After a successful 10th anniversary, the Brazilian Film Festival of Miami is back for its 11th year and hope to build on the buzz and momentum of the previous year to create even more visibility for Brazilian cinema in the U.S. and secure its spot on South Florida's cultural calendar.
The Festival, produced by Inffinito Foundation and City of Miami Beach, is the largest competitive showing of Brazilian movies held outside of Brazil. All the films in competition are being screened in the U.S. for the first time. Over 20,000 people -Â Latinos, Brazilians, Americans and tourists alike -Â are expected at the screenings at the Colony Theatre where over 30 films will be screened.
Film screenings are at 7 pm and 9 pm, with an 11 pm late night screening on Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets for the screenings are US$ 10 each. Guests can also purchase a VIP pass for US$ 120, which includes access to all screenings, private parties, and the closing night award ceremony.
The nine-day Festival will take place in South Beach from June 1 to 9, 2007. Tickets for the screenings at the Colony Theatre will go on sale on April 30th and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com/venue/106597.
The Festival will bring actors, directors, producers and executives from the Brazilian and American film industries together to screen Brazilian productions, all previously unseen in the US.
The Brazilian Film Festival of Miami launches on Friday, June 1st, with a free opening party at the North Beach Band Shell, where an outdoor screening of Carla Camurati's Irma Vap -Â The Return, the 2006 Best Picture Public Choice, will be projected on the giant screen.
Irma Vap is an endearing story about a man trying to bring Brazil's most beloved theatrical production to the big screen, but unforeseen problems may prevent the realization of his dreams.
The 2006 Best Short Film award winner, What's up Tocayo, will also be screened at the opening party. It's a short-film documentary made in Havana, Cuba about a Cuban mother, Mirian Torres, who tries to show us the world through her point of view. The free party will begin at 6 pm with a performance by The Brazilian Samba School and music by DJ Marcelo and will be followed by the outdoor film screening at sundown (approximately 8:30 pm). Last year's opening event brought 1,300 guests to the North Beach Band Shell, where guest partied the night away under the stars.
Between June 2nd and 8th the Colony Theatre will present over 30 short and feature productions, among them: Noel-The Samba Poet (2006) about a young medical student who becomes a samba music star and gets carried away by all vices of stardom until an illness complicates his life; 1972 (2006), a film by José Emílio Rondeau about a rock star from Rio de Janeiro looking for love; Cartola (2006), the story of one of the most important composers of Brazilian music and a history of samba based on one of its most distinguishable figures; Dirty Money (2006), a well-crafted comedy of errors, which addresses the distortions created by capitalism in a culture of corruption; Unforgettable (2006) by Paulo Sérgio Almeida about an actor who uses the magic of cinema to get revenge on his wife and his best friend who are having an affair; Urban Snap-shots (2006), which chronicles a day in the life of five middle-class women in Rio de Janeiro; and Zuzu Angel (2006) about a fashion designer who becomes entrenched in a fight against the military regime after her son gets killed, putting her own life in danger. Never before seen in the US, all the films were finished or released to the Brazilian public between 2006 and 2007 and will now compete for top Festival honors.
Brazilian film legend Ney Latorraca will receive a special tribute during the festival. Selected films from his filmography will be screened at the Colony Theatre throughout the Festival.
At the festival's closing ceremony, to be held on June 9th, a jury comprised of movie industry professionals will select the year's best in 11 categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. The winners will be presented with a Crystal Lens Award, a trophy designed by Brazilian sculptor Helena Bressane. The Best Picture Public Choice will also be awarded to the best feature and short films, as voted by the audience.
Although a bustling cultural event, the Festival also represents an opportunity for the films to garner American distribution. "The Brazilian Film Festival of Miami is acknowledged by the Brazilian Culture Ministry as a market and business Festival," said Adriana Dutra, Executive Director of The Brazilian Film Festival of Miami.
"This is fundamental, considering that one of the event's main purposes is to be a platform for the selling, distribution and screening of Brazilian films in the United States and Latin America."
MarketPlace, a free series of panels and seminars with representatives from the international movie industry, including American studio professionals, distributors, producers, independent producers and Brazilian movie institutions will be held once again. It will happen at the SurfComber Hotel from June 4th to the 6th.
