Black Box

Directed by Lucas Fidalgo Knoeller

Ensign João Viegas was arrested and sent to fight in the Guinea War during the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal for protesting the regime through theater. Viegas was part of the direction of the Círculo de Iniciação Teatral da Academia de Coimbra (CITAC), an experimental theater group, during a time when the International Police and State Defense (PIDE) had no qualms about censoring anyone who tried to oppose Salazar's regime. After his arrest, the PIDE banned the CITAC. The group only resumed operations after the Carnation Revolution. Decades later, Viegas returned to CITAC to reveal stories of the war and show how PIDE operated. In this re-encounter with History, which the short film “Caixa Preta” reveals, we discover Viegas’ motivations and thinking.