Article:

“Filmmaking is a chance to live many lives”. Robert Altman (1925-2006), film director. This paper aims to provide a case study for how cinema and film posters can be the vehicle for a transnational cultural exchange between Occidental and the Oriental audiences, through the eyes and cameras of Portuguese filmmakers João Pedro Rodrigues (b.1966) and João Rui Guerra da Mata (b.1966). Their “Asian films”, which have been selected for some of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, were the starting point for a broader discussion about the possibilities of cinema, visual culture and even social/diplomatic relationships, dur-ing a face-to-face interview where Guerra da Mata was joined by designer Luís Alegre (b.1969), with whom they’ve been working for the past years on the posters and promotional material. The paper analyses the films’ content, its relation with posters and other aspects that translated into visual and socio-cultural fluxes, while trying to understand the directors’ work method and creative process.