Brazilian film festival: Movie fiesta highlights everyday life, culture

Award-winning movies being shown this week.

ISLAMABAD:

Everyday life in a middle-class neighbourhood, the journey of an actor, an immigrant’s struggle and a father-son relationship form the central themes of four separate Brazilian movies that are bound to impress serious film buffs in the twin cities.

The award-winning movies are being screened as part of the four-day “V Festival of Brazilian Cinema in Pakistan,” that kicked off at the Embassy of Brazil in Islamabad on Thursday.

The film festival is a continuation of the Brazilian embassy’s frequent cultural diplomacy initiatives, but it is also unique because all the movies were released during the past six years and are emblematic of divergent trends in Brazilian cinema.

Movies are an important cultural export and in the case of Brazil, the movies shine light on aspects of Brazilian life other than football and the carnival, which South American is famous for worldwide, according to Brazilian Ambassador Alfredo Leoni.

The Brazilian embassy regularly organises cultural activities, such as cinema festivals, photo exhibitions and tourism promotional events, to improve the perception of Brazil in Pakistan, the ambassador said.

“The idea is to make Brazil better known to the Pakistani public,” Leoni said. “Better awareness about each other’s countries also opens up avenues for cooperation in other areas such as trade, investment and student exchange.”

Cultural activities and associated efforts are bearing fruit, he said. Four years ago, there were no Pakistani students studying in Brazil but now there are around 100 students mostly studying for postgraduate degrees, the ambassador said. Leoni said the embassy is also planning to hold a photo exhibition on football around June before the FIFA 2014 Football World Cup begins in Brazil.

The film festival started on Thursday evening with “Neighbouring Sounds,” a film set in a middle-class, urban neighbourhood of the northeastern Brazilian city of Recife.

The movie artistically looks at the emotional connections in the residential suburb by examining everyday life. The film, divided into three chapters, derives a thrilling tone from the conflict and stress between the old and the new, between the safe and anxiety of a breach in security.

“Neighbouring Sounds” is also a departure from traditional Brazilian movies which are mostly set in the rural countryside or urban slums. It explores the reality of a transforming urban society of Brazil but never quite lets go of tradition either, with characters and references to the past.

The Brazilian film industry, perhaps most popularly known to international audiences through Fernando Meirelles’s 2002 crime drama “City of God,” has gone through several movements since the early 20th century.

Over the last 10 years, there has been an increase in commercial movies in Brazil but more recently art movies, perhaps subsidised by studios that have seen commercial success, have also made a return.

The 2010 Gustavo Pizzi-directed movie “Craft” will be shown on Friday followed by “Times of Peace” by Daniel Filho on Saturday. The festival will end on Sunday, March 2, with “Gonzaga: from Father to Son” which is directed by Breno Silveira. Movie screenings begin at 6:30pm.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2014.