Inffinito Foundation has produced the Brazilian Film Festival of Miami since 1997. In its second year, Inffinito owners Adriana Dutra, Cláudia Dutra and Viviane Spinelli reached out to the City of Miami Beach, which was happy to become an official sponsor of the ongoing event. Today the Brazilian Film Festival of Miami is the only Brazilian event on the city's official calendar.
The Brazilian Film Festival of Miami will be followed up in New York by the Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil, which takes place August 5th to the 12th. The New York Festival will kick off with a concert by AfroReggae at Central Park SummerStage followed by the screening of Zuzu Angel.
11th Brazilian Film Festival of Miami
All screenings at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL, 33139
Saturday, June 2
7:00Â Caixa Doi$ (Money on the $ide). 2006. Directed by Bruno Barreto. Screenplay by Márcio Alemão. With Giovanna Antonelli, Cássio Gabus Mendes, Fulvio Stefanini, Zezé Polessa, Daniel Dantas, Thiago Fragoso. A fat check, the result of shady transactions, intertwines the fate of a bank manager and his revered boss. The manager, the banker, their respective wives, children, lovers, secretaries and their morals are all exposed as the dirty money gets passed from one hand to the next. Throughout a well-crafted comedy of errors, Dirty Money addresses the distortions created by capitalism in a culture of corruption. 83 min.
9:00 Pro Dia Nascer Feliz ( For a Better Day). 2005. Written and Directed by João Jardim. In this documentary about the Brazilian educational system, rich and poor teenagers from 5 different schools in 3 cities in Brazil talk about what happens in their schools. Why doesn't it work at all? Why is it so difficult to be a teenager? The background is a discussion of the Brazilian educational system; the story of this film is the clash between different realities and how it portrays a moment so rich and powerful in emotions. 87 min.
10:45 Baixio das Bestas (Bog of Beasts).2005. Directed by Cláudio Assis. Written by Hilton Lacerda. With Mariah Teixeira, Fernando Teixeira, Caio Blat, Matheus Nachtergaele, Dira Paes, Marcélia Cartaxo, Hermila Guedes, Conceição Camarotti, João Ferreira, Irandhir Santos, China, Samuel Vieira. Bog of Beasts is a symbolic location of human confluence. A small community entrenched with a secular culture, and paralyzed within its own authority and morality- a decadent land owning culture. 80 min.
Sunday, June 3
7:00Â 1972 (1972). 2006. Directed by José Emílio Rondeau. Written by Ana Maria Bahiana and José Emílio Rondeau. With Rafael Rocha, Dandara Guerra, Bem Gil, Fábio Azevedo, Débora Lamm, Dudu Azevedo, Lúcio Mauro Filho, Louise Cardoso, Pierre dos Santos, Tony Tornado. In Rio de Janeiro, at the end of the southern hemisphere's winter of 1972, there was the Left, the Right – and then there was the rest. This is a story about the rest. Snoopy, a resident of one of the far-flung suburbs of Rio and a rock fanatic, may ride buses and be dismissed as a "suburbano" – a suburban kid – by his South Zone counterparts, but that doesn't stop him from dressing up as a full-fledged rock star. In his mind, he's not living in the working class suburbs of Rio, but in his own rock and roll fantasy. Girls may chase him, but Snoopy's never found "the one". And for Snoopy, "the one" is a girl that'll be at least as versed in rock and roll culture as he is. Snoopy meets Júlia and they start to fall in love and this will forever change their lives. 104 min.
9:00 Polaróides Urbanas ( Urban Snap-shots). 2006. Written and directed by Miguel Falabella. With Marília Pêra, Arlete Salles, Natália do Vale, Neusa Borges, Marcos Caruso, Otávio Augusto. A day in the life of five women who, with humor and compassion, question their choices and clumsily try to restructure their lives. These stories intertwine amidst the hectic craziness of Rio de Janeiro, drawing a touching portrait of the middle class. 90 min.
