Quimera. 2003. Brazil. Directed by Eryk Rocha and Tunga. With Tunga. The young filmmaker Eryk Rocha and internationally celebrated sculptor Tunga have crafted an engaging homage to the Surrealist tradition. Using as inspiration the Greek Chimera—a mythological hybrid of man and animal—they create a strongly affecting, dreamlike, and purely visual mental exchange. 15 min.

Fala Tu (Lives of Rhyme). 2003. Brazil. Directed by Guilherme Coelho. Far from the MTV version of hip-hop, Fala Tu is a street-level view of three people who live and breathe rap, and whose lives and experiences are expressed in how they write and sing. These resilient amateur musicians, two men and one woman, struggle to survive in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. The filmmaker’s rapport with his three protagonists gives him access to unguarded moments, as he accompanies them through a year of ups and downs around the city, in their workplaces, in various pirate radio stations, at religious ceremonies, during family gatherings, and in their private homes. This documentary provides rare insight into what it takes to try and make something of your life in one of Rio’s poor favelas. In Portuguese, English subtitles. 74 min. Program 90 min.

O prisioneiro da grade de ferro [auto-retratos] (The Prisoner of the Iron Bars [Self-Portraits]). 2003. Brazil. Directed by Paulo Sacramento. A year before the demolition of Brazil’s Carandiru Detention Center (the same prison fictionalized in the recent film Carandiru, by Brazilian director Hector Babenco), inmates were taught how to use video cameras and started recording daily life inside the biggest jail in Latin America. Shot during one year by a crew of professional filmmakers and prisoners, the film offers an unprecedented look inside the Brazilian prison system. This fascinating series of portraits—and self-portraits—captures immensely affecting stories of desperation and hope in a prison filled beyond capacity. In Portuguese, English subtitles. 123 min.

Glauber o filme, labirinto do Brasil (Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil). 2003. Brazil. Directed by Silvio Tendler. Structured around Glauber Rocha’s huge public funeral in Rio de Janeiro’s Lage Park, this documentary features interviews with some of his friends and colleagues about the life and death of an artist who—perhaps more than anyone else—gave Brazilian cinema its identity. Leading the early 1960s Cinema Novo movement, Glauber Rocha’s exuberant, revolutionary personality tied him intimately to the life of his country; his premature death in 1981 is still an emotional issue for many Brazilians. Withheld for eighteen years, this tribute to the mythical filmmaker, critic, and provocative and controversial thinker is as grand and intimate as the artist and his continuing influence. In Portuguese, English subtitles. 100 min.

8:00 p.m.

A pessoa é Para o que nasce (Born to Be Blind). 2003. Brazil. Directed by Roberto Berliner. Berliner’s debut documentary feature tells a complex tale of love and death, anguish and art. Three blind sisters have been eking out a living for years by singing in the streets of Campina Grande in northeastern Brazil. The filmmaker immerses us in daily lives and routines with scenes of moving intimacy as the sisters, linked by their extraordinary twist of fate, somehow manage to get by. When, early in the film, the sisters tell their stories one by one, their accounts are accompanied by an extraordinarily inventive use of music; the entire film pulses with rhythm as the sisters’ lives transition from obscurity to fame, finally coming full circle. This surprising film implicitly deals with the filmmaker’s relationship with and commitment to his subjects over several years, and documents how the act of filming someone changes everything. In Portuguese, English subtitles. 84 min. Introduced by the filmmaker

Filhas do Vento (Daughters of the Wind). 2004. Brazil. Directed by Joel Zito Araujo. With Milton Goncalves, Ruth de Souza, Lea Garcia, Maria Ceica. Assembling the largest cast of black actors ever seen in a Brazilian film, this first fiction feature film by acclaimed documentarian Araujo is a moving and complex story about redemption between sisters, mothers, and daughters. The film tells the stories of the female protagonists, starting at a funeral in the present and traversing back and forth between contemporary time and the 1960s and ‘70s. The film touches upon themes pertinent to women everywhere, but in small-town Brazil the ghosts of slavery and racism linger and affect the characters’ lives in subtle ways. In a brilliant piece of political and social storytelling, the filmmaker substitutes the stereotypical roles usually played by black actors in Brazil’s most popular medium, the soap opera, for full, multifaceted characterizations—even as he cleverly employs many of the telenovella’s methods of communicating to wide audiences. In Portuguese, English subtitles. 85 min. WORLD PREMIERE. Introduced by the filmmaker

1:00 p.m.

O Pagador de Promessas (The Given Word). 1962. Brazil. Directed by Anselmo Duarte. With Leonardo Villar, Glória Menezes, Dionísio Azevedo, Norma Bengell, Geraldo Del Rey, Roberto Ferreira. With searing black-and-white cinematography (by Chick Fowle) this tremendously moving tale carries a strong political and social punch. In its commitment to the individual against the powers that be it is as relevant today as when it was awarded the 1962 Palme D'Or in Cannes. The film was championed by François Truffaut on the jury and beat out such contenders as Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Michelangelo Antonioni, Luis Buñuel, and Robert Bresson. 1962 became a fundamental year for Brazilian Cinema because of the national impact of the European recognition. Ze is an exceedingly poor man from the Brazilian backlands. His most prized possession is his donkey. When his donkey falls terminally ill, Ze makes a promise to God. If his donkey recovers, he will carry a cross-like Jesus-all the way from the backlands to the state capital. When the miracle happens, Ze leaves on his journey. He makes it to the church, but there is a problem. The priest refuses to accept the cross once he hears the reason for such sacrifice and in short time the peasant's mission is turned into a media circus, misinterpreted by everyone. In Portuguese , English subtitles. 98 min.

