Lav Diaz on the Hunt for Truth in ‘An Entry Into the Sadness of a Portuguese Woman,’ Third Chapter of His Acclaimed Hermes Trilogy (EXCLUSIVE)

Venice Golden Lion winner Lav Diaz (“The Woman Who Left”), who returns to the Lido this week with the Venice Open selection “Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors” (Makikiraan Po), is in post-production on “An Entry Into the Sadness of a Portuguese Woman.” The Filipino auteur presented the film during the Venice Gap-Financing Market, which took place Sept. 4 – 6.

The third installment of the director’s “Hermes Trilogy,” the Lisbon-set drama follows Lieutenant Ines Horta as she investigates a mystery with the help of Sergeant Mariana Moura. Hoping for information from Filippino Lt. Hermes Papauran that never arrives, she decides to leave Mariana to deal with the case, putting her life in danger in the process.

“An Entry Into the Sadness of a Portuguese Woman” is produced by Jean-Christophe Simon for Films Boutique and co-produced by Epic Media and Rosa Filmes, with the support of ARTE, Bord Cadre and Sovereign Films. It’s written and directed by Diaz and stars Monica Calle, Ana Vilela Da Costa and John Lloyd Cruz.

The film picks up the thread of Diaz’s previous features, “When the Waves Are Gone” (2020) and “Essential Truths of the Lake” (2023), both of which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and followed the obsessive, disillusioned Lt. Papauran, played by Cruz.