The IFFR – International Film Festival Rotterdam announces today that MOSQUITO, João Nuno Pinto's new film, produced by Paulo Branco, a Leopardo Filmes production, co-produced by Alfama Films Production (France), APM Produções (Portugal) , Delicatessen Films (Brazil) and Mapiko Filmes (Mozambique), will be the opening film of the IFFR - International Film Festival Rotterdam 2020, which will take place from January 22nd to February 2nd, where it will be competing in the Big Screen Competition section, for the Big Screen Award.
 
After América (2010), João Nuno Pinto makes his second feature film, written by his wife, the screenwriter Fernanda Polacow, and Gonçalo Waddington. The film is inspired by the story of his country's arrival in Africa, in the context of the First World War, and took almost 7 years to make.
 
The main actor, João Nunes Monteiro, gives life to Zacarias, a young Portuguese eager to live great heroic adventures during the First World War. Sent to Mozambique, where the conflict between the Portuguese and the German armies unfolds far from the eyes of the world, the soldier finds himself left behind by his platoon and sets off in a long odyssey into the bushes, looking for war and his dreams of glory.
 
«Through the journey of young private Zacarias we are confronted with the horror of the war and the subjugation of Africans by the Europeans through colonial domination. The film gives us a little more insight into a forgotten piece of our history, World War I in Africa (…) », writes João Nuno Pinto in the director’s statement.
 
MOSQUITO premieres in Portugal on March 5th and on March 25th in France.