Portuguese director Laura Carreira was today twice honored at the BAFTA awards in Scotland with the award for Best Cinema and Television Screenplay and her film, “On Falling”, considered the Best Fiction Film.
In addition to the well-known national BAFTA awards, presented in February, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts also recognizes local talent with independent ceremonies in Scotland (BAFTA Scotland) and Wales (BAFTA Cymru).
The ceremony that took place today in Glasgow awarded 16 categories, the results of which were shared on the organization’s social networks.
“On Falling” is the first feature film by Laura Carreira, a Portuguese director who has lived and worked in the United Kingdom for over a decade and is also the author of the short films “Red Hill” (2018) and “The Shift” (2020).
The feature film was produced in Luso-British by BRO Cinema and Sixteen Films and explores issues about job insecurity and loneliness, having already toured several international festivals.
In 2024, Laura Carreira won a director’s award at the San Sebastián festival (Spain) and the film was distinguished at the London Film Festival with the First Feature Film Award.
Actress Joana Santos, the protagonist of the work, was distinguished at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, in Greece, for her performance in the film.
“On Falling” follows in the footsteps of Aurora, a young Portuguese emigrated to Scotland, who has a precarious and deeply dehumanized job in a warehouse, and who faces difficulties in subsisting and socializing, in a house shared with other immigrants.
Born in Porto in 1994, Laura Carreira has lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, since she was 18, where she graduated in film directing and where she has worked ever since.
“On Falling” is the first feature-length fiction film, in a co-production between Portugal and the United Kingdom, and was shot in Scotland with professional and amateur actors.
Previously, Laura Carreira directed the short films “Red Hill” (2018) and “The Shift” (2020), which also address issues linked to work and precariousness.
Laura Carreira is also nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best New Director and Best New Screenwriter at the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), the winners of which will be announced on November 30th.