Off the Beaten Track

Tahiti, 1903. The doctor, poet and artist, Victor Segalen, left France for Hiva-Ao to meet Gauguin in person. Upon his arrival on the island, Victor is informed that the painter had died. Adapted from the writings of Victor Segalen, Off the Beaten Track is a sublime vision of the work, life and contradictions of the great painter Paul Gauguin, as well as a modern study of the relationship between colonisers and colonised.

Discussion with directors Hugo Vieira da Silva and Paulo Mil Homens.

Duration: 103’
Production year: 2023
Country: PT
Language: FR, Marquesano Subtitles: PT, EN

Hugo Vieira da Silva, Paulo MilHomens

Hugo Vieira da Silva was born in 1974 in Porto. He initially studied law at the Catholic University of Porto before completing his studies at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School. Vieira da Silva gained recognition with his debut film Body Rice (2006), which received a special mention in the official competition at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as the Best Director award in Mexico. His second feature, Swans, was screened at numerous international festivals, including the prestigious Berlin Film Festival. He returned to Berlin in 2016 with The Outpost of Progress, a film inspired by Joseph Conrad's novella of the same name.

Paulo Mil Homens was born in 1971, in Porto. He studied montage at the Lisbon and Theatre Film School (ESTC) and at La Fémis. He has performed different roles throughout his career. He was assistant director in films like The Domain (2019), but he is better known for his work as an editor, in films such as Body Rice (2006), selected for the Official Competition at the Locarno Film Festival; O Tapete Voador (2008); A Morte de Carlos Gradel (2012), winner of the FIPRESCI Award at the Uruguay Film Festival; Axilas (2016); Moral Order (2020); and The Child (2022), selected for the Official Competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival, the Tiger Competition, the most important one in the festival. In 2023, he co-directed, with Hugo Vieira da Silva, his first feature film, Off the Beaten Track. Currently, he is also a teacher at ESTC, in the montage department.