Belarmino

A gripping portrait of a former boxing champion whose glory has faded into a life of struggle. A landmark of the Portuguese Novo Cinema movement. 

Blending documentary and fiction, Fernando Lopes captures the athlete's twilight career while painting a vivid picture of the man - and of 1960s Lisbon, which emerges as a central character in its own right. The film explores the psychological and social tensions of a man caught between memory and reality. Belarmino trades tales of glory to lost admirers, echoing Portugal’s fascist regime, which fuelled imperial nostalgia about the country’s past to an increasingly isolated and impoverished population.

Breaking with conventional narrative forms, it used cinéma vérité techniques and sharp, black-and-white cinematography to challenge dominant representations of heroism and masculinity. More than a biographical account, Belarmino is a poetic and critical reflection on urban life, memory, and the working-class condition.

Cinema Rediscovered

Cinema Rediscovered on Tour is a Watershed project in collaboration with Park Circus and StudioCanal. With support from BFI awarding funds from The National Lottery.