ROUND TABLE ON AGRARIAN REFORM
2025-05-16
FOUR KEY SPEAKERS, OFFERING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES
The Santarém International Film Festival (FICS) once again asserts itself as a space for dialogue between cinema and the major issues of our time. The 18th edition of the festival, taking place from 21 to 26 May, includes in its programme the round table “Focus – 50 Years of Agrarian Reform”, scheduled for 25 May at 10:30 a.m. at Teatro Sá da Bandeira, in Santarém.
This event will bring together historians, researchers, and filmmakers to discuss one of the landmark moments in Portuguese democratic history — the Agrarian Reform — marking fifty years since the first land occupations in Alentejo and Ribatejo following the Carnation Revolution.
The session will be preceded by the screening of three historical documentaries, providing essential context for the discussion:
"Assim Começa Uma Cooperativa" | "Comunal, Uma Experiência Revolucionária" | "A Luta do Povo: Alfabetização em Santa Catarina"
These documentary works explore the dynamics of the cooperative movement and the processes of social transformation in rural Portugal, laying the groundwork for in-depth reflection during the round table.
An Outstanding Panel
The debate will feature four distinguished speakers, each offering a different perspective on Agrarian Reform and its legacy:
- Maria Inácia Rezola, historian and Commissioner for the 50th Anniversary of the 25th of April Commemorations, will provide the political and historical context of Agrarian Reform during the revolutionary period;
- José Pacheco Pereira, historian, essayist, political commentator, and founder of Ephemera, will offer a critical analysis of the reform’s social and political impact;
- Dulce Freire, researcher at the University of Coimbra and coordinator of the ReSEED project, will focus on its implications for agriculture and rural life;
- José Filipe Costa, filmmaker, will reflect on how Portuguese cinema has represented the memory and conflicts of the Agrarian Reform.
Cinema, Memory, and Critical Thought
The “Focus” session aligns with FICS’s curatorial approach of building bridges between cinema and contemporary reflection. By placing Agrarian Reform at the heart of the discussion, the festival invites the public to critically revisit a transformative process — one that is often forgotten or oversimplified, yet deeply imprinted on Portuguese society.
FICS 2025 thus reaffirms its role as a cultural event of reference — not only for the cinematic quality of its programme, but also for its ability to foster spaces of thought, dialogue, and active remembrance.