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Novo Cinema Novo - Brazil on Film
Cinema 1 & 2: 19-31 October
'In Brazil, the director is God. Or he's a footballer - which in Brazil is the equivalent of God' Guardian
The current upsurge of Latin-American movies has taken global audiences and critics by storm. Out of Brazil's history of film-makers unified by the principles of radical cinema, a younger generation is now directing with their faces to the audience and the result is less nakedly polemical and insular, more street-smart and vibrant. This diverse selection highlights some of the best recent features, documentaries and shorts coming out of Brazil. Cinema 1: 19 Oct, 7.15pm Two Lost Souls on a Dirty Night (Dois perdidos numa noite suja) Two Brazilian outcasts meet in New York. Like many other immigrants in the 1990s, they left behind a bleak future in their home country searching for the illusion of the American dream. A gritty drama of sexual and street identities, infused with wry black humour. (dir José Joffily, 2002, 100min, English subtitles) Plus: Collision Route (Rota de colisão) After a robbery, a thief crosses paths with a labourer and a street child. In the streets of this metropolis, a tragic yet common destiny awaits them. (Dir Roberval Duarte, 1999, 12 mins) Total running time: 112 mins There will be a discussion with the film-maker and cast of Two Lost Souls following the screening. Plus! Brazilian music in the bar courtesy of Batmacumba's DJ Cliffy to celebrate the opening night of the festival.
Cinema 2: 19 Oct, 9pm; 29 Oct 7pm Twins (Gêmeas) Identical twins Lara and Marilena fall in love with the same man, Omar. A dark, gothic drama of intense rivalry between sisters, with an unexpected ending. Adapted from a script by Nelson Rodrigues, Brazil's greatest and most controversial playwright. (dir Andrucha Waddington, 1999, 74 mins, English subtitles) Plus: The Williams Brothers (Irmãos Williams) The highs and lows of one of the most famous Brazilian Samba bands, from shanty-town obscurity to samba super-stardom, culminating in their inevitable decline and death. (dir Ricardo Dantas, 2000, 10min) Total running time: 84 mins
Cinema 2: 22 Oct, 9pm; 26 Oct, 7pm Dominant Tonic (Tônica dominante) A finely studied and expressive feature exploring three days in the life of a musician. On the first, he is living a situation of loneliness and weakness. On the second, what should have been a pleasant happening ends in a nightmare. Finally, on the third day, the young man finds fulfillment through music. (dir Lina Chamie, 2000, 80 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Eight Point Star (A estrela de oito pontas) A collection of unique and personal animated images created by Fernando Diniz, the renowned artist from the Museum of Images from the Unconscious. (dir Fernando Diniz, 1996, 13mins) Total running time: 93 mins
Cinema 2: 22 Oct, 7pm; 27 Oct 9pm Latitude Zero 'Personal, courageous, a film which isn't merely content to wander along familiar paths...it takes risks to open up new horizons' Folha de São Paulo In an abandoned gold mine in the Brazilian hinterland, two outcasts live in dire circumstances, lost in one of the country's forgotten corners. This film is a metaphor taken to extremes: a view of an unequal society that excludes many of its citizens, casting them headlong into a violent struggle with life and death. (dir Tony Venturi, 2000, 85 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Clandestines (Clandestinos) Brazilian dissidents during the authoritarian regime of the late 1960s look back at their experiences, fears and aspirations during that period. (dir Patricia Moran, 2001, 12 mins) Total running time: 97 mins
