Máquina is a Senegalese, whom everybody has met or heard about in Guinea-Bissau, but no one knows his name. They nick-named him “Máquina” because he spends six hours running every day.
Although he doesn’t stand a chance to become part of the athletic team of Senegal, because of his age; neither the one from Guinea-Bissau, since he isn’t from there; Máquina carries on training, in the hope that he might be considered some day. Thus, he must be ready.
His boundless and excessive training hours account for him being called a “madman” by the locals. “You run too much. You should stop,” they tell him. Instead of disputing the locals Máquina just says “it’s normal” because “they aren’t acquainted with the sport”.
While shooting a documentary on Amílcar Cabral in Bissau we frequently ran into a peculiar character who’d run fast, amid the city traffic. Máquina is a utopian nutcase, excessively committed to sport and health. He is physically built like a professional athlete, but his lifestyle was that of a homeless person who got by thanks to charitable souls that gave him free clothes, food and lodgings. That contrast in him, as well as his determination, self-sacrifice and optimism made Máquina lovable to us. We took shots of him running around the streets of Bissau and discovered his past, but above all we recognized the genuine way in which he faced life.
Title: Máquina
International Title: Máquina
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 2 min
Source Format: 16:9 AppleProRes422HQ
Master Format: AppleProRes422 and H264
Original Language: French
Subtitles available: English and Spanish
Filming Location: Bissau, Guinea Bissau
Production Year: 2017
Production Company: Mosaic Producciones
Direction and Screenplay: Miguel Eek
Production Director: Marta Castells
Sound Design & Mix: Rubén Pérez
Film Editor: Miguel Eek
Color Grading: Jaume Alcina
