This program of five films that differ in their genre and style enables us to learn more about contemporary Brazilian film production



Brazilian films received worldwide recognition in the 1950s for films such as The Bandit (1953) by Lima Barreto (1906 - 1982) and Song of the Sea (1953) by Alberto Cavalcanti (1897 - 1982). Under the influence of these directors, younger authors Glauber Rocha (1939 - 1981) and Nelson Pereira Dos Santos (1928), who is still working, Ruy Guerra (1931) and Carlos (Cacá) Diegues (1940) established the film movement Cinema Novo, which deals with contemporary Brazilian topics from the past and present and combines innovation and social criticism on film. Because of this film movement Brazil soon became one of the most interesting countries in regards to film production. After the military coup in 1964 and a much stricter censorship policy, the movement lost its influence and Brazil ceased to attract the attention of international film lovers. Several films have stood out over the past twenty years: Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) by Hector Babenco, Central Station (1998) by Walter Salles and City of God (2002) by Fernando Meirelles. Nevertheless, not only these authors but also many others made many more interesting films in the last few years. There are thirty to forty diverse films made in Brazil every year and their quality proves that today Brazil is one of the most interesting countries when it comes to contemporary cinema. This was further supported by the recent program of Brazilian films shown on Croatian television.


This program in Tuškanac, which includes five award-winning films, offers valuable insight into the diverse cinema of contemporary Brazil. Bruno Baretto’s Bossa Nova is a great example of a mainstream film in which elements of screwball comedy successfully mix with music and the sensuality of Brazil. The other extreme of Brazil is presented by the aforementioned veteran Cacá Diegues who uses modernism in the farcical Deus é Brasileiro in which God appears in modern-day Brazil. In Mauá: O Imperador o e Rei Sérgio Rezende gave his take on the story about one of the most important figures in Brazilian history, 19th century politician and entrepreneur Mauá. Cao Hamburger goes back to the 1970s, the time of Castel Branca’s dictatorship and the year when Brazil won the world soccer championship. In his film O Ano em que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias he tells the story through the eyes of a small boy with an unusual destiny. Monique Gardenberg made an interesting musical drama Ó Paí, Ó. This selection enables us to learn more about Brazilian film and identify major trends in contemporary film production of that country. (Tomislav Kurelec)