DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER Carolina Castro Almeida and Miguel Cortes Costa
PHOTOGRAPHY, EDITING, SOUND EDITING Miguel Cortes Costa
SOUND RECORDING, MOTION GRAPHICS, ANIMATION Carolina Castro Almeida
WRITER Dinis M. Costa
VOICE OVER Sara César
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK Rikkyu and Miguel Mateus Pinheiro
AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION BillyBoom Sound Design
COLOURIST Francisco Costa
STOP MOTION Rui Telmo Romão
CO-PRODUCERS Real Ficção
GENRE Documentary
RUNTIME 54'
YEAR 2024
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Portuguese
FUNDING EEA Grants
World Television Premiere
August 31 • 12:00 PM
SYNOPSIS
In "Wilding" we embark on a fascinating journey into the creation of a wildflower meadow, an ambitious project in the heart of the city of Oeiras where the City Council is aiming to counter the decline of pollinators in the estate of one of the most powerful and controversial ministers in the history of Portugal: Marquis of Pombal.
As a dedicated team of biologists brings this wildflower meadow to life, the film uncovers other captivating moments. From capturing a barn owl residing in a historic building, symbolising urban wildlife resilience, to a biologist’s effort to foster a special bond with "his" wild bees at home, while planning to reintroduce them to the new meadow.
The documentary delves into the challenges confronted by this team as they repurpose the Marquis' property, shedding light on their own personal growth and perspectives regarding green spaces in urban environments.
“Wilding” paints a vivid portrait of a city shaped by the legacy of Marquis of Pombal’s agricultural vision and the power of collective action, urging viewers to reflect on the possibilities of harmonising urban development with the natural world within their own communities.
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FESTIVALS
FICS - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Santarém 17º Edição
Official Selection "Secção Panorama" - Portugal
Baikal International Film Festival "PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT" n.a Valentin Rasputin 24º Edition
Winner - Popular Science Category - Russia
Festival Internacional de Cinema Ambiental da Serra Catarinense - 6º Edition
Official Selection - Brasil
Bio Film Festival - 2º Edition
Official Selection - Italy
San Diego Environmental Film Festival - 4º Edition
Official Selection - USA
My Name is Climate Film Festival 2025
Award Winner - Feature Documentary on Animal Issues - Birmingham (UK)
Nebrodi Cinema DOC - 9º Edition
Nominee - Italy
Ekotopfilm - Envirofilm 52º Edition
Official Selection "Success Stories" - Slovakia
Moss Farm in Montréal - 3º Edition
Official Selection - Canada
Festival de Cinema Ambiental e de Montanhas de Teresopólis - 1º Edition
Official Selection - Brazil
CINEECO - Festival Internacional de Cinema da Serra da Estrela - 30º Edition
Special Session - Invited Film - Portugal
EXHIBITIONS
Private Exhibition - Oeiras City Council
Screening in the Temple of Poetry Auditorium, with the presence of the film crew, financiers and the president of the city council, Isaltino Morais.
Public Exhibition - Oeiras, CINEMA NOS
Screening in CINEMA NOS - Oeiras Park.
April 2025.
Public Exhibition - CANKARJEV DOM
Screening in Cankarjev dom - Slovenia's main cultural and congress centre. Ljubljana
19th May 2025.
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Encontro de Cinema Ambiental e Rural, Vimioso
Film screened at the Rural Cinema Showcase organized by Associarte Cine and the Association for the Study and Protection of Donkeys, with support from the Miranda do Douro City Council. Our film was shown on October 27th at the Iberian Nature and Adventure Park.
Public Exhibition - Porto, SERRALVES
Screening in Fundação Serralves, in the context of one of the largest sustainability events in the country: Greenfest.
PRESS
Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes
"After its private premiere in Oeiras and its screening at the 17th edition of the Santarém International Film Festival, the documentary Silvestres heads this year to Russia, for the Baikal International Film Festival, and to Brazil, for the Serra Catarinense International Environmental Film Festival, marking the beginning of its international reach and impact. CE3C is one of the partners in this co-production by Carolina Castro Almeida and Miguel Cortes Costa of Lengalenga Filmes with Realficção, promoted by the Municipality of Oeiras and funded under the EEA Grants."
Written by Rúben Oliveira
WILDER
"The documentary introduces us to a project at the Recreio Estate of the Marquês de Pombal, while also drawing us into the fascination of urban biodiversity and the story of Portugal’s most famous marquês. At first, they appear to be long, brown coffee beans—abandoned-looking—scattered across a tray, but that certainty only lasts a few seconds—until we hear the sound of something tearing as it’s being chewed, and notice tiny mason bees emerging from what are, in fact, their cocoons. In Silvestres, the explanation of what we’re seeing is given by Miguel Azevedo, a biologist and member of the team that worked for a year and a half at the Recreio Estate of the Marquês de Pombal, in Oeiras."
Written by Inês Sequeira
"O documentário Silvestres, de Carolina Castro Almeida e Miguel Cortes Costa, que integrou uma exibição especial no CineEco – Festival Internacional de Cinema Ambiental da Serra da Estrela em 2024, chega agora à televisão. A estreia acontece no próximo 31 de agosto, às 12h, na SIC.
Pela relevância do tema e pelo seu potencial educativo junto de diferentes públicos, Silvestres foi igualmente incluído na lista de filmes disponíveis para as Extensões CineEco 2024.
Miguel Cortes Costa já havia marcado presença no CineEco, em 2020, onde conquistou distinções anteriores, como o Prémio da Juventude Série e Reportagem TV com Malcata – Conto de uma Serra Solitária."
Oeiras City Council Website
"The preview screening of the documentary Silvestres, produced by LengaLenga Filmes and Real Ficção within the scope of the project ‘More Pollinators, More Biodiversity in the Municipality of Oeiras’, took place on April 29.
The session was attended by the Mayor of Oeiras, Isaltino Morais, members of the Executive and municipal directors, as well as the documentary’s filmmakers and representatives from the General Secretariat for the Environment and the National Management Unit."
"Não passaram 2 minutos para as luzes dos bairros envolventes se perderem, passamos para a penumbra. E pouco depois de descermos um caminho que começava na entrada Este, dirigindo-nos para a zona baixa do vale, fomos surpreendidos por ver aquedutos e cascatas, alamedas e ribeiras, salamandras, pirilampos e mochos galegos, num concelho que pensávamos ser tão urbano e cujas pressões imobiliárias eram e são, um tema recorrente em Oeiras. Percebemos que este espaço tinha uma história imensa, não só a nível social como natural.
©2024