Bunker or Tales I Heard When The World Fell
In a world polluted by radiation, five survivors find shelter in a BUNKER. There, they'll be put to test...
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Diogo Pais CaetanoWriter
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João EstradaWriter
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João EstradaDirector
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Irene CruzKey Cast"Survivor 1"
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Maria João AbreuKey Cast"Survivor 2"
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António CapeloKey Cast"Survivor 3"
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Diogo Lagoa da CostaKey Cast"Survivor 4"
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Maria EstradaKey Cast"Marianinha"
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José NetoKey Cast"The Doctor"
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Miguel VieiraKey Cast"Lumberjack"
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Rebecka BolinderCinematographer
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Sílvia CavaleiroProduction Designer
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Kamaraum (Pedro Gomes)Original Score by
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João EstradaEditing
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Maria MaranhaEditing
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Alexandre FrancoSound Editor and Mixer
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António Porém PiresSound Editor and Mixer
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Andreia BertiniColorist
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Bárbara SalesColorist
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João EstradaProducer
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Sílvia CavaleiroProduction Supervisor
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Bárbara SalesPost-Production Supervisor
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Lisbon Film SchoolAssociate Producer
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Walla - Post Production CollectiveAssociate Producer
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Project Title (Original Language):Bunker ou Contos que Ouvi Depois do Mundo Acabar
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Genres:Sci-fi, Thriller
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Runtime:38 minutes 5 seconds
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Completion Date:February 4, 2020
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Country of Origin:Portugal
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Country of Filming:Portugal
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Language:Portuguese
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:09
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema (ESTC) / Lisbon Theatre and Film School
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Fantasporto 2020 - Oporto International Film FestivalOporto
Portugal
March 5, 2020
World Premiere
Best Portuguese Film Award Winner -
Fantasporto 2020 - Oporto International Film FestivalOporto
Portugal
March 7, 2020
Winners' Screening Day -
Avanca 2020 - International Meeting of Cinema, TV, Video and MultimediaAvanca
Portugal
July 26, 2020
Risk Films - Official Selection -
Arouca Film Festival 2020Arouca
Portugal
September 19, 2020
International Competition -
Caminhos Film Festival 2020Coimbra
Portugal
November 13, 2020
Essays Selection -
Entre Olhares 2020 - Mostra de Cinema PortuguêsBarreiro
Portugal
November 13, 2020
Narrativas em Contraste -
Berlin Sci-Fi FilmFest 2020Berlin
Germany
International Premiere
Best Student Film Award Winner -
Morce-Go Vermelho 2020 - Goiás Horror Film FestivalGoiás
Brazil
Brazilian Premiere
Best International Film - Audience Award Winner -
Lonely Wolf 2020 - London International Film Festival (Winter Edition)London
United Kingdom
Best Student Film Nominee -
CinEuphoria Awards 2021 - National Competition
1 Award and 4 nominations -
FIXION Fest, Fantastic & Horror Film Festival 2021Santiago
Chile
Official Selection - Medium-Length Films -
Mostra de Cinema Português 2021Vila Franca de Xira
Portugal
June 19, 2021
Outros Mundos -
Entre Olhares - Mostra de Cinema ao Ar Livre (Extensão)Almada
Portugal
July 24, 2021
Universos Fantásticos -
L.A. Sci-Fi & Horror Film Festival 2021Los Angeles
United States
Leviathan Gold Award Winner - Best Short Film -
Horror Film Awards 2021Rožňava
Slovakia
Official Selection - Short Horror Film -
Wasteland Film Festival 2021Edwards, California
United States
September 25, 2021
North American Premiere
Best Post-Apocalyptic Film Grand Prize - 1sr Runner Up -
short/age 2021 - Shortfilms for a New AgeViseu
Portugal
October 29, 2021 -
Mostra Nacional de Jovens Criadores 2021Vila Nova de Gaia
Portugal
November 5, 2021
Award Winner - Cinema Category -
Planos Film Fest 2021Tomar
Portugal
November 17, 2021
Sessão Especial (Fora de Competição) -
Horror Unleashed Film Festival 2021Porto
Portugal
Best Short Film Award Winner -
Stockholm City Film Festival - October 2021Stockholm
Sweden
Best Horror Film Award Winner -
Lit Scares International Horror Festival 2021Harrogate, North Yorkshire
United Kingdom
Finalist - Best Short Film -
Horror-on-Sea Film Festival 2022Southend-on-Sea, Essex
United Kingdom
January 23, 2022
Official Selection - Short Film -
Cinemax Curtas - RTP 2
Portugal
March 4, 2022
National Television Premiere -
Curtas da Margem 2022Almada
Portugal
March 9, 2022
Distribution Information
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Querelle - http://querellefilms.com/en/project/bunker-eng/DistributorCountry: Worldwide
João Estrada was born in Coimbra, Portugal, in 1994. He works as a director and an editor, creating content for cinema, television and for institutions. Graduated from the Lisbon Film School in 2016, he directed the films “Alfred, the Corpse” (2013), “BUNKER or Tales I Heard When the World Fell” (2020), the web series “Bringing to Light” (2021) and “In Our Care” (2022-23), among other works.
"Bunker" is a Sci-Fi moral tale about solidarity, community spirit and self-sacrifice, inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s “limited setting films”, horror classics and sci-fi B movies from the 50’s and the 60's. The film aims to make a moral and emotional reflection on the way people live as a group. The first part of the film dedicates itself to humanize the archetypes each character represents; in a segment committed to the passage of time in these characters’ lives, which presents a united group that, acting together, survives in harmony in a chaotic world that has everything to destroy them.
However, “Bunker” is a film of contrasts and, eventually, the survival achieved falls apart due to a personal conflict built on selfish interests. The group breaks down and their unity gives its place to a show of bizarre, wild and animalistic behaviors. The fragmentation of the group is managed by an expressive camera and a melodramatic tone that aims to place the viewer at the epicenter of a silly conflict, in which we intend to bring out the viewers’ hate on our characters and their portrait of absurdity. The bunker space also reverses its role - once an oasis of comfort and security, it soon becomes a claustrophobic prison and, perhaps, a mausoleum for these people.
The heart of the film is an immersive voyage to Marianinha's dreams. More than the dramatic hook between the two parts of the film, both the fable “The Trees and the Lumberjack”, as well as the dream sequence that reinterprets it, are simultaneously metaphors and foreshadows for what will happen later on in our story. Putting the metaphor inside the narrative reflects the very nature of the parable - the story told in “Bunker” is timeless, universal and repeats itself, over and over again, throughout history, with different characters.
In the historical moment that we’re experiencing, this film seems to gain a bizarre relevance by portraying the worst we can find within ourselves. In these pandemic times, these characters can either be hidden inside a bunker or in the nearest supermarket corridor.