O Jacaré

by Basil da Cunha

ORIGINAL TITLE

O Jacaré

Switzerland/Portugal | 2026 | 92 min | Crime Thriller

Languages

Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese

Subtitles Available

English, Portuguese, French, German

LOGLINE

After a robbery gone wrong, €180,000 disappear in the middle of Reboleira, a Lisbon neighborhood sealed off by the police. As rumors spread, a colorful cast of residents scramble to find the missing money, while rival schemes unfold and a mysterious crocodile is said to be roaming nearby.

SYNOPSIS

Reboleira, a suburb of Lisbon.

After a robbery gone wrong, a car crashes in the middle of the neighborhood. The driver is arrested, but the €180,000 that were stolen have vanished. Within the area sealed off by the police, rumors spread and speculations run wild. Among the residents, a whole cast of colorful characters dream of getting their hands on the loot.

Believing himself smarter than the rest, PC, the neighborhood kingpin, sends Chandi, his young protégé, to win KP’s trust and track down the missing money. Meanwhile, Machine is plotting a bold move to snatch it from Mafia, a dealer with a passion for vintage cars. As for Xana, she must above all escape her violent husband, recently released from prison.

And in the midst of this tense microcosm, some residents believe to have seen a crocodile roaming nearby…

CAST

Alexandra Sena – Xana

Heidir Correia – Batcha

Paulo César Lima Fonseca – PC

Alexandre Fonseca – Chandi

Nelson Carvalho – KP

Pedro Diniz – Machine

Carlos Fonseca – Kikas

Pedro Ferreira – Mafia

Frederico Lopes – Toru

Verónica Lii – PC’s Wife

Maria Santos – Chinesa

CREW

Writer & Director — Basil Da Cunha
Director of Photography — Patrick Tresch
Set Design — Artur Pinheiro
Costumes — Patricia Dória
Original Music — Henrique Silva
Sound — Igor Marlot, David Badalo
Editors — Basil Da Cunha, Kostas Makrinos, Noa Roquet, João Nunes
Sound Editing & Mixing — Adrien Kessler
Color Grading — Michele Ricossa

DIRECTOR

 

Basil Da Cunha has been filming the Reboleira neighborhood in Lisbon since 2009, working in close collaboration with the Cape Verdean community. His body of work, rooted in reality and shaped by genre cinema, has moved between magical realism, film noir and musicals, earning a lasting presence at major international festivals.

His films have been presented at Locarno, including À Côté in competition in 2009, O Fim do Mundo in 2019 and Manga d’Terra in 2023, as well as at Directors’ Fortnight with Até Ver a Luz, Os Vivos Também Choram and Nuvem.

In 2023, his short film 2720 won the Grand Prize at Clermont-Ferrand.

O JACARÉ is the culmination of Da Cunha’s more than fifteen-year cinematic journey through Reboleira, a neighborhood built by Cape Verdean immigrants and now slated for demolition. Across several generations, the residents have become actors, extras, crew members and witnesses to the films made there.

Selected Filmography

Feature Fiction Films:

O JACARÉ (2026)

Manga d’Terra (2023)
Locarno International Film Festival

O Fim do Mundo (2019)
Locarno International Film Festival

Até Ver a Luz (2013)
Directors’ Fortnight

Short Films:

2720 (2023)
Grand Prize, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

Nuvem Negra / Black Cloud (2014)
Oberhausen, Vila do Conde

Os Vivos Também Choram (2012)
Directors’ Fortnight

Nuvem (2011)
Directors’ Fortnight

À Côté / Next Door (2009)
Locarno International Film Festival

La Loi du Talion / Lex Talionis (2008)

Trailer

FESTIVAL HISTORY

Locarno International Film Festival (2026)

CONTACT

Sales & Festival Inquiries
[email protected]

HIGHLIGHTS & AWARDS

No awards announced yet.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Production Company

THERA PRODUCTION
Switzerland

CONTINUE WALKING
Portugal

Associate Production

AKKA FILMS
Switzerland

Co-Production

RTS Radio Télévision Suisse

Local Distributor

Portugal
Nitrato Filmes

Switzerland
Sister Distribution

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