Current Portuguese cinema has many different facets. The films of João Nicolau (*1975), who also works as an editor, actor, and musician, are playful and inventive, full of unexpected twists, and intriguing tricks. Nicolau doesn't play according to the standard rules of the game, allowing his unbridled fantasy to go wherever it wants, undaunted by narrative convention. It is young adults, teenagers, and children who form the focus of his films, which, while clearly being set in the here and now, often contain fairy-tale elements. The real stands alongside the surreal, the comic alongside the gloomy, and rock, rap and folk music alongside birdsong. He weaves whimsically cinematic moments from his heroes' blatant inertia.

It is thanks to the generous support of the Portuguese embassy that we're able to show João Nicolau's four short films and two features in Berlin, all of which were invited to major international festivals. We're particularly happy to be able to welcome João Nicolau in person to Arsenal as our guest.

The introduction of color film in the mid-1930s and the resulting developments in this area are some of the most significant aesthetic innovations in cinematography. Color in film is an important component of image composition and dramatic structuring, as well as of fundamental significance for the perception of film. With our selection of 16 films, including features, essay films and documentaries, examples of hand-colored and tinted silent films, and films shot on different color formats, we provide a glimpse of the range of approaches used with respect to color in film and the space that lies between obvious narrative connection and the autonomous use of color.