Edgar Pêra was born in 1960 in Portugal. He is one of the most important and original representatives of the current generation of Portuguese experimental filmmakers. His work has been celebrated in Europe and in Brazil, and most recently at the IFFR 2019 (Rotterdam International Film Festival). Quizas USA is bringing his work to America starting with his most recent feature film, Magnetik Pathways. Retrospectives of his work are planned for the fall of 2019 at (to name two) MoMA and the Arte Institute in New York City.
Pêra’s recent and varied work consists of documentaries, and short and long film and video productions. Pêra’s work has both political and philosophical dimensions. A number of his films relate to Portugal’s recent history and the democratization process. In the film Eight-Eight (2002) for instance the central figure investigates the Portuguese neofascist scene. Arbeit Macht Frei? (1992) treats the question of whether work truly is liberating. Who is the master who makes the grass green? (1996), named after a famous Zen koan, is based on the ideas of the writer/futurist Robert Anton Wilson. In this short film Pêra tries to answer the question of how people perceive reality. Is reality a construct of the mind? A blurring of the border between fiction and reality, between dreaming and being awake is often present in Pêra’s work.
Pêra treats his subjects with considerable humor, which sometimes even borders on slapstick. Serious and farcical scenes often alternate. His imagery refers to old silent films and Russian and German prewar cinema. Pêra’s films are personal, critical, imbued with irony and satire, but are primarily poetical and expressive.