Born in Oliveira de Frades, José Vieira left for France in 1965, aged seven. Since 1985, encouraged by the political transformations that took place in Portugal and by his own involvement with immigrant solidarity groups, he has directed around thirty documentaries for France 2, France 3, Cinquème and Arte, creating a portrait of immigration in France based on his own personal experiences and the individual stories that he has come to know.
The great difficulties endured by Portuguese immigrants – life in the slums, fraudulent employers, as well as hate and discrimination – motivated José Vieira to reconstruct a collective memory and a narrative that applies to all of these immigrants, regardless of their origins, by explaining the motives which led them to leave their country and fight for a better life.
