The Fortunate Isles

A Javanese fisherman experiences the greatest volcanic eruption of all time. Stranded on a deserted island, in search of food and water, he draws closer to the depths of the earth. A visceral and psychedelic odyssey.

“Since airplanes did not exist, people moved around using prayers; they went from one land to another and returned early, before dawn. In old audio recordings, the voices of pastors speak of the mythical existence of witches and their travels. In the daily life of a woman, the magic of her tales begins to materialize as night falls. Night is the time when travel is possible.”—Samuel Delgado & Helena Girón

"Plus Ultra" is the motto of the Spanish state. This slogan was used to encourage navigators to conquer new territories and to forget the warning from mythology: "Non Terrae Plus Ultra" (there is no land beyond here). The Canary Islands, testing ground for the tactics used during the colonization of the Americas, becomes the setting for a tale about this land.

1492. Among the crew led by Christopher Columbus travel three men who by now should have been dead. They managed to avoid their sad fate by participating in this uncertain journey. After reaching the Canary Islands they flee taking with them one of the ship's sails. Meanwhile, in the "Old World", a woman tries to save her dying sister by taking her to a healer. Both of these trips attempt to make fun of death. Both of these trips are at the mercy of history

The phantom island of San Borondón is the subject of this experimental exploration that takes us above the earth and submerges us underwater. The unmistakable textures and colours of 16mm film and the use of digital cameras go hand in hand, creating a portrait of a landscape that is both mythical and real. The film has the ambience of an outer space expedition.

A Irmandade of ghosts hides beneath the layers of time. Through Vasco da Ponte’s illustrated manuscripts, we search for a mythical past: one that resonates in a subterraneous form amongst a landscape full of invisible presences that are activated and take on a life of their own each time we think about them.

In the Garden of the Hesperides, there once grew a fruit capable of granting immortality. This garden, located off the coast of West Africa, was guarded by a hundred-headed dragon. Through the bio-sonification of banana trees, a monoculture crop in the Canary Islands, we discover the tale of this mythical garden in which eternal life was possible.