Monday, June 4
7:00 Fica comigo esta noite (Stay With Me Tonight). 2005. Written and directed by João Falcão. With Alinne Moraes, Vladimir Brichta, Gustavo Falcão, Laura Cardoso, Milton Gonçalves, Alessandra Maestrini, Bruno Cariati, Clarice Falcão, Marly Bueno, Rodrigo Penna, Zéu Brito. Recently married and in love, Edu, a talented musician, and Laura, his beautiful wife, are already experiencing their first crisis due to his busy schedule and prolonged absences. Accustomed to playing dead to avoid long arguments with Laura, Edu is caught by surprise when he realizes he is actually dead. Now in the afterlife he carries a secret and struggles to communicate with his lovely wife. 73 min.
9:00Â Cartola (Cartola – The Samba Legend). 2006. Written and directed by Ferreira and Hilton Lacerda. With Marcos Paulo Simião. The story of one of the most important composers of Brazilian music and a history of samba based on one of its most noble figures. Using fragmented language, Cartola depicts a powerful panorama of Brazilian culture, inviting us to reflect on the construction of national memory and identity. It's the portrait of a man who recreated himself as time passed by. 88 min
Tuesday, June 5
7:00Â í€ Margem do Concreto (Squatting – On The Fringes of São Paulo). 2005. Directed by Evaldo Mocarzel. Written by Evaldo Mocarzel and Marcelo Moraes. "Squatting – On the Fringes of São Paulo" is a feature-length documentary that focuses on the occupation of empty buildings in the municipality of São Paulo. It is the second part of a trilogy that started with "On the Fringes of São Paulo: the Homeless". The third part of the trilogy will be entitled "On the Fringes of São Paulo: Garbage" and will feature the life of people who work picking-up paper and other recyclable materials in the streets of São Paulo. The three films aim to outline a picture of the surviving strategies in the cities surrounding the city of São Paulo. 85 min.
9:00 Trair e Coçar é Só Começar (Cheating in Chains). Directed by Moacyr Góes. Written by Marcos Caruso and Jandira Martins. With Adriana Esteves, Cássio Gabus Mendes, Ailton Graça, Bianca Byington, Mônica Martelli, Otávio Muller, Márcia Cabrita, Mario Schoemberger, Thiago Fragoso, Cristina Pereira, Fabiana Carla. Adapted from a big hit theatre play, this vaudeville comedy takes place in the condo of a middle class family where Olímpia, a clumsy maid, confuses everyone, making everybody believe that they are part of a chain of adulteries. 83 min.
Wednesday, June 6
7:00Â Zuzu Angel (Zuzu Angel). 2006. Directed by Sergio Resende. Written by Sergio Resende and Marcos Bernstein. With Patrícia Pillar, Daniel de Oliveira, Alexandre Borges, Leandra Leal, í‚ngela Leal, í‚ngela Vieira, Othon Bastos, Flávio Bauraqui, Antônio Pitanga, Nelson Dantas, Paulo Betti, Regiane Alves, Fernanda de Freitas, Aramis Trindade. It was the 1960s and the world as they knew was turned upside down, transforming the social structure of a country. In this new reality Zuzu Angel's career as a stylist takes off while her son Stuart joins the student movement. The difference between both is colossal. He was fighter for a socialist revolution and she a successful businesswoman. Eventually, Stuart is arrested, tortured and killed. That's when Zuzu's quest starts: first to release her son and later, once she learned he was dead, to retrieve his body. This pursuit reveals deep secrets of the repression. Her efforts don't go unnoticed and she is silenced to cover it up. Her fight for her son ends for her the same way it did her son. 104 min.
9:00 Proibido Proibir (Forbidden to Forbid). 2006. Directed by Jorge Duran. Written by Jorge Duran and Dani Patarro. With Caio Blat, Maria Flor, Alexandre Rodrigues, Edyr Duqui. Three young college students – Paulo, Letícia and Leon – face the moral and ethical conflicts of a love triangle. Meanwhile, college life brings them closer to the problems in which they are immersed and their attempt to interfere has drastic consequences. 100 min.
