A richly symbolic, absurdly comic parable of Portugal's historical burden of guilt and oppression.

Winners of the Best Experimental Short at MIFF 11 for A History of Mutual Respect, directors Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt return with a genre-defying film following two teenagers and their grandmother as they come to terms with Portugal's oppressive past of inquisition, fascism and colonialism.

Mixing the contradictory realities of contemporary teens' pop obsessions with an inquisition trial of two medieval Moorish homosexuals sentenced to burn at the stake, Palaces of Pity is filled with odd metaphors and an almost magical realist sense of the uncanny, making for a rare cinematic experiment sure to divide audiences with its bold, innovative and playful nature.

Screens with Snow Canon (France, 33 mins).

D/S Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt P Natxo Checa, Gabriel Abrantes, Marta Furtado, Zé dos Bois WS Mutual Respect L Portuguese w/English subtitles TD HD Cam/2011