SIFF SCREENING | Golden Goblet Award-Winning Film Returns

The Portuguese Film Festival presents the 2025 award-winning film The Scent of Things Remembered. This past June, José Martins received the Golden Goblet Award for Best Actor at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival for his powerful performance in the film. During the Portuguese Film Festival, he will return to the “Film City Shanghai” alongside cinematographer Leandro Valente and attend a post-screening Q&A on December 27. 

The Scent of Things Remembered is an intimate drama about an aging war veteran forced into a retirement home, where he confronts the ghosts of his past and forms an unexpected bond with his Black caregiver. Confronted with the vulnerability of old age, Arménio is compelled to face the ghosts of his past, while an unexpected friendship blossoms between him and Hermínia. 

José Martins, actor, director, writer, and screenwriter, was born in Portugal in 1952 and began his theatrical career in 1971. To date, he has appeared in over 30 stage productions. As a director, he made his debut in 1973 and has since directed more than 60 works, while also leading three of Portugal’s most prominent theatre companies.

Years of stage experience have sharpened his awareness of the distinct ways performance is shaped across different artistic forms. As Martins explains:

“In theatre, actors perform together in a real, concrete situation, facing the audience and creating a unique, unrepeatable moment in the present. In cinema, this shared immediacy between actor and audience does not exist.”

Yet The Scent of Things Remembered still builds a cross-dimensional, reflective experience through the screen and the camera, allowing emotions to slowly reach the audience. This approach also shaped his character work: “I tried to understand Aménio’s inner world, portraying his complexity without judgment.”

Reflecting on his return to Shanghai, Martins shared:

“Winning the Golden Goblet Award for Best Actor here six months ago was one of the most thrilling moments of my more than fifty-year acting career. I have always called this city a ‘Paradise for Cinema.’ Coming back here again, I feel just as excited.”

Leandro Valente (born Lee Fuzeta) is a cinematographer from Ovar, Portugal, born in 1987 and a graduate of the film program at the University of Beira Interior (UBI). In 2018, he received the Portuguese Society of Cinematographers Award for Best Documentary Cinematography for O Labirinto da Saudade.

Discussing the film’s visual style, Valente recalled:

“From the very beginning, I maintained close communication with director António Ferreira. He decided to use a 25mm lens for close-ups, allowing the audience to be closer to the characters’ emotions while echoing the claustrophobic nature of the spaces. In terms of lighting and color, we aimed for a restrained darkness, avoiding exaggerated or overly oppressive visuals.”

Visiting Shanghai for the first time, Valente expressed his anticipation:

“I’ve heard so many wonderful descriptions of this city. I’m very curious and look forward to learning more about Shanghai’s film history.”

José Martins and Leandro Valente will both attend the post-screening discussion of The Scent of Things Remembered during the Portuguese Film Festival, sharing insights into the film’s creative process and exploring how motion pictures can carry memory and history.

SIFF SCREENING

“SIFF SCREENING”, a brand created by SIFF, extends the festival’s mission to satisfy the artistic needs of audiences, offering a richer and more diverse cinematic experience that fosters a more engaging viewing atmosphere.