ALENTEJO, ALENTEJO

Overview

Following international recognition of Fado, Portugal recently submitted to UNESCO the polyphonic songs of the Alentejo, known as Cante Alentejano, or just Cante, as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This film will be a journey into the hot Alentejo countryside (Southern region of Portugal) discovering Cante music and the life of its performers. Not many people outside Portugal know about these a capella polyphonic choirs, typically formed by 20 to 30 male agricultural workers or miners, that seem to express the deep voice of the Earth.