Brazilian Film Festival
Annual Brazilian Film Festival 2019 Day 3 & 4 : The Last Days!
September 29, 2019The Brazilian Film Festival 2019 concluded this weekend. The two movies that were served to the public were exceptional and more evidence of the prowess and skill of Brazilian filmmakers.
RIO 2096: A STORY OF LOVE AND FURY
On Thursday 26th, I had the pleasure of engaging in the animated film Rio 2096: A Story of Love & Fury ( Uma História de Amor e Fúria ) directed by Luiz Bolognesi.
The film is narrated by an Immortal warrior, who is part of the Tupinambá people (the year is 1566), part of the various inhabitants of the Tupi people of present-day Brazil. In the words of Abeguar, we watch as he is granted the power of flight in human form by the god Munhã. He is tasked to lead his people away from the evil clutches of Anhangá and he is granted immortality so as to achieve his purpose. With this, he is able to survive almost 600 years of Brazil's most turbulent times in all of history. He survives the invasion of the Portuguese in the land and turns into a bird, flying for years and years.
Abeguar is able to reincarnate into a new life when he sees his beloved Janaína (killed in the Portuguese invasion), in the next life (1825) when slavery is at its peak. He comes back with a different identity but Janaína.
He returns as well during the Brazilian dictatorship in 1968, once again, his life brought to purpose by a goal for freedom as well as the fact that Janaína is around. But I believe the best part of the film was when there was the time travel into 2096, a new era when there is a fight for everyone to have clean water. It was shocking for me to see that the price of water is way higher than that of any type of branded scotch.
Rio 2096 is a well brought out eye-opener to Brazilian views on racism, governance, freedom, struggles of the common Brazilian and of course, love. It was very clever how the writer kept Janaína's identity the same whilst changing out Immortal warrior's thus exhibiting the vitality to her role and standing by the Immortal warrior on the fight against injustices
I also give the film an A+ for keeping the events moving along without any unnecessary delays, making the time span of the film just at attention's peak. The animated features were generally spot-on.
The film stars Selton Mello, Camila Pitanga ( Tropical Paradise, Cat's Cradle, Irrational Heart, Side By Side ) and Rodrigo Santoro with the participation of actors like Bevmvindo Sequeira ( Baruk from Moses and the Ten Commandments ) and has won awards from the Annecy International Animated Film Festival for Best Feature and the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival for Audience Award.
LONG WAY HOME
Yesterday evening, the festival concluded with the screening of Long way Home ( Temporada ), a film by André Novais Oliveira. The film stars Grace Passô, playing Juliana. The daily lives of the characters end up revealing issues not new to the Brazilian nation such as racism and feminism, even though the film does not aim to explicitly highlight these particular issues.
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| A scene from 'Long way Home' starring Grace Passô |
In the eyes of Juliana, employed in a group of officials of an endemic control team looking to fight against pandemics such as Dengue in Brazilian favelas, we get to interact with issues such as falling apart of relationships like Juliana, whose husband, Carlos has become distant since the death of their unborn child, and her transformation through the new job, overcoming her past and adapting into new situations.
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| Temporada/Long way Home Poster |
It is uncanny just how the film's title Temporada ( which directly means 'season' in English ) is so revered in the story, with how Juliana's life enters a new season of self-discovery, healing, and a whole catharsis -the purging of emotions that is vital in the everyday human state after moving from Itaúna, Minas Gerais where she lived with her husband to live in Contagem.
One highlight from the movie is how she ends up giving into getting her hair styled. Hair is important to the everyday black woman. According to Ashleigh Williams: The expression of beauty through hairstyles has been a long-standing signature of Black culture. From the "fro" to hair wraps to braids, Black women use their hairstyles as a personal expression of who they are and to show the evolution of Black culture over time, an evolution which has brought us to a time when more and more Black women are embracing the natural beauty of their own hair.
The funniest part about watching this film is that I started getting bored right at the ending scene and when she drove off with the car, I was laughing, and then, heavily relieved to see the closing credits.
Overall, the film is worth it and the simplicity of the cinematography and locations used are a great example of how strong plots only need dedication and great acting skills to be conveyed well. This is the kind of motivation that our film industry in Kenya needs to get going for international awards.
P.S. Did anyone love Grace Passô's laugh like I did?
I would like to take this chance to applaud the Embassy of Brazil in Nairobi for carefully selecting films that highlighted the Brazilian plight with an international touch and the Alliance Française de Nairobi for hosting this amazing festival.
Till next year, here are photos of members of the Embassy of Brazil in Nairobi ( and one with me looking I had too much makeup on when in reality I had none )
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| Members of the Embassy of Brazil in Nairobi |
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| I landed in this one , lol |
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