On their way home from harvesting grapes, a group of workers cross paths with a dangerous runaway bull. Forced to take refuge in the trees of the vineyard, they wait through the night, sharing stories and memories as darkness falls. Their words carry the weight of history, evoking the lasting trauma of António de Oliveira Salazar’s dictatorship and the turmoil that followed. Nominated for Best Film at the Locarno International Film Festival, Portuguese filmmaker Marta Mateus’ striking feature debut is a poetic and symbol-rich meditation on memory, resistance, and collective experience.

Join us for this special preview screening presented by The Cultural Programme in parternship with The Ultimate Picture Palace, featuring an exclusive in-person Q&A with director Marta Mateus. 

About Film in Focus
The Film in Focus series, presented by the Cultural Programme at Oxford University in partnership with the Ultimate Picture Palace and curated with Dr C.W. Winter, who has brought together this extraordinary partnership and conversation.

The Film in Focus series will showcase some of the finest art house films from last year’s Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Locarno film festivals. Many screenings will feature post-film Q&As with the filmmakers, offering audiences a unique and exciting opportunity to engage with the artists behind the works. The series connects the Cultural Programme at Oxford University with new audiences and partners as the programme prepares for its new home in the Schwarzman Centre in 2025.

Be the first to hear about the next film screening in the Film in Focus series by joining the Cultural Programme’s exclusive mailing list.