Thursday, June 7
7:00 Noel – O Poeta da Vila (Noel – The Samba Poet). 2006. Directed by Ricardo Van Steen. Written by Pedro Vicente de Azevedo Alves. With Rafael Raposo, Camila Pitanga, Lidiane Borges, Paulo César Pereio, Flavio Bauraqui, Supla, Jonathan Haagensen. At 17, Noel Rosa is a funny young man with an imperfection in his chin and who likes to improvise sarcastic poems for his friends. He studies medicine and plays in a local band with other boys from his neighborhood. A middle-class white guy, he prefers the friendship of black guys from the other side of the tracks, factory girls and hookers. On his travels, he meets Ismael Silva, a composer who unveils to him the world of samba and the underworld. Challenged by his new friends to compose sambas, Noel writes "Com que roupa?" using a parody of the Brazilian national anthem as its base. It is an extraordinary success. From that point on, Noel flies through the golden age of radio like a comet, changing the direction of Brazilian popular music. Between declarations of love and samba duels, the irreverent "Samba Poet" sidesteps his professors, family and even the police to live an intense life buoyed along by monumental quantities of cigarettes and alcohol. That was until an illness, too powerful for the medicines of the era, complicates his life. 99 min.
9:00Â O Passageiro – Segredos de Adultos (The Passenger – Adult Secrets). 2006. Directed by Flávio Tambellini. Written by Cesário Mello Franco and Flávio Tambellini. With Antonio Calloni, Giulia Gam, Carolina Ferraz, Bernardo Carvalho, Luiza Mariani, Luana Carvalho. "The Passenger – Adult Secrets" deals with a universal theme: the relationship between parents and their children and the misunderstanding and frustrations that arise on both parts. "The Passenger" tells the story of a dreamy and inexperienced teenager who is brutally confronted with his father's murder. Disastrously in love, the shy Antonio will have to deal with guilt and responsibility, and will have to prove that he is a courageous boy. These events will push Antonio towards a path of knowledge and engagement in life. "The Passenger – Adult Secrets" is a story of growth amidst the loss of someone dear. 105 min.
Friday, June 8
7:00 Só Deus Sabe (Only God Knows). 2006. Directed by Carlos Bolado. Written by Diane Weipert and Carlos Bolado. With Alice Braga, Diego Luna, Renata Zhaneta, Cecília Suarez. Love: does it tie us down or set us free? Is it chance or fate that guides our way? Dolores, a Brazilian art student who lives in San Diego travels to Tijuana with her friends, and meets Damián, a mysterious, young Mexican journalist. A lost passport is responsible for bringing the two together and in Mexico City an intense romance unfolds between the couple. But Damián is keeping a secret that could separate them forever. Fate leads the pair to Brazil, where Dolores needs to understand what's going on and make a tough decision. 113 min.
9:00 Viva Sapato! (Viva Sapato!). 2002. Written and directed by Luiz Carlos Lacerda. With Jorge Sanz, Laura Ramos, Ney Latorraca, Irene Ravache, María Galiana, Vladimir Cruz, Paula Burlamaqui, Caio Junqueira, Maitê Proença, Marcello Anthony, José Wilker. The film is more than a comedy. It's a love story. It's about relationships. This is the first film that deals with, in a funny way, the similarities between Cubans and Brazilians, equally beautiful, sensual and smart, frightening and lovely. 94 min.
10:45 Inesquecível (Unforgettable). 2006. Directed by Paulo Sergio. Written by Marcos Bernstein. With Guilhermina Guinle, Caco Ciocler, Murilo Benício. Upon discovering that the love of his life shared an ardent love affair with his best friend, a famous actor becomes so overwhelmed by jealousy and suspicion that he uses the magic of the cinema as his weapon to exact an extraordinary revenge. 88 min.
Saturday, June 9
8:00 Closing Awards Ceremony
A Grande Família (The Big Family). 2006. Directed by Maurício Farias.
Written by Cláudio Paiva and Guel Arraes. With Marco Nanini, Marieta Severo, Pedro Cardoso, Guta Stresser, Andréa Beltrão, Lúcio Mário Filho, Paulo Betti, Tonico Pereira, Marcos Oliveira, Dira Paes. After taking a lab test, Lineu is convinced that he's about to die and that the Silva Family won't survive. Then he tries, in three different ways, to rebuild his relationship with the members of the family, all with the intention to ease their suffering when he is gone. Without understanding what is really happening, the family is hit by an array of actions that range from comic to tragic. 104 min.
