Flight of the Dove (1989)

About the Film

A portrait of the Portuguese-American dairy-farming community in the Chino Valley of southern California. This is one of the first films ever to document the experiences and culture of Portuguese Americans.

The film explores in depth the community's most important annual celebration, the Feast of the Holy Spirit, showing how it preserves community solidarity through its emphasis on shared cultural values.

The evolution of the feast is traced from its origins in the Azores to the festival that is now celebrated in California. The changes in the festival are shown to have helped bridge the gap between immigrants and their children; it now functions to reinforce the identity of its participants as both Portuguese and American.

Licensing

For licensing, film rights and permissions, contact Nancy da Silveira, the distributor, or Folkstreams.

Film Details

  • Film by: Nancy da Silveira
  • Produced by: Nancy da Silveira
  • Cinematographer: John Oh
  • Sound: Kevin Greutert, Konrad Gatien, Nancy da Silveira, Craig Coleman
  • Editor: Nancy da Silveira
  • Funding: California Council for the Humanities, California Arts Council, State-Local Partnership Program, National Endowment for the Arts / Folk Arts Program, Additional funding from:Center for Visual Anthropology, University of Southern California
  • Original Format: Film: 16mm
  • © 1989, da Silveira Productions
  • 29mins, Color
  • Categories:
    Customs Dance Ethnic & Immigrant Cultures Religion Costume/Dress Family Festivals/Customs
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