Cinema 2: 25 Oct, 7pm; 29 Oct, 9pm Bellini and the Sphinx (Bellini e a Esfinge) When celebrated surgeon Dr Rafidjia hires the Dora Lobo detective agency to track down good-time-girl, Ana Cintia Lopes, the duo assigned to the job - Remo Bellini and Beatriz - assume it's just another straight forward case of adultery. The brutal murder of their client soon suggests otherwise and the pair find themselves thrust into the São Paulo underworld in search of answers. (dir Roberto Santucci, 2001, 120 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Distracted to Death (Distraída para a morte) Three black teenagers drift aimlessly from one neighbourhood to another - the two boys amuse themselves with racist jokes while the girl looks on silently. (dir Jefferson De, 2001, 14 mins). Total running time: 134 mins Cinema 2: 24 Oct, 6.45pm; 30 Oct, 9.15pm The Dog's Will (O Auto da Compadecida) Comparing north-eastern Brazil in the 1930s to Europe in the Middle Ages, this raucous comedy features the exploits of João Grilo, a shrewd native fighting for his everyday survival as he deceives rich and influential people aided by his trusted companion, Chicó. (dir Guel Arraes, 2000, 104 mins) Plus: Doctor's Appointment (Consulta médica) A 3D animated short in which a young boy and his imaginary friend embark on a trip through hell and a very sinister doctors office. (dir João Amorim/Bernardo Vieira, 2002, 5 mins) Total running time: 109 mins
Cinema 2: 20 Oct, 6pm; 26 Oct, 9pm Days of Nietzsche in Turin (Dias de Nietzsche em Turim) An experimental essay film on the German thinker during his most intense and prolific period, in Turin from 1888-89. Here, in one final creative flowering, Nietzsche was to confront the great paradoxes of his spiritual development, refining his ideas and immersing himself in the worlds of art and science, before falling, abruptly, and, definitively, silent. (dir Julio Bressane, 2001, 88 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Where is Petrucio Felker? (Onde está Petrucio Felker?) The career of the controversial artist Petrucio Felker remembered. (dir Allan Sieber, 2001, 12 mins) Total running time: 100 mins
Cinema 2: 24 Oct, 9pm; 27 Oct, 6.45pm Copacabana
The wonderful story of a group of elderly citizens living in the most famous and bizarre neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro, Copacabana, where the most traditional and conventional middle classes peacefully share their space with transvestites and outcasts. (dir Carla Camuratti, 2001, 110 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Don't Get Charged Up (Nao fique pilhado) Ecological animated comedy. (dir Vicente Amorim, Joao Amorim, Carlos Duba, 2000, 3 mins) Total running time: 113 mins
Cinema 2: 21 Oct, 9pm; 28 Oct, 7pm Through the Window (Através da janela) Selma, a devoted middle-aged mother, suspects her son is involved in criminal activities. An overbearing, extremely loving mother, she opens her eyes to the awful truth as her son seems to drift further away from her. (dir Tatá Amaral, 2000, 82 mins, English subtitles) Plus: The Sandwich (O sanduíche) The end of a relationship. But the end of one thing can often mean the start of something else: other encounters, separations - and a sandwich! (dir Jorge Furtado, 2000, 13 mins). Total running time: 95 mins
Cinema 2: 21 Oct, 7pm; 27 Oct, 5pm A Starry Sky (Um Céu de Estrelas) Dalva is leaving for Miami in search of a better life. She is abandoning her nagging mother, a chauvinistic ex-boyfriend Victor and a dull life. But the unexpected arrival of Victor, desperate for reconciliation, deteriorates into violence. As the police close in, Dalva strikes back for herself. (dir Táta Amaral, 1996, 70 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Just Living (Viver a Vida) The day-to-day life of a sharp-witted office-boy. (dir Tatá Amaral, 1991, 10 mins) Total running time: 80 mins
Cinema 2: 19 Oct, 6.15pm Amélia
A fictionalised account of French actress Sarah Bernhardt's visit to Brazil in 1905. Facing a professional and personal crisis, Bernhardt is persuaded by Amélia, her chambermaid, to perform in Rio de Janeiro. However, on arrival, events force the actress to live with Amélia's exotic sisters Dir Ana Carolina Teixeira Soares, 1998, 130 mins, English subtitles
Cinema 2: 20, 31 Oct, 8pm To the Left of the Father (Lavoura Arcaica) An epic and subversive re-working of the parable of the prodigal son. André is the son who strays and whose return home and incestuous yearnings threaten to destabilise a family. The film explores the tensions that arise when a family is forced to confront disturbing truths about itself. Dir Luis Fernando Carvalho, 2001, 171 mins, English subtitles
