FAMOUS FOR SOCCER and samba, Brazil is starting to make a name for itself in cinema. Screen hits such as Central Station in 1998 and City of God in 2003 are just two triumphs from a country that international audiences are taking more notice of. Both features not only won critical acclaim, but received Oscar nominations. Now, it appears these were just the opening salvoes from Brazil's revitalised movie industry. According to Veronica Velazquez, the Brazilian cultural attache who has organised Brazilian Film Week, which starts on Monday, a wave of filmmakers is marking the South American nation's re-emergence as a creative hub. 'The country went through a low period in the early 1990s,' says Velazquez. 'But from about 1995 and 1996, it became dynamic again, with lots of newcomers. I'd say Latin America, along with Asia, is one of the most dynamic areas of movie-making in the world now. It's been a very creative period for the past 10 years, and the films' success has travelled abroad. This is the most fertile period since the 60s.' The initial Brazilian buzz came in the early 60s, with a movement called cinema novo (meaning new cinema). Highly influenced by the neo-realist school of post-war Italian cinema, it sought to depict the everyday stories of ordinary people in natural light and settings. Bruno Barreto is probably the bestknown of the directors who emerged at this time. His films include 1978's Dora and Her Two Husbands. More recently, he made 4 Days in September, starring Alan Arkin, about the 1969 kidnapping of the US ambassador in Rio de Janeiro. He also made last year's Hollywood flop, View from the Top, with Gwyneth Paltrow. Also from this era is Hector Babenco, a naturalised Brazilian, although Argentine by birth, who directed Kiss of the Spider Woman, turning Sonja Braga into an international star. 'People like Barreto and Babenco started in the 60s,' Velazquez says. 'The development of Brazil's cinema also has something to do with its political history. Cinema novo began just before the military regime, which started in 1964 and ended in 1985. After, we started having direct elections. It's not a coincidence that, with new support for the industry and democracy, there emerged creativity. Not only do we have the means, but the possibility now to express.' The filmmaking centres of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo blossomed again in the 90s, as the country started to recover from a national banking crisis. 'We went through the hardest financial bumps at exactly the same time as cinema production plummeted,' Velazquez says. 'On average, there are about 35 to 40 films a year now, from a low in 1992 of two features.' It doesn't hurt that the minister of culture, Gilberto Gil, is a musician and cultural activist. 'He is very committed to supporting the Brazilian cinema industry and making it international,' she says. Brazilian Film Week offers seven recent works, from docu-dramas shot in slums (Roberto Moreira's Up Against Them All) to comedies set in the poor northeastern region (Guel Arraes' The Dog's Will) and a magic-fantasy for children (Cao Hamburger's Castle Ra Tim Bum). But it's not difficult to notice that economic and social inequity is a primary issue in many of the films. Poverty, violence, despair and frustration are major themes, along with the complex influence of Christianity on the Brazilian psyche. This is best exemplified in Eduardo Coutinho's documentary, Santo Forte, which follows Pope John Paul II's 1997 visit to a Rio de Janeiro shanty town. Other highlights include Jorge Furtado's black comedy The Man Who Copied, about a photocopier operator who uses his equipment to print money to impress a woman. Andrucha Waddington's Me You Them chronicles the life of a young, unmarried mother raising her child by juggling three 'husbands'. Also of note is Karim Ainouz's Madame Sata. This dark and provocative film is about a gay cabaret performer in Rio's red-light district during the 30s. 'I think it's important to have a wide range of themes,' says Velazquez. 'Some of the films show a very harsh side of Brazilian society, but at the same time, they're artistically very highly accomplished. It's a bold view, and I think it's good to give space to that. Brazil has a multitude of stories and it has problems like any other society. But it's not just film production picking up. This is not an art-house phenomenon. Brazilian people are going to see them. City of God was a big hit last year in Brazil. 'Like Hong Kong, it has a strong local tradition. With more support, we can more easily produce, distribute and get movies shown abroad. It's becoming a big thing - like Brazilian music.' Brazilian Film Week, June 28-July 4; Hong Kong City Hall and Hong Kong Space Museum. Inquiries: phone 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp
