On Falling is a debut feature written and directed by Portuguese film-maker and Edinburgh College of Art alum Laura Carreira. Having premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and received not only the Sutherland Trophy but also the Silver Shell for Best Director, the social realist documentary drama has received international acclaim — and deservingly so — for its authentic exploration into the role of the “job of a picker”. We were delighted to have the chance to speak with Carreira more on how her experience of Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh shaped her film.
Moving to Edinburgh in 2012 to study Film-making, Carreira highlighted how the freedom of university allowed her to develop her creative voice and explore topics of personal interest. However, she also detailed the difficulty of working alongside her studies and the limited financial support from the university beyond basics. This lack of funding created significant obstacles for student film-making projects. She says “there was not enough budget,” as the grant provided by the ECA was generous for the time, but essentially unable to cover all necessities from feeding to transporting crew. Carreira described her initial film-making process as beginning after graduation, when she conceptualised a short film and relied on friends and favours to bring it to life. To secure additional funding, she turned to Short Circuit, an extinct funding scheme for emerging filmmakers, which, as of now, has still yet to be replaced.
Discussing the significance of portraying a specifically Portuguese migrant worker, Carreira explains that Aurora’s character is one deeply informed by many of her own experiences. The depiction of Aurora’s flat share situation – such as having a beige walls and a living room that’s been converted into an additional bedroom – are spaces familiar to many (especially resonating with students). Likewise, Carreira deliberately avoids defining a city for her characters, which contributes to the atmosphere of their alienation, in being “isolated from the rhythm”. However, Edinburgh does make a subtle appearance in a park scene. Having lived in Edinburgh for 12 years, Carreira reflects on the joy of experiencing the city, infusing her connection to the city into the rare moments of joy felt by the film’s protagonist.
On cinema and portraying life in a realistic way, Carreira asserts that, “representation has an impact”. It’s essential to avoid assumptions and compose compassionate portraits when presenting marginalised people, especially in light of the UK’s anti-migration rhetoric and Brexit discourse. It’s more important than ever to awaken viewers who have lived in a lack of realisation about “invisible jobs”, like being a picker in a warehouse, highlighting the gap between perception and lived experience. We must make greater efforts to show a diverse Scotland, and one of those key steps to diversification, starts with the screen itself. The form of film, for Carreira, encourages people to “exercise compassion for an hour and a half” in a deeply meaningful way.
Discussing the centrality of labour in her work, Carreira highlights how “working every second of our entire lives” has become dangerously normalised. She critiques the way modern life is overwhelmingly defined by productivity, where the expectation to assimilate into a relentless work cycle is deeply unsettling. The extent to which work shapes identity is evident in how frequently conversations revolve around it—“What do you do?” being an all-too-common inquiry.
While younger generations may appear to navigate work differently, finding alternative means of making a living, Carreira underscores a harsher reality: many individuals do not have the privilege of a safety net. Instead, they must move through life without the assurance of financial security, confronting an often unforgiving system head-on.
For Edinburgh students, On Falling carries particular resonance, not only as a work created by a former ECA student but also in its reflection of the struggles many face—financial precarity, uncertain futures, and the pressure to define oneself through work. Carreira’s film is a stark yet compassionate portrayal of the realities of labour, migration, and survival, themes that feel especially urgent in today’s socio-political climate. By centring voices often left unheard, On Falling challenges audiences to reconsider the structures that shape our lives and the value we assign to different kinds of work. For students navigating their own paths in an increasingly unstable world, Carreira’s film serves as both a mirror and a call to empathy—an invitation to see beyond assumptions and engage with the realities of those whose labour sustains everyday life.
Image provided by GFF for press use.