Portuguese, first creators of a film about Brancusi

“Brancusi- the roots and the branches”, the first documentary ever about the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, is a Portuguese 2008 production. The experimental film was presented yesterday at the Temps d’Imagens Festival in Belém.

The two Portuguese directors illustrated in the 29 minutes color movie the life of the sculptor Constantin Brancusi. The central idea of the movie is that of a fascinating journey in the heart of the talented well-known Romanian artist’s work. Directors Alexandre Martins and Nuno Miguel consider Brancusi “a demiurge, an interpreter of the nature, evoking the silence and the light and having the intuition of what is hidden beneath the exterior form”. His work is presented as a symbol of serenity, power, harmony and mystery and a celebration of the pure almost immaterial modern art, in the exploration of abstract and stylized reality.
A close look on the documentary reveals the paradox complexity of reducing the forms to a few fundamental elements. Instead of loosing sense, Brancusi’s work gained tranquility, a refined eroticism and a pure intimate style. The Portuguese directors show the Romanian sculptor’s process of developing the revolutionary way of approaching the world, which begun in his childhood. They were captivated by Romanian mythology, folk tales and traditional art which influenced Brancusi’s work. Alexandre Martins and Nuno Miguel emphasized the idealism and almost ascetic personality of the Romanian sculptor which aimed to make a distinction between the ephemeral and the lasting.
The half an hour story “Brancusi- the roots and the branches” talks about the monumental, subtle art of Brancusi, as it seen by art passionate persons from all over the world. The Portuguese directors demonstrate through this documentary that the famous Romanian sculptor’s work can be appreciated and understood by all people, thanks to the artist’s vision of creation. His manner of abstractization reduced the elements at the basic values of the world, comprehended anywhere. 

Alexandre Martins and Nuno Miguel are co-directors, co-executive producers along Catarina Tacanho, cutters along Pedro Duarte, sound and photography assistants, as well as the actors. Their movie won on the 8th of November the “Best Creative Documentary” Award at the DocumFest Documentary Festival from Timisoara, Romania. “Brancusi- the roots and the branches” film could be seen yesterday, at the Museum Colecção Berardo, in the last day of the Temps d’Imagens Festival in Belém.