Angola Cinema honors the unique, fantastic and unknown architecture of movie theaters in Angola, built in the decades before the end of Portuguese colonial rule in 1975. Initially designed as traditional closed spaces, open-air cinemas with terrace bars became the order of the day, better suited as they were to a tropical climate. The arrival of these cinemas in the 1960s brought atmosphere and elegance to the experience of going to the movies; but these urban cathedrals were also, importantly, a place where social barriers dissolved and where liberation from colonialism was possible. Walter Fernandes' (born 1979) photographs offer not only an examination of the architectural history of these buildings, but also an important document of urban organization in the twentieth century, as well as the changing mentalities of a society living with the prospect of its independence.

The first book of photography that portrays Angola as it exists today. For a place that few can pinpoint on a map or in their minds, Angola is quickly emerging as the most important economic leader in Africa. After almost three decades of civil war, the Angola of today is an anomaly--the country is not only aggressively rebuilding but economically blooming in the midst of a global financial crisis. Having become the number-one producer of oil and third in the diamond sector in all of the sub-Sahara, Angola is the first African country that China has invested in heavily. As a result, in 2008 alone the economy rose 27.5 percent. Still, the world does not know Angola today. We have not seen its diverse and vast landscapes of city and country - corners of the world where expanses of wind-swept white desert meets emerald sea, or forests where lush vegetation gives way to rare butterfly habitats. Nor have we met the Angolan people who speak over 40 dialects, or been introduced to the spirit that moves this beautiful, peaceful and optimistic country. A Portrait of Angola is the first book of photography that portrays the country through 250 photographs and over a dozen works of original fine artwork that marry photography and painting.