María Mateos

NINHO is a love letter to the director’s homeland, a coastal place where different worlds quietly coexist, where a British surfer shares the same horizon as an elderly woman who still bakes bread by hand. Shaped by salt, wind, routine, and memory, it is a story about leaving, and about what never truly leaves us. Blending fiction with real testimonies from the people of Mafra, the film is guided by the fictional character Mariana, a young woman who moves abroad to start over. Through her intimate perspective, we explore migration, belonging, and the challenge of building a new life without losing one’s roots.