Arabian Nights – Vol. 3 : The Enchanted One
a film by Miguel Gomes

Arabian Nights – Vol. 3 : The Enchanted One

A film by Miguel Gomes

  • 2015
  • Portugal, France, Germany, Switzerland
  • 126 minutes
  • VO French – FR, DE, EN, PT subtitles

In Portugal – a European country in crisis – a film director proposes to build fictional stories from the miserable reality he is immersed in. However, failing to find meaning in his work, he cowardly runs away and leaves the beautiful Scheherazade to stand in his shoes. She will need enthusiasm and courage so as not to bore the King with the sad stories of this country! As nights go by, distress leads to desolation which in turn leads to enchantment. Scheherazade will organise the stories she tells the King in three volumes. She begins like this: “It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that in a sad country among all countries…”.

Volume 3 : The Enchanted One

In which Scheherazade doubts that she will still be able to tell stories to please the King, given that what she has to tell weighs three thousand tonnes. She, therefore, escapes from the palace and travels the Kingdom in search of pleasure and enchantment. Her father, the Grand-Vizier, arranges to meet her at the Ferris wheel, and Scheherazade resumes her narration: “Auspicious King, in old shanty towns of Lisbon there was a community of bewitched men who, in all rigour and passion, dedicated themselves to teaching birds to sing…”. And seeing the morning break, Scheherazade fell silent.

Arabian Nights – Vol. 3 : The Enchanted One

A film by Miguel Gomes

  • 2015
  • Portugal, France, Germany, Switzerland
  • 126 minutes
  • VO French – FR, DE, EN, PT subtitles

In Portugal – a European country in crisis – a film director proposes to build fictional stories from the miserable reality he is immersed in. However, failing to find meaning in his work, he cowardly runs away and leaves the beautiful Scheherazade to stand in his shoes. She will need enthusiasm and courage so as not to bore the King with the sad stories of this country! As nights go by, distress leads to desolation which in turn leads to enchantment. Scheherazade will organise the stories she tells the King in three volumes. She begins like this: “It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that in a sad country among all countries…”.

Volume 3 : The Enchanted One

In which Scheherazade doubts that she will still be able to tell stories to please the King, given that what she has to tell weighs three thousand tonnes. She, therefore, escapes from the palace and travels the Kingdom in search of pleasure and enchantment. Her father, the Grand-Vizier, arranges to meet her at the Ferris wheel, and Scheherazade resumes her narration: “Auspicious King, in old shanty towns of Lisbon there was a community of bewitched men who, in all rigour and passion, dedicated themselves to teaching birds to sing…”. And seeing the morning break, Scheherazade fell silent.

PRIX

Caminhos do Cinema Português
  • Best actress in a supporting role – Luísa Cruz,
  • Best director – Miguel Gomes,
  • Best screenplay – Miguel Gomes, Mariana Ricardo and Telmo Churro
Prémios ÁQUILA
  • Best actress – Crista Alfaiate
European Film Awards
  • Best sound – Vasco Pimentel & Miguel Martins
Sydney FF
  • Sydney Film Prize
New Horizons IFF
  • Prémio FIPRESCI
Sevilla Festival de Cine Europeo
  • Silver Girardillo
ASECAN
  • Best film

Fénix

  • Best editing

Prémios ÁQUILA

  • Best actress – Crista Alfaiate

FESTIVALS ( Selection )

World Premiere : Director’s Fortnight Cannes 2015

European Film Awards
Sydney FF
New Horizons IFF
Sevilla Festival de Cine Europeo
Fénix
Caminhos do Cinema Português
Midnight Sun FF
Prémios ÁQUILA
Filmfest München
Caminhos do Cinema Português
Karlovy Vary FF
Jerusalem IFF
FidMarseille
Curtas Via do Conde
New Zealand IFF
Melbourne IFF
Toronto IFF
Bergen IFF
Busan IFF
Mostra de São Paulo
Valdivia IFF
New York FF
London FF
Festival du Nouveau Cinéma
CPH:DOX
Mar del Plata IFF
Thessaloniki IFF
Taipei Golden Horse FF
Torino IFF
Janela Internacional de Cinema do Recife

cast & crew

With
Crista Alfaiate
Dinarte Branco
Carloto Cotta
Adriano Luz
Rogério Samora
Maria Rueff
Cristina Carvalhal
Luisa Cruz
Américo Silva
Diogo Dória
Bruno Bravo
Tiago Fagulha
Teresa Madruga

Screenplay
Miguel Gomes
Mariana Ricardo
Telmo Churro

Director
Miguel Gomes

Director of photography
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Assistant director
Bruno Lourenço

Assistant camera
Lisa Persson

Sound
Vasco Pimentel

Art director
Bruno Duarte
Artur Pinheiro

Costumes
Silvia Grabowski

Editing
Telmo Churro
Miguel Gomes
Pedro FIlipe Marques

Sound mixing
Miguel Martins

Production manager
Isabel Silva

Production
O Som e a furia
Shellac sud
Komplizen film
Box Productions

Associate producer
Agat Films

In coproduction with
Arte
ZDF
RTP
RTS
SSR SRG
Michel Merkt

Director’s bio

Miguel Gomes was born in Lisbon, in 1972. He studied Cinema and worked as a Film critic between 1996 and 2000. He directed several short films. THE FACE YOU DESERVE (2004) was his first feature. OUR BELOVED MONTH OF AUGUST (2008) and TABU (2012) have confirmed his talent and were an international success. TABU has been released in about 50 countries, and has won dozens of awards.
Retrospectives from Miguel’s work have been programmed at the Viennale, the BAFICI, Torino Film Festival, in Germany, and in the USA.
ARABIAN NIGHTS, is a three-part feature film, which premiered in 2015, at the Directors Fortnight in Cannes.