Tambur di Lembransa
Director:
Filipe Traslatti e Maurício Franco
Producer:
Pedro Costa
Production company:
Tartarugas e Crocodilos e Statement
Production country:
Portugal
Duration in minutes:
90
Contact:
Sinopsys:
Inspired by a Guinean myth in which a people’s memory was kept inside drums and passed on through their sound, Irene, a composer in a Mandjuandadi women’s group, invites the collective to reflect on memory and identity. Through the creation of a song inspired by this myth, the film unfolds as a journey across Guinea-Bissau, weaving together the colonial past, cultural erasure, and contemporary forms of resistance and memory preservation.
Long Sinopsys
Tambur di Lembranças begins with a Guinean myth that tells of a time when a people’s memory was kept inside drums and transmitted through their sound. Each time a griot played, memories were shared and new stories were woven into the collective memory.
Over time, the drums began to disappear, as did the griots who played them. The loss of these instruments also meant the gradual erasure of cultural identity and the symbolic strength of a people. To prevent the last memory from being permanently silenced, a wise griot buries the final drum, protecting it from oblivion until the day it can be rediscovered and played again.
This myth runs through the film in three distinct moments, corresponding to the three acts of the narrative. Through an original voice-over and staged images, it functions as a symbolic thread, dialoguing with the present and resonating with the stories and reflections that emerge throughout the documentary.
In the present day, we follow Irene, a composer and member of a Mandjuandadi women’s group. She brings the myth to the collective, inviting the women to reflect on memory, identity, and cultural erasure, with the goal of creating a song inspired by this ancestral narrative.
Irene’s creative process intersects with testimonies from sociologists, historians, linguists, writers, filmmakers, and other voices, including personal accounts of loss. Together, these perspectives form a mosaic of reflections on what memory means and why it matters within a society shaped by colonial history and its lasting consequences.
At the same time, we accompany a contemporary griot over the course of a day, including his participation in a wedding, where he reveals the essential role he plays as a guardian of words, history, and oral tradition within Guinean society.
Irene’s journey also takes us to Cacheu, returning to places from her childhood. Visiting her former home and one of the first Mandjuandadi groups in Guinea-Bissau, the film brings individual and collective memory into close proximity, revealing how deeply they intertwine.
In the final act, we follow the composition, rehearsals, and public performance of the song created by Irene and the group. The song emerges as a symbolic reactivation of memory, a new drum where the stories gathered throughout the film find form, rhythm, and voice.
Creative Process
In March 2025, our film Mamã Guiné was selected for the first edition of the Bienal de Arte de Bissau. Following this experience, and at the invitation of the organization, we were challenged to develop a new cinematic project centered on Guinean culture.
During our initial research, two worlds stood out for their symbolic strength and their direct connection to the present: the myth of the drum as an archive of collective memory, and the Mandjuandadi groups, women’s collectives where music and oral expression remain living spaces for sharing and transmitting culture.
Based on character research, we developed an initial script that served as a foundation for the shoot. The film was entirely shot over 15 days in Guinea-Bissau and is built through the articulation of documentary observation, interviews, musical performance, and fictional elements connected to the myth.
The drum myth was filmed and integrated into the narrative through an original voice-over and images created specifically to convey this symbolic dimension. It appears in three moments throughout the film, structuring its three acts and creating bridges between past, present, and memory.
The film’s language is dynamic and rhythmic, reflecting our experience as filmmakers accustomed to working with agile visual storytelling. Editing plays a central role in weaving together the different layers of the film: the myth, Irene’s creative process, the testimonies, and the lived experiences across the territory.
The project is currently in the early stages of post-production. Participating in DOC.LAB is a key step for us to further develop the film’s narrative structure, critically refine the existing material, and establish the partnerships and connections needed to secure the finishing funds for its completion.
Director's note
In March 2025, our film Mamã Guiné was selected for the first edition of the Bienal de Arte de Bissau. Following this experience, and at the invitation of the organization, we were challenged to develop a new cinematic project centered on Guinean culture.
During our initial research, two worlds stood out for their symbolic strength and their direct connection to the present: the myth of the drum as an archive of collective memory, and the Mandjuandadi groups, women’s collectives where music and oral expression remain living spaces for sharing and transmitting culture.
Based on character research, we developed an initial script that served as a foundation for the shoot. The film was entirely shot over 15 days in Guinea-Bissau and is built through the articulation of documentary observation, interviews, musical performance, and fictional elements connected to the myth.
The drum myth was filmed and integrated into the narrative through an original voice-over and images created specifically to convey this symbolic dimension. It appears in three moments throughout the film, structuring its three acts and creating bridges between past, present, and memory.
The film’s language is dynamic and rhythmic, reflecting our experience as filmmakers accustomed to working with agile visual storytelling. Editing plays a central role in weaving together the different layers of the film: the myth, Irene’s creative process, the testimonies, and the lived experiences across the territory.
The project is currently in the early stages of post-production. Participating in DOC.LAB is a key step for us to further develop the film’s narrative structure, critically refine the existing material, and establish the partnerships and connections needed to secure the finishing funds for its completion.
Director
Filipe Traslatti e Maurício Franco
Filipe Traslatti and Maurício Franco have been working together for nearly a decade, developing projects across documentary, fiction film, series, and advertising, combining directing, editing, and cinematography. Together they directed the documentaries Mamã Guiné (2025) and Cretcheu (2023), the latter award-winning and screened at international festivals in Dumbo (New York), São Paulo, Ottawa, and Coimbra. They have also collaborated on films and series including O Pátio da Saudade, O Crime do Padre Amaro, and O Grito, with Filipe responsible for editing and Maurício for cinematography. Through their production company, Tartarugas e Crocodilos, which they co-founded, they have created advertising campaigns for brands such as Peugeot, Microsoft, Ikea, and Nintendo, as well as a television talk show and documentary series including SIDA 4.0 and Histórias da Linha de Sintra. Their work combines technical expertise with narrative sensitivity, creating films that explore memory, identity, and cultural encounters through a collaborative and integrated approach.
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