“When was it, truly, that we became human?”
In the mountains of northern Portugal, horses, wolves, and humans struggle to coexist. The everyday lives of garrano breeders and shepherds unfold against the backdrop of a fragile balance. Here, humans are both guardians and predators — their bond with animals at once tender, luminous, and violent. The wolf haunts the night, preying on foals. Humans retaliate, mistaking vengeance for meaning, and in turning against nature, they turn against myth itself — abandoning their own humanity. Fosfeno is a poetic meditation on this ancestral struggle. An auteur documentary that unveils the customs, landscapes, and mythic imaginaries of the northern Portuguese highlands. Its title evokes the phosphene — the light that appears within the eye — as a mythological metaphor for life and death. Through this language, the film invites reflection on our place on Earth: as humans among ourselves, and as one species among the many with whom we share existence.
2025, 74', M12, PT
Team
Production/ Os Inúteis Producers/ Daniel Maciel / Miguel Filgueiras Associated Production/ AISCA Production Assistant/ Joaquim Durães / José Filgueiras / Margarida Gonçalves / Rui Leal Original Idea/ Diogo Amaro / Miguel Filgueiras Cinematography/ Miguel Filgueiras / Ana Mariz Assistant Director/ Daniel Maciel Text/ Paulo Augusto Franco Original Music/ Jose Valente. Voice narration/ Jorge Filgueiras. Audio Editing and Mixing/ Diogo Manso. Direct Sound Recording/ Philipe Joane. Directed & Edited by/ Miguel Filgueiras Participants/ Cesário Abílio Martins / Michel Pereira / Dr. José Leite / Eng. António Crispim / Eng. Filipe Pimenta / Dra. Maria Portas / Ariana Bezerra / Dr. António Portas / José Rocha / Carlos Rocha / João Fernandes / Liliana Soares / Ruben Cunha / Marco Silva / Helder Fernandes / Tiago Fernandes / Roberto Rodrigues / José Antunes / Maria Antunes / Alexandra Gonçalves / Carlos Antunes / Rodrigo Antunes / João Fiúza / Noé Aço / João Garcia / Ricardo Garcia / Onè Maldziunaite / Sr. Veiguinha / António Lage / Jorge Barros / Mário Costa / Ulisses Pereira / Álvaro Gonçalves / Sr. Amadeu Espindo / Lourenço Almada / Daniel Martins / Patrícia Vitória Marinho / Avelino Fernandes / Gaspar Fernandes / Luís Cunha / Barbara Ryckewaert / Tamao Maeda / Pandora Pinto / André Beirão da Cruz / Clara-Lynn Schubert / Dr. Satoshi Hirata / Francisco Álvares Participating Garrano Horses : Figo / Little Storm / Turquio / Jaqueline / Esquivo Reading of the Text ‘Wolf Hunt at the Xertelo Fojo’ / Ulisses Pereira. Radio Interview/ Palmira Sá. Performance of Traditional Music from the Wolf Hunt/ Álvaro Gonçalves Performance – ‘Song of Essence, to the Divine Mother’/ Patrícia Vitória Marinho
Radio Locution – Rádio do Vez (Fictional News)/ José Rocha. HI8 Footage ‘Wolf Hunt at Soajo’/ António Neto. Trap Camera Video Capture/ Jorge Costa – Crossed Paths Project Original Soundtrack Composer/ José Valente Percussion/ José Silva Viola & Synthesizers/ José Valente Music/ Author: Carlos Pesce Interpreter: Francisco Canaro – Title: Hotel Victoria (1935) / Author: Zen Mechanics & Egorythmia – Album: Shores of the Subconscious (2019) Recording Studio AMP Studio / (Technical: Paulo Miranda) Voice Direction/ Pedro Augusto. Voice Recording/ Pedro Augusto / João Gigante Direct Sound/ Ponte de Lima Horse Fair / Duarte Ferreira Editing Consultants/ Tiago Carvalho / Pedro Neto / Paulo Alegria / Miguel Almeida Color Grading/ Tiago Carvalho/ Miguel Filgueiras. Post-Production and VFX/ Miguel Filgueiras Graphic Design/ Miguel Almeida. Translation – RibaMourez/ Alda Barreiro. Translation (English)/ João Manuel Neto. Costumes / Carla Pontes Treasury / José Filgueiras Legal Consultant / Diogo Oliveira. Auxiliary Research / Daniel Maciel / Diogo Amaro / Sofia Maciel. Production Support/ Nature Horse - Equestrian Tourism / Paço de Lanheses / Vezeira Association of Fafião / GotoGerês - Ecoturismo / Radio do Vez / Ponte da Barca City Hall / IPVC – Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo / Lovers & Lollypops Executive Production Support/ House of Arts of Arcos de Valdevez – Nuno Soares / Nature Horse – Alberto Guimarães / Paço de Lanheses – Lourenço d'Almada / Outeiro Breeders Association – Sergio Barbosa / ACERG – José Leite / ACERG – João Paulo Ribeiro / BIOPOLIS-CIBIO – Francisco Álvares / BIOPOLIS-CIBIO – Helena Rio Maior / Kyoto University – Renata Mendonça / Garrano Breeder – Carlos Rocha / Lovers & Lollypops - José Roberto Gomes Collaboration/ Dr. João Paulo Galhano / Dr. Carlos Pereira / Álvaro Campelo / Júlio Marques / Dra. Rita Gaspar / João Aires / D. Joaquina Campos / Manuel Almeida / Svenja Tiger Acknowledgements/ To our families / Eva Vieira / Noé Aço / Eduardo Sardinha / Helder Dias / Ana Teresa Vieira / Marcos Silva / Fernando Cerqueira Barros / Mestre João Victor / Dra. Carla Faria / Dra. Eliana Fonseca / Cláudia Novais / Pedro Beja / Daniel Martins / Bárbara Guimarães / Vitória Guimarães / Sandra Barreira / Mário Gomes / Pedro Magano / Liliana S. Lasprilla / Paulo Patrício / Sónia Almeida Institutional Acknowledgements/ Common Lands Association of Pitões das Júnias / AFURNA Association / Lá de Riba Association / Merufe Parish Council / São Roque Fafião Parish Council Institutional Support/ ICNF – Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests / BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto / ACERG – Garrano Horse Breeders Association / Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University / House of Arts of Arcos de Valdevez / Museum of Natural History and Science, University of Porto Financial Support/ Viana do Castelo City Hall / Arcos de Valdevez City Hall / Union of Parishes of Monserrate, Meadela, Santa Maria Maior / Ponte de Lima City Hall Funding / Garantir Cultura Fund / Portuguese Republic.
“Phosphene” is a feature-length auteur documentary — a penetrating vision of survival, territory, and the dynamics of power. A poetic meditation on the ancestral struggles that inhabit the imaginary of the mountains.