11th Brazilian Film Festival of Miami
All screenings at the Miami Beach Cinematheque, 512 Espaí±ola Way, Miami Beach, FL, 33139
Monday, June 4
8:30 Janela Da Alma (Window of the Soul). 2001. Directed by João Jardim and Walter Carvalho. Written by João Jardim. With José Saramago, Hermeto Pascoal, Wim Wenders, Oliver Sacks, Agnes Varda, Evgen Bavcar. In the documentary Window Of the Soul, 19 people from different parts of the world, with different degrees of visual impairment, speak of how they see themselves, how they see others and how they perceive the world. 2001 Nobel Prize winner José Saramago, director Wim Wenders, blind photographer Evgen Bavcar, neurologist Oliver Sacks, Minas Gerais' blind commissioner Arnaldo Godoy, among others make personal and unexpected revelations about a number of issues related to sight: the physiological working of the eye, the use of glasses and their effect on the personality, the meaning of seeing or not seeing in a world saturated with images and, also, the importance of the emotions as a transforming element of reality, whether it is actually the same for everyone. Unusual images, like burning trees or the emptiness of a desert, make the link between the interviews, which alter density, humor and poetry.
Tuesday, June 5
8:30 Peões (Metalworkers). 2004. Directed by Eduardo Coutinho. Metalworkers is a documentary about the personal stories of those blue-collar workers from São Paulo who took part in the historic strikes of 1979 and 1980 but today remain in relative anonymity. In interviews they talk about their origins, their participation in the union movement and the paths their lives have taken. They show keepsakes from the strikes, remember the suffering and reward of their hard work in the factories, comment on the effect their union involvement had on their family life and reveal their views on president Lula and the path Brazil has undergone over the past twenty years. 2004.
Wednesday, June 6
8:30 A Pessoa í‰ para o que Nasce (Born to be Blind). 2003. Directed by Roberto Berliner. Written by Maurício Lissovsky. With Regina Barbosa, Maria das Neves Barbosa, Francisca da Conceição Barbosa. Three blind sisters, linked by this extraordinary twist of fate, spend their lives singing and playing rattle (ganzá) for spare change on different cities and street markets of Brazil's poverty stricken northeast. This documentary follows the daily chores of these women and how they survive on their own. It depicts a complex tale of love and death, anguish and art. The story follows them through as an unexpected turn in their lives transforms them into celebrities. The director and his subjects struggle with the newly created ties binding them, which reveals the risks and allure behind the work of a documentarist. 84 min.
Thursday, June 7
8:30 Entreatos (Intermissions). 2004. Directed by João Moreira Salles. With : Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, Marisa Lula da Silva, Duda Mendonça, José Alencar, José Dirceu, Walter Carvalho, Antônio Palocci. From September 25th to October 27th 2002, the crew of Intermissions followed Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's every step in his campaign to become President of Brazil. The taping of political ads, key strategy meetings, phone calls and private conversations are all part of this documentary's behind-the-scenes look at this historic moment. 117 min.
Friday, June 8
8:30 Oscar Niemeyer – A Vida í‰ Um Sopro (Oscar Niemeyer – Life is a Breath of Air). 2006. Written and directed by Fabiano Maciel. Is it possible to tell the story of a nation through its architecture? It's been said that the most important aspect of a building is the legacy that it represents for the society that built it. Therefore the work of Oscar Niemeyer and his generation is undoubtedly the best Brazil has ever produced, an architecture with a soul of its own inspired by the country's geography and that has influenced architects worldwide. Oscar Niemeyer – Life is a Breath of Air is a movie that, without trying to imitate the uniqueness of its subject, relies on the precision of his lines and on the poetry of his forms, in order to reconstruct the history of the greatest icon of Brazil's modern architecture. A history intertwined with transformations that the country underwent in this last century. 90 min.
For more information visit www.brazilianfilmfestival.com.
