Tchindas is a 2015 Spanish-Cape Verdean documentary film directed by Pablo García Pérez de Lara and Marc Serena.[1][2][3][4][5][6] The film premiered at the Outfest Los Angeles 2015 where it received a Grand Jury Award.[7][8][9]
Tchindas | |
---|---|
Directed by | Pablo García Pérez de Lara Marc Serena |
Produced by | Yolanda Olmos Marc Serena |
Starring | Tchinda Andrade Elvis Tolentino Edinha Pitanga |
Cinematography | Pablo García Pérez de Lara |
Edited by | Pablo García Pérez de Lara |
Music by | Cesária Évora |
Production company | Doble Banda |
Distributed by | Cat&Docs |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
Countries | Spain Cabo Verde |
Language | Cape Verdean Creole |
In the Atlantic Ocean, the tiny island of São Vicente works together to make something beautiful out of nothing: a Carnival. During the month leading up to the festivities we'll discover the struggles needed to achieve it through a person that coined a word: Tchinda.[10][11]
It is shot in the most gay-friendly African country, Cape Verde, according to Afrobarometer's 2016 report.[12]
The Hollywood Reporter praised the film, writing it was "a beautifully shot vérité chronicle of the all-consuming Carnival preparations on São Vicente".[1] Tchindas picked up six awards in the five festivals which until now has been presented in competition: the Outfest, the Chicago Reeling LGBT Film Festival, MiradasDoc, and LesGaiCineMad. It has also been screened at Seminci and is in competition at the In-Edit and View São Paulo International Film Festival.[13] The African Artists' Association praised the film for its story, background, and depth, writing that it showed "a vivid sense of place, community and personalities [that] comes through in the keenly observed film by Pablo Garcia Perez de Lara and Marc Serena, which reveals a seamless fusion of tradition and open-hearted acceptance."[14] Chicago Reader praised the project and wrote of the film and its subject.[15]
Of the film's screening at the REELING:Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival, the Windy City Times stated it was a "Documentary Centerpiece" and referred to it as "a glittery, oh-so-fabulous examination of a little-seen culture reminiscent of Paris Is Burning".[16]