All stories have a beginning, and this one began when the father of Augusto Rocha (29 years old) decided to be part of a group of pilgrims. And then "Fire Embrace" was born, an animated short film nominated for CINANIMA - Espinho International Animation Film Festival, in the category of Young Portuguese Filmmaker.

A short film - made in digital 2D style, hand-drawn frame by frame - that tells how pilgrimages emerged, dating back to 1522, year of the Subversion of Vila Franca, an earthquake that decimated the southern slope of Lagoa do Fogo, victimizing between 3 and 5,000 people.

"The idea started when my father joined the pilgrims ("romeiros") and I became interested in this religious habit. Then I began to develop this short film," says the director, a native of Vila Franca do Campo, adding that the short film "tries to take a bit of what is Azorean and expose it to the world, developing the themes of insularity and Azorean identity."

The film started to be developed during his master's degree in Illustration and Animation, at Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave, in Barcelos, and is Augusto Rocha's "first animation for real".

For the director, "Fire Embrace" is about the conception of pilgrimages, but goes beyond that. "The title itself refers to the strength of fire that a person must have to overcome life's problems, which is what is done in this pilgrimage. I tried to take certain aspects of the pilgrimage and implement them in the short film."

The nomination for the Young Portuguese Filmmaker category, along with 14 other directors, made Augusto Rocha "proud" of his work, as it represents an "excellent" opportunity to show his value in a festival with the importance of CINANIMA.

The oldest and most renowned animation film festival in Portugal, CINANIMA has been held since 1976, and is organized by Cooperativa Nascente C.R.L., together with Espinho City Hall.

"Winning the award would be spectacular, but just being nominated, in the midst of so many applications, is incredible. Being on a list of 15 nominees is already a victory," says the director.

Born in Vila Franca do Campo, his passion for animation emerged during his childhood. The ease with which he drew the characters from the Japanese manga Dragon Ball was the first step towards Arts, but it was Visual Arts teacher Maria Alexandra Baptista who motivated him to choose his future job.

Currently working in the Azores as an animation and illustration freelancer, Augusto Rocha is mainly inspired by Dutch director Michael Dudok de Wit, author of the animated feature The Red Turtle, produced by Japanese Studio Gibli and nominated for the 2017 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.