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The Forest of Lost Souls

In the world's saddest place, two strangers meet.
But one of them is happy to be there.

  • José Pedro Lopes
    Director
    Survivalismo (2011 short)
  • José Pedro Lopes
    Writer
  • Ana Almeida
    Producer
  • Daniela Love
    Key Cast
  • Jorge Mota
    Key Cast
    Voyage to the Beginning of the World (1997)
  • Mafalda Banquart
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    A Floresta das Almas Perdidas
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Horror, Suspence, Drama, Coming-of-age
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 24, 2016
  • Country of Origin:
    Portugal
  • Country of Filming:
    Portugal, Spain
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Fantasporto International Film Festival
    Porto
    Portugal
    February 24, 2017
    World Premiere
  • Camiff Cameroon International Film Festival

    Cameroon
    April 27, 2017
    African Premiere
  • FANT | Festival de Cine Fantástico de Bilbao
    Bilbao
    Spain
    May 7, 2017
    Spanish
    Best Film - Fantastic Panorama
  • FESTin - Festival de Cinema Itinerante da Língua Portuguesa
    Lisbon
    Portugal
    March 5, 2017
  • Triple Six Manchester Horror Film Festival
    Manchester
    United Kingdom
    May 27, 2017
    Uk premiere
    Best Director, Audience Award
  • Sydney Film Festival
    Sydney
    Australia
    June 17, 2017
    Australian
  • Grossmann & Wine Fantastic Film Festival

    Slovenia
    July 10, 2017
Distribution Information
  • Wild Eye Releasing
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
  • Legendmain Filmes
    Country: Portugal
    Rights: All Rights
  • Last Exit Entertainment
    Country: Sweden
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - José Pedro Lopes

Born in Oporto (Portugal) in 1982, José is a film producer, project manager and a enthusiast.
He studied Business Management at the Catholic University of Oporto and Film Production at Madrid's Septima Ars Film School (Spain).
In 2011, he founded Anexo 82, a film production company. After over ten successful short films and dozens of other projects, 'The Forest of Lost Souls' is their first feature film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

'The Forest of the Lost Souls' is the oposite of a coming of age film, and a slasher film.
In 'coming of age' films, two characters talk about their lives, dreams and hopes. Here, our character talks about suicide, dying and giving up. In 'slasher movies', the villain is usually traditional and the victims are liberals or reckless libertarians. In the events of 'The Forest of the Lost Souls', the villain is the more modernist character and the victims are a traditional family.

It was in this contradiction we wanted to create 'The Forest of Lost Souls', a coming of age slasher movie that shift genres and protagonists without warning, capturing in black&white a very grey world where this family tragedy takes place.

The events of the film take place in a single day of August. Yet, production took place both in the summer and in the winter, in order to make the forest and its glacier lake seem even more haunted. Every scene that is set outside the forest was filmmed in august, there's sun and the heat is felt all around. But every scene inside the forest was shot in december and january, sometimes in extremely cold days. One of the crucial scenes, involving a gigantic glacier lake, was filmed below zero with frost around us.