Beyond the sun-drenched beaches and the tourist hot spots lies the living, breathing heart of Lagos – a town shaped not by sunbeds, but by bread makers, fishermen, seamstresses and local legends. Nobody knows this hidden identity better than Ânia Bento, who once spent Saturday mornings helping out at the local fruit and vegetable market as a young girl. Today, the homegrown filmmaker is capturing the town’s true soul through a documentary series.
Ânia Bento is the name on everyone’s lips since the start of her series Lagos não é só praia (Lagos is not just a beach). The series of 29 short documentary films are available for viewing on the Lagos municipality’s Facebook and Instagram platforms; a new edition is released every Wednesday.
Each episode features interviews highlighting traditions, places and people that have helped build the municipality’s identity. Bento is supported by the Lagos municipality under the Cultural Activity Support Programme. Episodes include the Meia Praia popular march (marches populares), bread making, honey production, fishing, sewing and much more. A film of roller-skating champion Miguel Bravo, from Lagos, will soon be added to the series. The European speed skating champion won three medals at the recent Cardano al Campo competition in Italy. Miguel Bravo has established himself as one of the best athletes in Europe and the world in his chosen field. He is one more example of the diverse talent originating from Lagos.
Ânia was born and raised in Lagos, and knows her hometown better than most. From an early age she worked as a helper in the Lagos fruit and vegetable market on Saturday mornings to assist some elderly family friends. Here she met a lot of people and learned about the region’s agriculture and its produce. Since her school days, Ania’s journey has involved many diverse occupations. “I was always aware that the majority of secondary school graduates went into the tourism and hospitality industry, many as low-paid service workers in one form or another. I wanted something more creative,” she explained. “For a while, I was involved in arts and crafts related to tourism, but that too, fell short of my ambitions.”
Sometime later, Bento devoted her time to fitness and became a personal trainer, a gymnastics teacher and an aficionado of Zumba: a dance-fitness class. But there was always a burning desire to do something more creative. “I joined an amateur dramatics group and met some interesting people, including Helena Candeias, now a famous fado singer from Lagos. She’s on my list for a future film to be included in the Lagos não é só Praia series.”
In 2018, Ânia published her first book, My Blue Cat. She describes it as a mixture of fact and fiction, aiming to leave her readers with a positive message about life. The novel is based on a real-life story dealing with self-love, love for others and the emotions one has to deal with during the break-up of a relationship.
In 2021, Bento enrolled in the School of Arts and Design in Cascais near Lisbon studying cinema; it was the time of the COVID pandemic. The course provided her with the tools and skills to make her first documentary, A Temporary Situation. The film follows the lives of two women, Ânia, 34, and Olivia, who is 24. They both live in Lisbon and work in a jewellery shop to pay their bills. Through the repetition of their days and their constant struggle to make ends meet, we get a glimpse into the Portuguese socio-economic situation.
Ânia’s second film was Manel das Bicicletas (Manuel, the Bicycle Man). It’s a documentary about Manuel Viana, a man and his craft, who has been repairing bicycles since he was 11 years old in a workshop in the centre of Lagos. Through his days and his life story, we are taken on a journey which shows a man persevering in a city and street transformed by modern times. The film highlights local identity, the importance of community, and the history of generations in danger of being lost. Both films are independent of the series and can be watched on the website Filmin with English subtitles.
A different format was used in an exposition titled Gente da Minha Terra (People from My Land). It’s a photography and video art exhibition by Ânia featured at the Lagos municipal library that explores the lives of immigrants in Lagos. The exposition involved (it ended in September) a series of interviews, portraits and video pieces giving a face and voice to individuals from around the world who chose Lagos as their new home.
Ânia Bento is a shining example of how anyone with the will and determination can achieve success, even in the difficult field of the arts. “I love my city; I belong here,” she explains. “The Lagos project is my vision of the town, its people, its traditions, its values stemming from its rich history.”
The Cultural Activity Support Programme must be credited with its support for the arts in its many facets. The sculptures in the middle of roundabouts, the designs on pavements and pedestrian spaces, and tile designs on public buildings like the Centro Cultural de Lagos are all examples that give the town of Lagos its special and unique ambience.
The series started in late June and will run until early 2027. It has received resounding reviews from the local population. Naturally, the episodes are in Portuguese, but a compilation will soon be on YouTube with English subtitles.
