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Film short abstract:

Tourém is a village at the border between Portugal and Spain. It has a reputation as the “smugglers’ nest”. Many villagers who are still inhabitants there were involved in the business in the past. Dangerous actions, hard livelihood, and unforgettable events… all had craved a mark on their memories.

Film long abstract:

The film takes place in Tourém, a frontier village between Portugal and Spain. As one of the last villages on Portuguese territory, Tourém has several paths to its Galician neighbour villages. Tourém has a reputation as the “smugglers’ nest,” and many of the villagers who are still inhabitants there today were involved in the business in the past.

​The interviews focused on the topic of smuggling from a personal perspective. Paulo, the shop owner, remembers many stories about his father, one of the biggest dealers in the business, and the thriving big actions they had participated in together. Although Paulo has nostalgia for the past days, many of his fellow villagers, who used to be carriers and took real risks smuggled into the mountain, have different perspectives. Teresa’s family suffered hunger. Her smuggling stories are full of obstacles from the fiscal guards. Jaime used to be the mayor of Tourém, he entered the business as a carrier and still remembers vividly the muddy first work with a box of Marlborough…

The film presents selected interviews with people who live in Tourém and have known each other for all their lives. They are from different classes and have played different roles in smuggling. They remember the same events, but sometimes, their opinions contradict each other. The film is focused on a micro-universe, a small scope looking into a small village, but through it, we aim to build a bigger picture of the memory of Portugal's past.