Premiere Brazil! 2006
July 13–23, 2006

Now in its fourth year, this annual series continues to introduce New York audiences to original and accomplished new films by Brazilian filmmakers. In any given year, film production in Brazil is graced by a wide variety of filmmaking practices. Emerging or established talents tease out edgy subject matter or give new life to traditional themes. Both popular and more experimental formats are shown, but whether documentaries, shorts, or fiction films, these works are unmistakably Brazilian—and most of them premiere at the popular Rio Film Festival. This year, Premiere Brazil! gives in to the seductive impulses of bossa nova, samba, and Carnival by presenting Marcel Camus’s Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus), restored to its original eye-popping, Eastmancolor splendor. Augmenting that program is an illuminating portrait of the extraordinary man who wrote the play on which it is based, Vinicius de Moraes, a poet, songwriter, and diplomat. In addition, Breno Silveira’s Two Sons of Francisco is given a special weeklong run. All films are in Portuguese with English subtitles. Most first screenings are introduced by the directors.

Premiere Brazil! is made possible by George Gund III and Iara Lee and by The Ministry of Culture - Secretaria do Audiovisual, Brazil. Additional support is provided by The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, The Consulate General of Brazil in New York, Marjorie Andrade, and Richard Kandel. Special thanks to LOTUS, KUSH, PORCAO Churrascaria New York, and Leblon cachaça.

2 Filhos de Francisco (Two Sons of Francisco). 2005. Brazil. Directed by Breno Silveira. With Angelo Antonio, Dira Paes, Marcio Kieling, Dablio Moreira. Based on a true story, a spirited parable of survival about a singing duo’s journey from poverty and tragedy to adulation and millions of records sold. Brazil’s number one box office hit of 2005 features terrific country-style music and compelling performances. 119 min. U.S. premiere.
Thursday, July 13, 6:00 (introduced by Silveira). T1; Friday, July 14, 8:00; Saturday, July 15, 2:00; Sunday, July 16, 3:00; Monday, July 17, 6:30; Wednesday, July 19, 8:30. T2

Sonjos E Desejos (Dancing in Utopia). 2006. Directed by Marcelo Santiago. With Mel Liaboa, Felipe Camargo, Sergio Marone. In his immensely assured debut, Santiago—who co-wrote the script with Carolina Monteiro de Barros—investigates passion and desire in all their forms with this story of a sensuous and intriguing love triangle amongst revolutionaries living clandestinely in Belo Horizonte in the 1970s. 93 min. World premiere.
Thursday, July 13, 8:30. T1; Sunday, July 23, 1:00. T2

Moacir. Arte Bruta. 2005. Written and directed by Walter Carvalho. The world of Moacir, a poor, black, deformed forty-two-year-old who lives in squalid conditions in a corner of a National Park, is gently brought to life as his private universe of flora and fauna, religion and sex, saints and humans, and visions of mystical figures is revealed in his art. 72 min.
Dormente. 2005. Directed by Joel Pizzini. A stylish exploration of the darkness and daily journeys of trains and tracks, set to an evocative score. 15 min.
Friday, July 14, 6:00. T1; Saturday, July 22, 2:00. T2

Crime Delicado (Delicate Crime). 2005. Cowritten and directed by Beto Brant. With Marco Ricca, Lilian Taublib. A courageous exploration of the possibilities of human interaction, sex, and desire by a filmmaker equally attracted to risk. A critic respected for his shrewd reason has a chance encounter with a young woman whose very presence rocks his well-ordered world. She in turn has an unusual relationship with a painter. 87 min.
Green Vinyl. 2005. Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. With Gabriela Sousa, Veronica Alves. A fairy tale for grown-ups only. 16 min.
Friday, July 14, 8:00. T1; Saturday, July 22, 6:30. T2

500 Almas (500 Souls). 2004. Written and directed by Joel Pizzini. An “ethno-poetic” film about the mythical and existential universe of the Guató culture, a group dispersed around the Pantanal area of Brazil. The film experiments with the relationship between indigenous language and cinematic language while reflecting on the culture’s image from the point of view of both mainstream society and the Indians themselves. 109 min.
Saturday, July 15, 2:00. T1; Sunday, July 23, 5:15. T2

Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus). 1959. France/Italy/Brazil. Directed by Marcel Camus. Screenplay by Vinicius de Moraes, based on his play. With Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn. De Moraes’s retelling of the Greek legend, transplanted to Rio during Carnival season. An international hit, it won the Caméra d’Or in Cannes and the 1960 Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film for France; yet it is as Brazilian as its infectious bossa nova soundtrack and the exuberant spectacle of the samba schools dancing in joyful abandon during the parade. Newly restored print. 106 min.
Saturday, July 15, 4:30. T1; Sunday, July 23, 3:00. T2

Vinicius. 2005. Cowritten and directed by Miguel Faria Jr. Vinicius de Moraes authored over four hundred poems and wrote lyrics for approximately four hundred songs (most famously, The Girl from Ipanema). His life and unparalleled career on Brazil’s cultural scene is recounted by friends and relatives and illuminated with rare archival footage. This spontaneous and lively documentary captures the creative essence of a beloved artist and philosopher of daily life. 120 min.
Saturday, July 15, 7:00. T1; Thursday, July 20, 8:00. T2

Seeu Fosse Você (If I Were You). 2006. Directed by Daniel Filho. With Gloria Pires, Tony Ramos. When a celestial faux pas turns Claudio into Helena and vice versa, their family life and professional careers are turned upside down in this effective social critique and delightful satire of gender stereotypes. 94 min.

Sunday, July 16, 2:00. T1; Friday, July 21, 6:00. T2

Quanto Vale ou é Por Quilo? (What Is It Worth?). 2005. Directed by Sergio Bianchi. Bianchi’s most recent film retains all of the political urgency of his earlier works and ambitiously attempts to determine how money came to rule our way of life and our social interactions with friends and family. Moving through time, the film connects scenes of exploitation and social development in a visceral indictment of the significance of economic value. 110 min.
Sunday, July 16, 4:30. T1; Saturday, July 22, 4:00. T2