50 Years of the Carnation Revolution – Films as an Archive

On April 25th, 1974, the military in Portugal toppled the authoritarian regime. It was the day of the Carnation Revolution. It brought an end to 48 years of fascist dictatorship, which monitored citizens’ every move with a secret police force, violently repressed any opposition and maintained colonial claims to territories in Africa (including Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Angola) by fighting the independence movements there. In 1974, when the colonial wars had already lasted more than a decade, it wasn’t just the regime in Lisbon that fell. The revolution also meant the end of the Portuguese empire and ushered in a comprehensive process of democratization and decolonization.

What has become of the revolution that Portugal still refers to even today? To coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, Arsenal is showing a program of six films from different decades that grapple with this revolutionary turning point and its consequences in a range of ways. They reflect upon cultural ruptures, social transformations and traumatic experiences, carry historical moments into the present and insist on the importance of remembrance for collective memory. The films function to a certain extent as an archive that provides food for critical thought. (Birgit Kohler)

An event in collaboration with the Institut für Kulturwissenschaft at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. With the friendly support of the Instituto Camões and the Embassy of Portugal.