The Brazilian Film Festival, now in its 11th year, will take place at the cinematheques in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa throughout the month of August. Five films, four features and one documentary, all produced between 2009 – 2010, offer different perspectives on Brazil today, and on Brazilian cinema.
The festival is sponsored by the Brazilian Embassy in Israel, thanks to the support and efforts of Brazilian Ambassador to Israel – H.E. Maria Elisa Berenguer and cultural attaché Gustavo de Sá. Shlomo Azaria is the artistic director of the festival.
Festival films:
Malu On A Bicycle by Falvio Tambellini is the opening film of the festival.
Luiz Mario, a Sao Paulo night-club impresario and a classic bon vivant, is also an avid collector of love affairs. One day everything changes when he is run-over by Malu, a beautiful carioca, who is riding her bicycle along Rio de Janeiro’s coastline. The couple’s fervent romance is abruptly thrown into disarray when an enigmatic love letter is discovered.
Boca by Flavio Frederico
Adapted from his autobiography, the film recounts the story of Hiroito, The King of Boca do Lixo (a region in downtown Sדo Paulo of the fifties where various nightclubs, strip joints, prostitution, bars, and drugs could be found). Hiroito was a well born bohemian and at the age of 21 was accused of the murder of his father, who was violently stabbed over 40 times with a razor. Hiroito was not charged, however, two months after the death of his father, Hiroito bought two guns and moved to Boca do Lixo and became one of the most dangerous criminals of the region.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (E proibido fumar) by Anna Muylaert
Baby, a chain-smoking guitar teacher in her forties, craves for a romantic relationship. When musician Max moves in the apartment next door, she sees in him the possibility of turning her lonely life around. But instead she finds herself unexpectedly involved in a love triangle that leads to a terrible jealous rage. It really is a bad time to give up smoking.
Trampolim Do Forte (Diving Into the Blue) by João Rodrigo Mattos
Life on the streets is not easy and Felizaro, aged 11, needs to sell his popsicles to help his mother. On one of those tough days, he comes across Fuleirinho and his bunch. Felizardo finds himself in a crossroad between good and evil, and he has to make a decision. Déo, aged 12, is a master of the diving board. However, at home things are not going so well and he finds himself entangled in a dangerous plot, which involves his friends, the beautiful Tetéia and the weird Tadeu, King of Kiddies.
Dzi Croquettes by Tatiana Issa, Raphael Alvarez
The Dzi Croquettes were a groundbreaking dance and theater group that used their talent and a mix of humor and derision to challenge the violent dictatorship that gripped Brazil in the 1970s. They created a new stage language that would influence an entire generation, revolutionized the gay movement despite being banned and were censored by the military regime. Through interviews and archival footage of the group’s incredible performances, the film reveals the origin of the group, their relentless perfectionism, and their unexpected stroke of luck when Liza Minnelli becomes a godmother of sorts to them.
