Viva Brazil! September 12–30, 2006

İstanbul Modern Cinema, began its 2006 Fall season with Brazilian Films. The Viva Brazil program celebrated Brazil’s Independence Day- 7th September with a collection of films ranging from the 1960s to recent years capturing examples from the Cinema Novo / New Wave movement to the current films of the comic, humorous and powerful; particularly focusing on Brazil’s cultural values. Brazil has established distinguished directors and films, becoming a crucial part of world cinema. Influential directors (from Glauber Rocha, Carlos Diegues to Hector Babenco, Walter Salles and Fernando Meirelles) of Brazilian Cinema have and continue to express the social, cultural and artistic merit; evolving, mesmirizng and fascinating.
*With the Contributions of Brazilian Embassy, Ankara

God is Brazilian
The Storytellers of Jave
City of God
The Middle of the World
Posthumous Memories
Behind the Sun
A Dog's Will
That Damned Meat
AII Nudity Shall be Punished
Black God, White Devil

DOCUMENTARY: ON BRAZIL
The Day Brasil was Here
Motoboys

BRAZIL INDEPENDENCE DAY!
İstanbul Modem Cinema throughout the month of September is celebrating Brazil's lndependence Day ( September 7) with a collection of films ranging from the 1960’s to recent years capturing examples from the Cinema Novo / New Wave movement to the current films of the comic, humorous and powerful; particularly focusing on Brazil's cultural values. Being the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil has carried its fame of music and football into film-making; establishing distinguished directors and films becoming a crucial part of world cinema. lnfluential directors (From Glauber Rocha, Carlos Diegues to Hector Babenco, Walter Salles and Fernando Meirelles) of Brazilian Cinema have and continue to express the social, cultural and artistic merit; evolving, mesmirizing and fascinating.

GOD IS BRAZILIAN / DEUS É BRASILEIRO
Brazil | 2002, DVD, Color, 110’ | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Carlos Diegues
Cast: Antônio Fagundes, Wagner Moura, Paloma Duarte, Bruce Gomlevsky

In Carlos Diegues' heavenly fable, a man claiming to be God announces that he's stressed and desires a break from the irksome human race. Along with his right-hand man - a fisherman and petty con artist - "God" embarks on a journey to find a saintly replacement. Based on a short story by Joao Emanuel Carneiro, the film was photographed by skilled cinematographer Affonso Beato known for Pedro Almodovar's 'AII About My Mother'.

THE STORYTELLERS OF JAVÉ / NARRADORES DE JAVÉ 
Brazil | 2002, DVD, Color, 102' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Eliane Catte
Cast: José Dumont, Nelson Xavier, Nelson Dantas, Gero Camilo

The film explores the rich universe of storytellers of Brazilian culture. Facing the threat of their own extinction, Javé's population defends their greatest legacy: the memory of the "great" and "noble" events that helped define their own identity. The majority of the people is good at storytelling but Antônio Biá, the only person from Javé able to write is chosen. A poetic duel rises between the storytellers arguing their legendary and fantastic stories.

ClTY OF GOD / CIDADE DE DEUS
Brazil | 2002, 35mm, Color, 135' | Portuguese; Turkish subtitles
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Cast: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino da Hora, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Seu Jorge

City of God, based on organized crimes revolving around Rio de Janeiro's public housing, seen as one of the most dangerous neighborhoods, called the City of God, the film tracks events beginning from the 1960s into the 80s. lnstead of being a criminal, Rocket chooses to become a photographer. Li'I Ze, however, starting from childhood becomes a fierce, ruthless, witty and ambitious criminal. The film tells their parallel violent stories with a magnificent visual language.

THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD / O CAMINHO DAS NUVENS
Brazil | 2002, DVD, Color, 87' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Vicente Amorim
Cast: Wagner Moura, cıaudia Abreu, Ravi Ramos Lacerda

The Middle of the World tells the true story of a Brazilian family's 3000 km journey across Brazil by bicycle. Romao, an illiterate truck driver, persuades his wife and five children to join him on a six month odyssey across five states in search of a decent job. In the course of the trip, the family encounters hunger, thirst, friendship, hostility, and aspects of Brazilian culture ranging from the globalised contemporary to the religiously archaic.

