O Vento Sopra do Norte

1968, four years after the start of Mozambique’s struggle for independence against Portuguese colonial rule: In a small town in the south, far from the direct fighting in the north, two young Mozambicans develop political awareness. Rumors of the uprising spread fear among the settlers of “revenge” by the rural population, while repression intensifies. Caught between confusion and a sense of new beginnings, the young men seek guidance, are mentored by their elders, and grow into the resistance—until they finally join FRELIMO and the struggle for freedom.

O VENTO SOPRA DO NORTE was the third feature film to be made in post-independence Mozambique, and the first to be entirely produced and directed in the country. The film was a huge commercial success when it was first released in 1987, running in cinemas for over 18 months. With its masterful combination of narrative and cinematic means, O VENTO SOPRA DO NORTE is a milestone in the history of Mozambican cinema, as well as an invaluable artistic and historical document of the Mozambican armed struggle for independence and the brutality of Portuguese colonialism. 

The film was originally shot in 16mm and blown up to 35mm. In 2010, Cinemateca Portuguesa-Museu do Cinema made a photochemical restoration, which will be screened. A new digital restoration is planned as part of a joint project between the Cinemateca Portuguesa and the National Institute for Cultural and Creative Industries in Mozambique, which is dedicated to the repatriation of film heritage.

Tiago Baptista is the head of the conservation center of Cinemateca Portuguesa-Museu do Cinema (Lisbon) and Secretary-General of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).

Tomaz Zitha (Instituto Nacional das Indústrias Culturais e Criativas, INICC)