Ribeira de Pena | Comrade Cabral

On 30 April, the Ribeira de Pena Municipal Auditorium will host a screening of the film ‘Comrade Cunhal’, a work that takes us back to 1958, during the dictatorial regime of António de Oliveira Salazar.

After eight years in complete isolation at the hands of PIDE, Álvaro Cunhal is transferred to the Peniche fortress prison. Inside, even under close surveillance, Álvaro Cunhal manages to join forces with his cellmates to organise initiatives to support the most vulnerable and, in secret, an escape plan.

With the support of Jorge Alves, a prison guard, and several comrades from the Portuguese Communist Party on the outside, a daring escape plan was hatched. On the afternoon of 3 January 1960, using ropes improvised from sheets, they descended the walls, crossed the moat and met up outside with collaborators who already had ways of hiding them in clandestine locations.
More than an escape, this is the story of a tireless struggle against oppression, which solidified Álvaro Cunhal as one of the central figures in the opposition to the Estado Novo.

The first session, at 2.30pm, will be dedicated to the school community, giving young people direct contact with a defining moment in our history. Later, at 9pm, the auditorium will open its doors again to the general public, with free admission.

Don’t miss this powerful re-enactment of a decisive moment in Portugal’s history.