On screen and every day, the city's economy is made up of people in the present time
A film about the city's economy where there is no talk of companies or trade. A film about the city's economy where the protagonists are not the numbers. They are the people.
A film about the city's economy where there is no talk of companies or trade. A film about the city's economy where the protagonists are not the numbers. They are the people. Presented on Thursday night at the Rivoli Theatre, "Future is Now" is about the future that the community - Porto residents of always and "new Porto residents" - builds in the present time.
"We are a territory that has been able to give a positive side to the country, due to the history of economic regeneration, heritage regeneration that we have been able to implement in recent years in the city. And that is what the film seeks to mirror", says the Councillor for Economy, Employment and Entrepreneurship.
Recognising how "there were moments in history when Porto weakened", Ricardo Valente believes that the city is proud of "the victories, but above all, the ability to learn from defeats and gain a future, which is fundamental for a city", combined with the resilience to "not give up, to continue to do, to rebuild the creative industry of Bombarda, to create the night of Porto, of migrants, long before tourism was what it is, bet on the city and see a city with a future".
"Future is Now", a "historical document that shows a city that is experiencing a unique moment", reinforces the councillor, "does not have a single politician because it is a tribute to the city and the city's economy". It shows "the capacity that Porto has to attract economy, business and people who are linked to the city".
"Today, we are building what we want to be", believes Ricardo Valente.
The challenge of showing Porto's economic dynamism on film was given to the director André Tentugal, who, over the course of several months, ran all corners of the city and spoke to those who live, work, study, live and build it.
In the eyes of the director, Porto "is a city that is growing in a very positive direction and one can feel the pride in those who live here for being part of this moment, of this balanced and sensible growth that the city is experiencing".
For André Tentugal, Porto's greatest pride is "in its people". "There is a great humanity among people, a closeness, an intimacy, an openness, an availability to the other", he emphasises.
Identity made of community
The screening of the short film preceded a conversation, moderated by André Forte from UPTEC, between some of the leading voices of "Future is Now". Torel Collection Hotels associate Ingrid Koeck also believes that "this is the crucial moment to participate, to create the future of the city". Underlining how "Porto has a great character" and that "it does not need 'copy-paste' from other cities", the businesswoman has no doubt that "community is the centre of everything".
For the president of the Bangladeshi Community in Porto, the integration of migrants is also essential for a "multicultural city". "We are doing it by working side by side with the people of Porto, contributing to the economy", guarantees Shah Alan Kazol, emphasising the importance of "not jeopardising the identity of the city".
The founder of the architecture office OODA confesses the difficulty in explaining to outsiders the "upgrade of life that actually exists" when living in Porto. "The Porto community has a great way of living the city, of spending three hours telling you which are the best places to go", adds Rodrigo Vilas-Boas.
For the architect, "the balance between economy and quality of life" is notorious, as well as "inspiring for those who come from outside" is the ability of the "people of Porto to want to do a lot, without fear of making mistakes". "Porto does things well, it thinks well about urban architecture, the organisation of spaces. The city ages better than Port wine", believes Rodrigo Vilas-Boas.
