''Beatriz's War'' () is a 2013

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Luigi Acquisto and Bety Reis. It is the first full-length feature film to be produced by

East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

. Its premiere was on 17 September 2013 in

Dili Dili (Portuguese language, Portuguese and Tetum language, Tetum: ''Díli'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Timor-Leste. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountai ...

. The film was shown in the first month to 30,000 East Timorese at outdoor screenings. It was screened at the

2013 Adelaide Film Festival The 6th Adelaide Film Festival took place in Adelaide, Australia, from 10 to 20 October 2013. This was Amanda Duthie's first year as Festival Director (after eight years at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and eight years at the Special ...

. It won Golden Peacock (Best Film) at the 44th International Film Festival of India.

Plot

The film is based on the story of ''

Martin Guerre Martin Guerre (), a French peasant of the 16th century, was at the centre of a famous case of imposture. Several years after Martin Guerre had left his wife, child and village, a man claiming to be him appeared. He lived with Guerre's wife a ...

'' in 16th-century France, transplanted into the setting of East Timor during the Indonesian occupation. The film revolves around the life of a young East Timorese woman named Beatriz. The story begins with Beatriz meeting her future husband, Tomas, as children. The two marry young and soon after their wedding the Indonesian invasion of East Timor begins. Beatriz fights for her true love and her country.

Cast

* Irim Tolentino as Beatriz: a young Timorese woman who joins the resistance struggle against the Indonesian occupation ** Sandra da Costa as young Beatriz * Augusta Soares as Teresa: Tomas' sister who, at Beatriz's urging, becomes Sumitro's wife ** Doretea Soares as young Teresa * José da Costa as Tomás dos Anjos: Beatriz's husband who is arrested by Indonesian forces and disappears ** Eugenio Soares as young Tomás ** Raimundo dos Santos as 19-year-old Tomás * Osme Gonsalves as Father Nicolau: a sympathetic Catholic priest * Gaspar Sarmento as Captain Sumitro: an Indonesian officer in charge of Kraras village * Funu Lakan as Celestino dos Anjos: Tomás' father and a

Falintil The Armed Forces for the National Liberation of East Timor (, Falintil) originally began as the military wing of the Fretilin party of East Timor. It was established on 20 August 1975 in response to Fretilin's political conflict with the Tim ...

guerrilla * Bety Reis as Estela: Beatriz's mother * Newtom Varudo Filipe as an Indonesian army captain * Evangelina Soares Gama as Kemala: Sumitro and Teresa's daughter * Nazarello Martins as Celestino Jr.: Tomás and Beatriz's son

References

External links

* * 2013 films 2010s coming-of-age drama films 2010s historical drama films 2010s historical romance films 2010s Indonesian-language films 2013 drama films 2013 romantic drama films 2013 war drama films Asian war films Coming-of-age romance films East Timorese films Films about missing people Films about political repression Films about war crimes Films set in 1975 Films set in 1979 Films set in 1983 Films set in 1999 Films set in Timor-Leste Films shot in Timor-Leste Tetum-language films {{2010s-drama-film-stub