”, though he commented later that testimonies from “anonymous” or “lesser-known” people in the communities sometimes offer more “juice.”

For the last two installments, which he plans to start working on as soon as filming for the fourth part ends, Fraga said he will be exploring two other perspectives. The first of these belongs to the “Macanese living in Macau” and the second will be “Chinese opinion on the Portuguese”. Fraga said he finds both concepts intriguing and added that he hopes the project will contribute to a better knowledge of different communities.