Filhas do Vento (Daughters of the Wind). See Wednesday, June 23, 10:00 p.m.

Deus é Brasileiro (God is Brazilian). 2003. Brazil. Directed by Carlos Diegues. With Antonio Fagundes, Paloma Durate, Wagner Moura. Diegues—best known as one of the masters of Brazil’s influential Cinema Novo movement—has clearly had fun creating this playful and poignant comedy, which was a runaway hit on its home turf. God, having decided to take a vacation from his endless toil minding Earth and the impossible human race, must first recruit a temporary substitute. To track down the man he considers best suited for the job, he goes to Brazil's northeast, joined by fisherman/con artist Taoca and the tough-acting, lovely Mada. The trio's spirited road trip unfolds across stunning stretches of the diverse Brazilian countryside. The locations, the frequently odd residents, Taoca's religious-icon-filled dreams, and the wacky twists of the journey itself all become integral parts of this comic fantasy. In Portuguese, English subtitles. 110 min.

Glauber o filme, labirinto do Brasil (Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil). See Wednesday, June 23, 5:30 p.m. Introduced by the filmmaker

A pessoa é Para o que nasce (Born to Be blind). See Wednesday, June 23, 8:00 p.m.

Deus é Brasileiro (God is Brazilian). See Thursday, June 24, 5:30 p.m.

A pessoa é Para o que nasce (Born to Be blind). See Wednesday, June 23, 8:00 p.m. Introduced by the filmmaker

Filhas do Vento (Daughters of the Wind). See Wednesday, June 23, 10:00 p.m.

Quimera

Fala Tu (Lives of Rhyme). See Wednesday, June 23, 1:00 p.m.

Um Caffé com o Miécio (A “Caffé” with Miécio). 2003. Brazil. Directed by Carlos Adriano. This film is a rigorous yet poetic and atmospheric portrait of Caffé, a beloved Brazilian caricaturist and music collector. Caffé’s caricatures from the 1950s to the 1990s are brought to vibrant life by the camera and the film’s spellbinding soundtrack. In Portuguese, English subtitles. 15 min.

Narradores de Javé (The Story Tellers). 2002. Brazil. Directed by Eliane Caffé. With Jose Dumont, Nelson Xavier, Nelson Dantas, Gero Camilo, Matheus Nachtergaele. To save their town from being flooded by the waters from a hydroelectric dam, the eccentric inhabitants of the small village of Javé decide on a unique strategy to defend themselves: they will write a report on the great achievements in their history, thus justifying their preservation. Since most people in the community can spin a good yarn but barely know how to write their own names, they enlist the help of a somewhat shady postman (played by the incomparable Jose Dumont) to commit their stories to paper. Directed with sensitivity and humor by Eliane Caffé, this breezy fable about the inconsistency of memory and the truth within the lie is a subtle ode to the indomitable spirit of ordinary people. In Portuguese, English subtitles. 100 min. Introduced by the filmmaker

A pessoa é Para o que nasce (Born to Be blind). See Wednesday, June 23, 8:00 p.m.

Um Caffé com o Miécio (A “Caffé” with Miécio)

Narradores de Javé (The Story Tellers). See Friday, June 25, 10:00 p.m. Introduced by the filmmaker

Filhas do Vento (Daughters of the Wind). See Wednesday, June 23, 10:00 p.m. Introduced by the filmmaker

Deus é Brasileiro (God is Brazilian). See Thursday, June 24, 5:30 p.m.

Filhas do Vento (Daughters of the Wind). See Wednesday, June 23, 10:00 p.m.

Um Caffé com o Miécio (A “Caffé” with Miécio)

Narradores de Javé (The Story Tellers). See Friday, June 25, 10:00 p.m.

A pessoa é Para o que nasce (Born to Be blind). See Wednesday, June 23, 8:00 p.m.

Quimera

Fala Tu (Lives of Rhyme). See Wednesday, June 23, 1:00 p.m.

Glauber o filme, labirinto do Brasil (Glauber the Movie, Labyrinth of Brazil). See Wednesday, June 23, 5:30 p.m.

A pessoa é Para o que nasce (Born to Be blind). See Wednesday, June 23, 8:00 p.m.

Um Caffé com o Miécio (A “Caffé” with Miécio)

Narradores de Javé (The Story Tellers). See Friday, June 25, 10:00 p.m.

Filhas do Vento (Daughters of the Wind). See Wednesday, June 23, 10:00 p.m.

O prisioneiro da grade de ferro [auto-retratos] (The Prisoner of the Iron Bars [Self Portraits]). See Wednesday, June 23, 3:00 p.m.

Filhas do Vento (Daughters of the Wind). See Wednesday, June 23, 10:00 p.m.

Deus é Brasileiro (God is Brazilian). See Thursday, June 24, 5:30 p.m.

A pessoa é Para o que nasce (Born to Be blind). See Wednesday, June 23, 8:00 p.m.

O Pagador de Promessas (The Given Word). See Thursday, June 24, 1:00 p.m.