By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On August 5th, the Do Brasil Para o Mundo (From Brasil to The World) film festival began at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil Rio de Janerio (CCBB-RJ). Continuing through August 22nd, the festival features screenings of full-length and short Brazilian films that received international critical acclaim and have been featured in well-known film festivals around the world.
More than twenty films are being shown during the three weeks of the festival that runs concurrently with the Olympic Games. In order to showcase the films to the many international visitors in the city, all films will feature English subtitles, with the exception of the film “Que Horas Ela Volta?”, which will be shown on August 8th.
Ranging from animated films to documentaries to features both long and short, the selected films trace the growth of Brazilian cinema. The films range from the genres of Cinema Novo (New Cinema) with Glauber Rocha’s 1964 drama “Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol” (Black God, White Devil) and Nelson Pereira dos Santos’ 1963 drama “Vidas Secas” (Barren Lives) to animated films including Alê Abreu’s full-length work “O Menino e o Mundo” (Boy & the World), the first Brazilian film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Additional notable films in the festival include Walter Salles’ 1998 drama “Central do Brasil” (Central Station), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film; José Padilha’s 2007 crime drama “Tropa de Elite” (Elite Squad), which won the Golden Bear at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival; and Fernando Meirelles’ 2002 drama “Cidade de Deus” (City of God),which received Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Writing in 2004.
In addition to the screenings, the festival will also include a debate about the history of the international reception of Brazilian films. That discussion will take place on August 10th with film producer Vânia Catani and film critic Pedro Butcher speaking and the curator of the festival, Marina Pessanha mediating the discussion.
Currently, CCBB-Rio also is hosting the “O triunfo da cor O pós-impressionismo: obras-primas do Musée d´Orsay e do Musée de l´Orangerie” (“The triumph of Post-Impressionism color: Masterpieces of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de L’Orangerie”). The exhibition features works by masters Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Georges Seurat, among others and will remain on display through through October 17th.
For complete programming and additional information, see the CCBB Rio de Janeiro website.
What: Do Brasil Para o Mundo Film Festival
When: August 5th through August 22nd
Where: CCBB Rio de Janeiro, Rua Primeiro de Março 66 – Centro
Entrance: Many screenings are free,R$5 – R$10. See the website above for additional information.