Documentaries on mainland Portugal’s railway heritage and the Cinecarril Project

Abstract

The first films dedicated to the Railways in Portugal premiered in 1897, just a few months after the first Portuguese film – Saída do Pessoal Operário da Fábrica Confiança (1896)” – was shown, in 1896. Since the late 19th century, railways have been a recurring subject in Portuguese film production. Some studies have identified several films about the Portuguese Railways in the archives. Nevertheless, cinema remains an underused source of information for studying the History of Railways in Portugal. This paper has a twofold goal. First, to approach cinema as a source of information for studying the Portuguese Railways Heritage and History. Second, to present the project we are developing in 2021, the European Year of Transport Railway. Our project aims to show how Railway Heritage and the History of Railways can be studied and promoted through film archives. We also aim to make the public aware of the importance of the railway heritage and the urgency to preserve it.