 Abril Despedacado / Behind the Sun |
Brazilian Cultural Days FILM FESTIVAL In association with the Weaving Mill, Nicosia 7 - 31 October, 2005 http://www.ifantourgio.org.cy/ |
FRIDAY 7 OCTOBER A quintessential film from Brazil's Cinema Novo, this film of immense
power from Glauber Rocha is set in the impoverished Northeastern Brazil,
and focuses on a poor peasant as he changes from a fanatical preacher into
an honourable bandit. A violent yet lyrical portrait of Brazilian
society. “The film's success here doubtless reflects the 'exoticism' of its
style, somewhere between folk ballad and contemporary myth, since the
references to Brazilian history and culture are pervasive and fairly
opaque to the uninitiated. But Rocha's project is fundamentally political,
and completely unambiguous: he faces up to the contradictions of his
country in an effort to understand, to crush mystiques, and to improve.”
MONDAY 10 OCTOBER A young man is asked to avenge the death of his brother who was killed
because of a generations-old family feud. Faced with the prospect of dying
himself, the man questions his role in the feud. The arrival of a
beautiful circus performer complicates matters. ”As a story about two warring families, it is poignant, beautifully
shot, and powerful. As an allegory reflecting on the cycles of violence
that threaten all of our futures, it is absolutely necessary.” WEDNESDAY 12 OCTOBER Based on a true story, Perfumed Ball recounts the meeting of a
filmmaker with a group of Brazil’s most infamous outlaws, the cangaceiros.
Set in the 1930s, the film follows Benjamin Abrahao, a filmmaker and
photographer, who sees an opportunity for fame and fortune in the elusive
Lampiao, one of the cangaceiros' leaders. Abrahao manages to track Lampiao
down at his camp and talks him into becoming the subject of a documentary
capturing Lampiao’s private life on film. MONDAY 17 OCTOBER “Focusing on the disturbing relationship between Anisio and Marina,
director Beto Brant takes us into unusual gangster territory. Employing
some staggering camera sequences and editing tricks, Brant captures this
frantic world in which the only goal of any of the characters seems to be
to satisfy their desires. Moving through whorehouses, bars, and clubs,
Brant turns The Trespasser into a blistering political drama as
Anisio tries to create his own gangster's paradise, working his way up
from slum to suburbs with nothing more than his menacing presence.”
FRIDAY 21 OCTOBER Bianchi's restless camera traverses disparate regions of the country as
it follows the exploits of six principal characters, including Luis, the
owner of a trendy restaurant in Sao Paulo; Alfredo, a well-known writer
who's on a quixotic journey around the country, trying to understand why
Brazil has deteriorated into a cruel, exploitative social experiment; and
Adam, a Polish emigre with a jaundiced outlook on labor-management
relations. Bianchi never takes the easy way out by resorting to
hopelessness; rather he somehow hangs on to the possibility of rebirth, as
witnessed in the breathtaking final scene. MONDAY 24 OCTOBER The destinies of the downtrodden citizens of a Brazilian shantytown
converge in director Claudio Assis’ stark tale of life on the fringe of
society. The lives of the well-to-do exist as little more than an
unreachable horizon to those who face the bleak day-to-day reality of
existence on the street. Though butcher Wellington (Chico Diaz) admires
his wife Kika's (Dira Paes) devotion to her religion, his motivation for
supporting her spirituality lies more in the fact that he knows she will
remain faithful (which he has not) than in any true concern for her soul.
FRIDAY 28 OCTOBER Lena owns a forgotten bar next to a highway where the trucks zip by but rarely stop. She is eight months pregnant and has been abandoned by her former lover, Colonel Mattos, of the Sao Pauolo police. One day, she meets Vilela, a former policeman wanted for a crime he committed in Sao paulo. Colonel Mattos was Vilela's superior, and his presence is continually felt by the pair. The film delves into the souls of two Brazilians, isolated in one of the country's nameless reaches. A love story and a metaphor taken to extremes: a glimpse at an unequal society, which excludes many of its citizens, pushing them into violent adventures of love and death. MONDAY 31 OCTOBER Romantic comedy about the four stages of a break up: denial, negotiation, anger and acceptance - set among talkative Rio de Janeirans. Cabral is a middle-aged man married to the much younger Glorinha. Unhappy in their marriage, they decide on a trial separation. The separation becomes permanent when Glorinha falls in love with Diogo, an architect of her own age. But although it was Cabral/s idea to break up in the first place, he realizes he has made a mistake and is prepared to move mountains to win back Glorinha/s love. All films are with Portuguese dialogue and English subtitles Screenings are at 9:00pm | |