Performing Freedom

Performing Freedom explores the lived realities of an alternative community in rural Portugal, where visions of regeneration and personal healing meet histories of abandonment, belonging, and land use. At the centre is Nadia Duinker, former activist and co-founder of Freedomville, whose embodied pursuit of freedom weaves together ecological ideals, community leadership, and entrepreneurial ambition.

Set against a depopulating region in post-pandemic Europe, the film follows both newcomers and local residents as they navigate what freedom means socially, emotionally, and economically. As privileged lifestyle migrants attempt to build a new way of living beyond state structures and urban life, tensions emerge around land, access, and belonging.