‘It’s All True’ Documentary Film Festival Returns to Rio next Week

By Jack Arnhold, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This Tuesday, April 9th, the Estação NET Botafogo and the Instituto Moreira Salles in Gávea are hosting the 24th edition of the international documentary festival ‘É Tudo Verdade’ (It’s All True).

This year’s festival will feature 66 films, all showing for free. The competition will be divided into different categories such as ‘Competição Brasileira’ (Brazilian competition – long and medium-length); ‘Competição Internacional – Longas ou Médias-Metragens’ (International competition – long and medium-length); ‘Competição Brasileira – Curtas-Metragens’ (Brazilian competition – short-length); ‘Competição Internacional – Curtas-Metragens’ (International competition – short-length).

There will also be showings of films in the ‘Competição Latino-Americana’ (Latin American Competition) category, as well as two other categories, ‘O Estado das Coisas’ (The State of Things) and ‘Programas Especiais’ (Special Programs). In addition to the competition, the festival will be paying homage to directors Claude Lanzmann and Nelson Pereira dos Santos with special screenings of their works.

Highlights of the competition include ‘Mike Wallace Is Here’ by Avi Belkin, which profiles the famous presenter of American political show ‘60 Minutes;’ ‘Svideteli Putina’ (Putin’s Witnesses) a film by Vitaly Mansky examining the incumbent Russian President’s rise to power; and ‘Meeting Gorbachev,’ by acclaimed film-maker and documentarian Werner Herzog.

Given the recent attempt by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to commemorate the military coup in 1964, there are also timely showings of films detailing democratic struggles and resistance to authoritarian rule, including ‘The Brink,’ a 2019 documentary profiling former Donald Trump advisor and far-right political strategist Steve Bannon.

The 2018 film ‘Hungary 2018 – Behind the Scenes of Democracy,’ documents the fair-right’s rise to power in the central European country, and the opening film ‘Memórias do Grupo Opinião’ (Memories of the Opinion Group) tells the story of the artistic group ‘Grupo Opinião’ (Opinion Group) and their resistance to the Brazilian military dictatorship.

Highlights of last year’s competition included ‘O Processo’ (The Trial) which followed the impeachment of former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, and ‘Naila and the Uprising,’ a documentary about the non-violent movement led by Palestinian women in the eighties.

29 out of the 66 films being shown by the festival will have English subtitles.

What: ‘É Tudo Verdade’ (‘It’s All True’ Documentary Film Festival)
When: April 9th to April 14th – check event page or website to see sessions’ details.
Where: Instituto Moreira Salles – Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 476 – Gávea
Estação NET Botafogo – Rua Voluntários da Pátria, 88 – Botafogo
Entrance: FREE