The Fleeting Stones of Borralha
The Fleeting Stones of Borralha
// Director // Long feature documentary // In post-production // Madame Filmes //
The end of the world already happened. Its story is imprinted in the rock stratum of the old mining galleries of Borralha. What will it say about us?
It’s with anxiety and uncertainty that we leave the stability of the Holocene and enter a new geological era, marked by apocalyptic visions of the future: the Anthropocene.
In this documentary (speculative, poetic, reflective), we aim to explore the idea of the end of the world and address the theme of loss—a feeling deeply ingrained in Borralha, both in people's imagination and the landscape itself. After all, this mining village has already experienced its own small apocalypse when the mines that gave birth to it shut down. The land that once housed a prosperous, dynamic, and densely populated community is now a devastated, haunted, and decaying landscape—a ruin.
After decades of abandonment, there are currently plans to restore the mining industry to this land. Unlike in the past, today we are aware, as I heard in Borralha, that “everything comes at a cost”—the question is, what is the price?
The Fleeting Stones of Borralha is being produced with Madame Filmes with the support of several institutional and state partners. It's currently in the editing and post-production stage with an expected release date in early 2026.
Director and Scriptwriter: Vasco Monteiro Producer: Cláudia Rita Oliveira With: José Carlos Alves, Mario Mendes, Sameiro Afonso, José Lobo, Prof. Soares, Céu Soares, Maria Figueiredo Teixeira, Madalena Cardoso, Clemente de Freitas, Marta Afonso, Manuel Brás, Ângela, Gil, Joana, Sandra, Tiquinho, Fernando Fernandes, Vítor Arezes, Avelino and the comunity of Aldeia das Minas da Borralha Image: Vasco Monteiro, Pedro Negrão Aditional Camera: Christian Baes, Cláudia Rita Oliveira, Diogo Machado Ferreira Sound: Diogo Machado Ferreira Aditional sound capture: André Peixoto Executive Production: Zahra Horma Original Sound Track: Peter Trabitzsch Edição de Imagem: Vasco Monteiro Correção de cor: Vasco Monteiro Institutional Thank You: Centro Interpretativo das Minas da Borralha, Ecomuseu do Barroso, Associação Amigos da Borralha, Atelier Pontinhos, GEM – grupo de Espeleologia e montanhismo, Minerália, Rádio Montalegre, Projeto Raízes, Movimento Não às Minas, Café da Ponte, Café da Escola, São Cristóvão, A Cista, Borda d’Água, Terras de Barroso, Primavera With the Support: Câmara Municipal de Montalegre, SPA, CCDRN