Orlando Pantera (1967-2001) was a gifted Cape Verdean musician who died at 33 before releasing his solo album. This film revives his legacy through innovative sound and archival material from his daughter. It features contemporary interpretations by artists like Mayra Andrade and Princezito, highlighting his lasting influence on musicians today.
The return of Catarina Alves Costa to IndieLisboa (Um Ramadão em Lisboa, 2019) takes us to Cape Verde and offers a deeper portrait of the innovative musician Orlando Pantera (1967–2001), who had already featured in her 2001 film Mais Alma. This return stems from an idea by Pantera’s daughter, Darlene, in a heartfelt and well-deserved tribute to a key figure in Cape Verdean music and to the legacy he left behind. Catarina Alves Costa films with sensitivity and avoids the trap of hagiography, giving texture to a life as complex and contradictory as any human’s. Orlando Pantera died at 33, on the eve of entering the studio to record his first solo album, becoming a comet whose passage left behind not debris, but seeds — now germinated in the music of artists such as Os Tubarões, Tcheka, Mayra Andrade, Lura, and Princezito. (Carlos Ramos)
