Whenever there is a collapse or corruption of the time, space and culture that define us, and to which we belong, we inevitably begin to imagine other possible futures. Throughout history, this has been underpinned by the need to escape and the fight for survival. Perhaps the most magical aspect of this urgent need to fictionalise alternative forms of existence is the fact that, through it and its link with the power of technological inventiveness, it allows us to read and criticise the raw reality around us.

Batalha’s first thematic programme is dedicated to discussion of the way in which the science fiction genre has absorbed key political and cultural debates of the 20th century and the contemporary era. In this cycle, organized by subthemes — relating to subalternity, control, diasporic movements, ecology and nuclear fears — different cinematic practices read human concerns, through films that present themselves as political commentary, tools of struggle and gestures that claim “preferred futures”.

By combining contemporary works with classic films, the programme focuses on the idea that time itself may be mere fiction in the construction of societies.

Curated by Ana David and Guilherme Blanc