The Mystery of the Portuguese Waltzes

This documentary follows musician Richard Simas on his quest to find the origins of the Newfoundland folk tune known as The Portuguese Waltzes.

Richard’s quest takes him from small fishing villages in Northern Portugal, back to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Richard dreams of reuniting these two cultures and in the process hopes to reconnect with his own long-lost Portuguese identity. But this turns out to be much more complicated than he thought.

Because like the waltzes memories about this time are made up of many threads. Part fact and part legend, with differing accounts of where and by whom the song was created. Richard has to peel back the layers of memory and folklore to try and find the answer.

At its core this piece is a meditation on memory and truth. Because the truth comes with many layers, and things are not always as they appear.

**AWARDS**

2021- Atlantic Journalism Award (GOLD)

*Originally aired on CBC's Atlantic Voice March 2020*