Cinema 2: 19 Oct, 3pm; 25 Oct 9.30pm Coffin Joe: The Strange World of José Mojica Marins
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, 2001, a fabulous documentary about the life and work of José Mojica Marins, Brazil's most famous horror film director and one of Latin America's most idiosyncratic and radical artists. The film features in-depth interviews with Mojica and his closest associates, revealing for the first time the bizarre and sometimes tragic stories behind his movies, as well as Mojica's own problems with alcohol, the Military Censorship Board - and tarantulas. There are dozens of clips from his striking movies, described by Billboard magazine as a 'cross between Russ Meyer and Luis Bunuel'. (dir Andre Barcinski/Ivan Finotti, 1999, 66 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Velodrome Vintage VW Beetles race on an abandoned speedway. (dir Snir Wine, 9 mins) Total running time: 75 mins
Cinema 2: 19 Oct, 4.30pm; 20 October, 1pm; 27 Oct, 3.15pm News From a Private War (Notícias de uma guerra particular)
A documentary about the state of urban violence in Brazil. The setting is Rio de Janeiro, and the protagonists are policemen, drug dealers, and slum dwellers who find themselves involved in a daily no-win war. (dir João Moreira Salles/Katia Lund, 1999, 57 mins, English subtitles) Katia Lund will be present on 20 October, 1pm for a short introduction to the show and for a 20-minute Q&A.
Plus: Born To Be Blind (A Pessoa é para o que Nasce) Three blind sisters busk in Campina Grande, state of Paraíba. (dir Roberto Berliner, 1998, 6 mins) Plus: Clandestines (Clandestinos) Brazilian dissidents during the authoritarian regime of the late 1960s look back at their experiences, fears and aspirations during that period. (dir Patricia Moran, Brazil, 2001, 12 mins) Total running time: 75 mins
Cinema 1: 20 October, 1pm
Cinema 2: 21 Oct, 5.15pm Too Much Brazil (2000 Nordestes)
Inhabitants of northern Brazil offer a humorous and critical view of the harsh reality of a poor region whose attraction lies in the combination of rich, age-old traditions and modern influences connected to ever-present globalisation. (dir Vicente Amorim/David França Mendes, 2000, 70 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Born To Be Blind (A Pessoa é para o que Nasce) Three blind sisters busk in Campina Grande, state of Paraíba. (dir Roberto Berliner, 1998, 6 mins) Total running time: 76 mins
Cinema 2: 29 Oct, 5pm A Woman's Soul (Alma de Mulher) Transvestites in Rio de Janeiro comment on different aspects of their daily lives. A Woman's Soul portrays the human dimension behind the stereotypes, exoticism and flamboyancy that make up the image of the protagonists. (dir Thereza Jessouroun, 1998, 48 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Juliu's Bar Patrons at Juliu's Bar, located in a suburban area of Rio de Janeiro, speak about their life. Protagonist Janaína 'Índia do Brasil', an electronics technician, introduces us to the other characters: Andrezza Salazar and Wal, hairdressers; Renata, owner of a beauty parlor; Malena, an Avon saleslady; and Flávia, Vanessa and Laila, prostitutes. (dir Consuelo Lins, 2001, 58 mins, English subtitles) Total running time: 106 mins
Cinema 2: 25 Oct, 5pm Denying Brazil (A Negação do Brasil) Documentary about stereotypes, racism and prejudice in the Brazilian novelas (soaps). The film looks at the tendency in Brazilian soaps to typecast black actors and asks to what extent this contributes to negative self-images in the Afro-Brazilian population. (dir Joel Zito, 2000, 92 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Zé Ketti On the outskirts of Rio, musicians get together for a samba session, while black-bean stew bubbles in the kitchen of Ze Ketti's house. (dir Nelson Pereira dos Santos, 2001, 2 mins) Total running time: 94 mins
