“Alice, New York and other stories”, whose original title is “Tales From The Rabbit Hole: A Curious Kitsch Novel”, produced by Sofia Mirpuri, is Tiago Durão's first feature film.

According to the synopsis, the film tells the story of Alice Maia (played by Sofia Mirpuri), “who decides to leave Portugal and go to New York, hoping to find a better life”, however, “New York proves to be a chaotic city, full of strangers and where there seems to be no hope”.

The story that would serve as the basis for this film was written in 2014, in Portugal, by Tiago Durão, André Tavares and António Rodrigues, with ideas for different formats that never came to fruition.

The film was not produced in Portugal, because, according to Tiago Durão, “it is very difficult to gather 40 or 50 people around a production” when it comes to an independent film, in which a large part of those involved work in other main jobs.

In “Alice, New York and other stories”, Tiago Durão and Sofia Mirpuri assumed all the roles and responsibilities for the production of the film, which lasted about a year and a half to be made, and involved about 16 thousand euros.

Both living in New York, Tiago Durão and Sofia Mirpuri met about three years ago. “Alice, New York and other stories” is the first feature film by Tiago Durão, who had previously directed the short films “Entre Nós” and “A Voz Humana.”

Actress by profession, Sofia Mirpuri had her first production experience with this film and told Lusa that she intends to continue in the United States, creating her projects.

In addition to Sofia Mirpuri, the film also features Zeca Medeiros, Naomi Livingstone, Andrea Ferro Madrid, Troy Tripicchio, and Madalena Mantua, among others.

After the premiere in New York, the film, shot mostly in that city, but also in Portugal, was shown at several film festivals, having been awarded the Best Film prize at the Roma Prisma Independent Film Awards, at the Miami Independent Film Festival and the Kalajoki Film Festival.