POSTHUMOUS MEMORIES / ME MÔRIAS PÔSTUMAS
Brazil | 2001, DVD, Color, 101' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Andre Klotzel
Cast: Reginaldo Faria, Marcos Caruso, Petrônia Gontijo, Stepan Nercessian, Sonia Braga

A man who has just met his fate looks back on the life he's just completed in this historical comedy-drama. 19th century tycoon Bras Cubas has just died, and his spiril takes a long look back on his life and his loves, as he courts a number of beautiful women in his youth - including a lovely but greedy prostitute (Sonia Braga)- and later in life strikes it rich by creating a popular medicine.

O BEHIND THE SUN / ABRiL DESPEDAÇAD
Brazil | 2001, DVD, Color, 95' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Walter Salles
Cast: Jose Dumont, Rodrigo Santoro, Rita Assemany, Ravi Ramos Lacerda

The ongoing feud between a family of poor sugarcane farmers and one of wealth and property is expected to be carried on by young Tonho, who is supposed to avenge the death of his older brother. Tonho's younger brother and the arrival of a beautiful circus performer tempt him to rebel against his bloody obligation and find a new life before he falls victim to his current one.

A DOG'S WILL / OAUTODE COM PADECIDA
Brazil | 1999, DVD, Color, 104' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Guel Arraes
Cast: Matheus Nachttergaele, Selton Mello, Rogerio Cardoso, Denise Fraga, Diogo Vilela

Based on Ariano Suassuna's award winning work (1955), this comic tale recounts the adventures of Joao Grilo, a poor dishonest man who cheats the wealthy and powerful to earn his daily bread. Director Arraes humorously illustrates life in the Northeast during the 1930s and the tenuous line man walks between death and life, damnation, salvation and blatant hypocrisy.

THAT DAMNED MEAT / A MARVADA CARNE
Brazil | 1985, DVD, Color, 80' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Andre Klotzel
Cast: Dionisio Azevedo, Adilson Barros, Chiquinho Brandao, Regina Case

Quinn is a peasant living in the rural country whose desire to eat meat has been unfulfilled all his life. His desire is brought to reality by Carula promising him a (non-existent) ox in exchange for matrimony; though there is no ox, Quinn adjusts to marriage, he gets some cash and goes to Sao Paulo to look for meat. His lifelong ambition has an odd way of being realized. The modern world has all sorts of things that Quinn has yet to discover.

ALL NUDITYSHALL BE PUNISHED / TODA NUDEZ SERA CASTIGADA
Brazil | 1973, DVD, Color, 102' | Portugese: English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Arnaldo Jabor
Cast: Paulo Porto, Darlene Gloria, Elza Gomes, Paulo Cesar Pereio

Saucy, subversive satire of sex and social mores film won a Silver Bear at Berlin in 1973. Herculano is a wealthy widower sworn never to remarry. Throwing their chaste household into hypocritical confusion is Geni, a hooker and nightclub chanteuse introduced into their mourning midst by Herculano's devilish brother. Events take on a different course as the manners and morals begin to crumble. A fantastic, tragic-comic story on upper-class family.

BLACK GOD, WHITE DEVIL / DEUS E O DIABO NA TERRA DO SOL
Brazil | 1964, DVD, Black-White, 125' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Director: Glauber Rocha
Cast: Othon Bastos, Billy Davis, Geraldo Del Rey, Sania Dos Humildes Mauricio, do Valle

Black God, White Devil is a quintessential film from Cinema Nova with immense storytelling power from Glauber Rocha, the film is set on the impoverished Northeastern Brazil and focuses on a poor peasant as he changes from a fanatical preacher into an honorable bandit. A violent and lyrical portrait of Brazilian society from the 1960s.

THE DAY BRASIL WAS HERE
Brazil | 2004, DVD, Color, 72' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Directors: Caito Ortiz, Joao Dornelas

The five time world champion Brazilian football team plays with Haiti's national team to promote peace in a country going through a period of activistic misery. UN troops, led by Brazil, try to maintain peace and order. The informal economy rules the streets, hunger rages. Only music, faith and football seems to keep them alive.

MOTOBOYS
Brazil | 2003, DVD, Color, 53' | Portuguese; English, Turkish subtitles
Directors: Caito Ortiz, Joao Dornelas

Motoboys follows the lives of four motoboys and a motogirl as they cut through the Sao Paulo's traffic delivering documents, newspapers, pizzas and flowers. Although the motoboys provide a vital service for business in Brazil's financial capital, people also abhor them for the way they weave at top speed through traffic.