PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EMBASSY OF PORTUGAL

Portugal's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2019, this globetrotting drama tells the story of 16th-century author Fernão Mendes Pinto. Today heralded as one of history’s greatest adventurers, Pinto never saw his claim to fame: he spent a decade writing an account of his travels, but it wasn't published until 1614, nearly 30 years after his death.

The film charts Pinto's adventures to the Far East – from China to Japan, India, Malaysia and Vietnam – over the course of 20 years, as well as his battle to prove the validity of his account upon his return to Portugal. Director João Botelho reflects the ambiguous and controversial nature of Pinto’s work using abstract methods of storytelling, including theatrical acting and musical sequences.