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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...

  • Diogo Pais Caetano
    Writer
  • João Estrada
    Writer
  • João Estrada
    Director
  • Irene Cruz
    Key Cast
    "Survivor 1"
  • Maria João Abreu
    Key Cast
    "Survivor 2"
  • António Capelo
    Key Cast
    "Survivor 3"
  • Diogo Lagoa da Costa
    Key Cast
    "Survivor 4"
  • Maria Estrada
    Key Cast
    "Marianinha"
  • José Neto
    Key Cast
    "The Doctor"
  • Miguel Vieira
    Key Cast
    "Lumberjack"
  • Rebecka Bolinder
    Cinematographer
  • Sílvia Cavaleiro
    Production Designer
  • Kamaraum (Pedro Gomes)
    Original Score by
  • João Estrada
    Editing
  • Maria Maranha
    Editing
  • Alexandre Franco
    Sound Editor and Mixer
  • António Porém Pires
    Sound Editor and Mixer
  • Andreia Bertini
    Colorist
  • Bárbara Sales
    Colorist
  • João Estrada
    Producer
  • Sílvia Cavaleiro
    Production Supervisor
  • Bárbara Sales
    Post-Production Supervisor
  • Lisbon Film School
    Associate Producer
  • Walla - Post Production Collective
    Associate Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Bunker ou Contos que Ouvi Depois do Mundo Acabar
  • Genres:
    Sci-fi, Thriller
  • Runtime:
    38 minutes 5 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 4, 2020
  • Country of Origin:
    Portugal
  • Country of Filming:
    Portugal
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:09
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema (ESTC) / Lisbon Theatre and Film School
  • Fantasporto 2020 - Oporto International Film Festival
    Oporto
    Portugal
    March 5, 2020
    World Premiere
    Best Portuguese Film Award Winner
  • Fantasporto 2020 - Oporto International Film Festival
    Oporto
    Portugal
    March 7, 2020
    Winners' Screening Day
  • Avanca 2020 - International Meeting of Cinema, TV, Video and Multimedia
    Avanca
    Portugal
    July 26, 2020
    Risk Films - Official Selection
  • Arouca Film Festival 2020
    Arouca
    Portugal
    September 19, 2020
    International Competition
  • Caminhos Film Festival 2020
    Coimbra
    Portugal
    November 13, 2020
    Essays Selection
  • Entre Olhares 2020 - Mostra de Cinema Português
    Barreiro
    Portugal
    November 13, 2020
    Narrativas em Contraste
  • Berlin Sci-Fi FilmFest 2020
    Berlin
    Germany
    International Premiere
    Best Student Film Award Winner
  • Morce-Go Vermelho 2020 - Goiás Horror Film Festival
    Goiás
    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 2021
    Santiago
    Chile
    Official Selection - Medium-Length Films
  • Mostra de Cinema Português 2021
    Vila 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 2021
    Los Angeles
    United States
    Leviathan Gold Award Winner - Best Short Film
  • Horror Film Awards 2021
    Rožňava
    Slovakia
    Official Selection - Short Horror Film
  • Wasteland Film Festival 2021
    Edwards, 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 Age
    Viseu
    Portugal
    October 29, 2021
  • Mostra Nacional de Jovens Criadores 2021
    Vila Nova de Gaia
    Portugal
    November 5, 2021
    Award Winner - Cinema Category
  • Planos Film Fest 2021
    Tomar
    Portugal
    November 17, 2021
    Sessão Especial (Fora de Competição)
  • Horror Unleashed Film Festival 2021
    Porto
    Portugal
    Best Short Film Award Winner
  • Stockholm City Film Festival - October 2021
    Stockholm
    Sweden
    Best Horror Film Award Winner
  • Lit Scares International Horror Festival 2021
    Harrogate, North Yorkshire
    United Kingdom
    Finalist - Best Short Film
  • Horror-on-Sea Film Festival 2022
    Southend-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 2022
    Almada
    Portugal
    March 9, 2022
Distribution Information
  • Querelle - http://querellefilms.com/en/project/bunker-eng/
    Distributor
    Country: Worldwide
Director Biography - João Estrada

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.

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Director Statement

"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.