MEMORIES OF MY GUERRILLA FIGHTER MOTHER
A documentary following a daughter’s personal journey through her mother’s past as a Portuguese-Angolan guerrilla fighter, offering us a uniquely emotional and political insight into the Angolan Civil War, Africa’s most brutal and longest-lasting conflict.
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A film that aims to tell the unusual and courageous story of Fátima Roque, a Luso-Angolan guerrilla fighter who fought for democracy in Angola, based on events from Angola’s history. The film is structured into chapters that highlight moments and places of great historical relevance, narrated by co-director Paula Cristina Roque, Fátima Roque’s daughter.
The events are narrated chronologically, starting in 1991 in Angola’s history, when the first peace treaty was signed following the Alvor Agreement in 1975. Through interviews and other archival materials, the film provides a brief introduction to the following historical episodes: the Bicesse Accords—where we present the parties involved, such as MPLA, UNITA, and FNLA; the first democratic elections of 1992; and the massacre of “Halloween” or the “Day of the Witches.”
In the latter event, the relationship between the co-director’s mother, Fátima Roque, and these political conflicts is contextualized. The visual narration of this event is carried out through contemporary images of the Tivoli Hotel, where she sought refuge during the Halloween Massacre.
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ProductionDarya FilmsFundingIACA (Angola)
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Directors Paula Cristina Roque | Paolo Marinou-Blanco
Producers Paolo Marinou-Blanco | Paula Cristina Roque | Miguel Sales Lopes