Listen Here: ARABIAN NIGHTS Trilogy Director Miguel Gomes Talks About his Epic

Miguel Gomes as himself, buried in sand, in ARABIAN NIGHTS CHAPTER 1: THE RESTLESS ONE

Portuguese writer/director Miguel Gomes is no newcomer. He has been making films since 1999 and his 2012 film TABU was an international arthouse hit. His latest work, the three volume ARABIAN NIGHTS Trilogy, is something very different again. Each film consists of a series of loosely connected vignettes, tied together by the narrator of the fictional 1001 Nights, Scheherazade. In these stories we are presented a variety of stories about modern Europe in an age of enforced austerity, with detours into the past of the legendary story cycle. It’s a big, complex canvas and at times we may guess (correctly) that Gomes is pulling our leg a little. Some will find this work hilarious and many may find it hopelessly obtuse. It is a large, multitudinous work from a very interesting filmmaker.

Here is a podcast Gomes recorded at the Film Society Of Lincoln Center. He talks about the shape of the Trilogy, what he hopes to say with it, and his philosophy of moviemaking.

Enjoy, and Austinites should be sure to join us for our screenings of the trilogy, starting on Friday, April 8. Full schedule here.