Cinema 2: 31 Oct, 6.30pm The Little Prince's Rap Against the Wicked Souls (O Rap do Pequeno Príncipe) 'a film of convulsive radical beauty' Estado de São Paulo 'Sharp, dry, stylish' Folha de São Paulo Helinho and Gaznizé experience violence in their everyday lives. Helinho, the 'Little Prince', has killed many people to protect his neighbourhood. Gaznizé is a musician and political activist who expresses himself through music. The two are opposites and, at the same time, children of a silent social war that is fought every day in inner Brazilian cities. Dir Marcelo Luna/Paulo Caldas, 2000, 70 mins, English subtitles
Cinema 2: 20 Oct, 2pm; 26 Oct, 5pm Babylon 2000 (Babilônia 2000) On the last day of 1999, five film crews climb Babylon Hill, formed by the two slums of Chapéu Mangueira and Babilônia, both built facing the ocean at Copacabana Beach. The crews interview residents about their expectations, dreams and plans for the millennium. (dir Eduardo Coutinho, 2000, 80 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Clandestines (Clandestinos) Brazilian dissidents during the authoritarian regime of the late 1960s look back at their experiences, fears and aspirations during that period. (dir Patricia Moran, 2001, 12 mins) Total running time: 92 mins
Cinema 2: 28 Oct, 5pm Pierre Verger, a messenger between two worlds (Pierre Verger, mensageiro entre dois mundos) Life and work of the French photographer and ethnographer Pierre Verger (1902-1996), who settled in Bahia in 1946. Filmed in Benin, Paris and Salvador, the film features his last interview with Gilberto Gil, one day before his death, as well as some extensive photographic material and texts produced throughout his life. (dir Lula Buarque, 2000, 82 mins, English subtitles) Plus: With the Whole Ocean to Swim In (Com o oceano inteiro para nadar) A portrait of the artist Leonilson, who died of AIDS in 1993 at the age of 36, produced from fragments of the artist's personal diary and works. (dir Karen Harley, 2001, 19min) Total running time: 101 mins
Cinema 2: 24 Oct, 5pm At the Edge of the Earth (Onde a terra acaba) A poetic look at the exceptionally talented Mário Peixoto who, at the age of 21, without any prior film experience, made his only film: Limite, choosen by critics in 1998 as the most significant work produced by the Brazilian film industry. Based on excerpts from Peixoto's diaries and letters. (dir Sérgio Machado, 2001, 73 mins, English subtitles) Plus: The Sandwich (O sanduíche) The end of a relationship. But the end of one thing can often mean the start of something else: other encounters, separations - and a sandwich! (dir Jorge Furtado, 2000, 13 mins) Total running time: 86 mins
Cinema 2: 20 Oct, 4pm Window of the Soul (Janela da alma) People with different degrees of visual impairment speak of how they perceive themselves, others and the world. A philosophical approach to the meaning of sight, featuring Nobel prize winner José Saramago, director Wim Wenders and French-Slovak photographer Evgen Bavcar. (dir João Jardim/Walter Carvalho, 2001, 73 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Eight Point Star (A estrela de oito pontas) A collection of unique, and personal, animated images created by Fernando Diniz, the renowned artist from the Museum of Images from the Unconscious. (dir Fernando Diniz, 13mins) Total running time: 86 mins
Cinema 2: 22 Oct, 5pm; 31 Oct, 4.30pm Where the Owl Sleeps (Onde a coruja dorme) From the slum hills of Rio de Janeiro comes one of the most interesting musical products of Brazil: songs written by labourers and anonymous songwriters gathered together by Bezerra da Silva. (dir Márcia Derraik/Simplício Neto, 2001, 50 mins, English subtitles) Plus: Zé Ketti On the outskirts of Rio, musicians get together for a samba session. (Dir Nelson Pereira dos Santos, 2001, 2 mins) Plus: The Old Man, the Sea and the Lake (O Velho, o Mar e o Lago) A World War II veteran living in the arid north-eastern Brazil faces what might be his last chance for love. (Dir Camilo Cavalcanti, 2000, 20 mins) Plus: Just Living (Viver a Vida) The day-to-day life of a sharp-witted office-boy. (Dir Tatá Amaral, 1991, 10 mins). Total running time: 83 mins