THE INVISIBLE COLLECTION by Bernard Attal
The 2013 BRAFFTV – Brazilian Film and TV Festival of Toronto taking place October 16th to October 20th, will feature a line-up of more than 40 films among features, documentaries, animation and shorts with the best recent Brazilian film productions from all genres including drama, comedy, documentary, thriller, children, and ethnographic films. The festival will open on October 16th with the Canadian premiere of the feature THE INVISIBLE COLLECTION by Bernard Attal and the short ENVIRONMENT OF FREEDOM by Pedro Barbosa and Mariana Martins.
The Competitive Program continues from October 17th to October 20th with 32 films (14 features and 18 short/mid-length films) competing for the Golden Maple Award. The Festival closes with the North-American premiere of the documentary MEETING SEBASTIÃO SALGADO directed by Betse de Paula depicting the life and work of one of the most celebrated photographers in the world, Sebastião Salgado.
BRAFFTV’s Schedule
OPENING NIGHT at TIFF Bell Lightbox
October 16th at 7pm
THE INVISIBLE COLLECTION (A COLEÇÃO INVÍSIVEL)
Fiction / 89’ / 2012
Directed by: Bernard Attal
BRAFFTV’s opening film in 2013 is the award-winning drama, The Invisible Collection. It follows a young man named Beto, played by Vladimir Brichta, as he travels to rural Brazil in search of a rare art collection belonging to an eccentric ex-millionaire. During Beto’s travels, he learns about the subjectivity of beauty and the relativity of privilege. In doing so, he undergoes a personal transformation. The film offers the viewer a fresh perspective on life in Brazil and Bernard Attal’s extraordinary cinematography depicts the incredible beauty of the city of Salvador as well as the damaged forests of Brazil’s cocoa region. The themes of this film include the stark contrast between city life and country life, class differences in Brazil and the massive collapse of the country’s cocoa industry in the 1970s. Additionally, this film is the last work of renowned Brazilian actor Walmor Chagas. Director Bernard Attal built this amazing story of richness and decay based on the documentary “The Magnificent”, winner of best documentary at BRAFFTV 2011. Canadian premiere.
ENVIRONMENT OF FREEDOM (ÂMBITO DE LIBERDADE)
screened with THE INVISIBLE COLLECTION
Documentary / 1’10” / 2013
Directed by Pedro Barbosa and Mariana Martins
A drawing teacher teaches that, in reality, the fear is fought with freedom. North American premiere
FILM PROGRAM AT CARLTON CINEMA
All films have English subtitles
FIRST DAY OF ANY YEAR (PRIMEIRO DIA DE UM ANO QUALQUER)
Thursday, October 17th at 7 pm
Fiction / 81’ / 2012
Directed by Domingos Oliveira
First Day of Any Year is a touching and funny comedy, a panoramic film where the many characters are seeking a meaning for life. The movie begins at sunrise and ends with the last ray of sun hiding behind the mountains during the first day of the year in a posh house on the outskirts of Rio. Many characters pass along, all in crisis, facing the most varied finitudes and limitations, ending by realizing: life goes on and the world will not end. The director Domingos de Oliveira is the narrator of the film and remind us Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen’s films. And, such as these two filmmakers Domingos de Oliveira prolific career as an author, director, actor, producer, singer, thinker – with more than one hundred and thirty titles extends from Theatre to Film and TV. His first film, All the Women of the World (1967) is considered the best Brazilian comedies of all times. North American premiere
THEY KILLED MY BROTHER (MATARAM MEU IRMÃO)
Thursday, October 17th at 9 pm
Documentary / 77’ / 2013
Directed by: Cristiano Burlan
In 2001, on the night of October 5, Rafael Burlan was murdered with 7 shots in his back, in Capao Redondo, neighborhood of Sao Paulo. The documentary seeks to rebuild through reports from relatives and friends what was the murder and its consequences in the tragic fate of this family. North American premiere.
XAPIRI
Friday, October 19th at 5:30 pm
Documentary / Experimental / 54’ / 2012
Directed by Leandro Lima, Gisela Motta, Laymert Garcia dos Santos, Stella Senra and Bruce Albert
Xapiri is a yanomami word for shamans, as well the spiritual men (xapiri thëpë) as the auxiliary spirits (xapiri pë). It is an experimental film on yanomami shamanism recorded in the Watoricki village, Amazon, during two shamans’s meetings at the Watoriki Village in March 2011 and April 2012. The film takes into account two different concepts of image: the yanomami’s and ours. Therefore, it does not set out to explain shamanism, its methods or procedures, but to allow different cultures to visualize and feel the way in which the shamans “embody” the spirits, their bodies and voices. North American premiere
CINE HOLLIÚDY
Friday, October 18th at 7 pm
Fiction / 100’ / 2012
Directed by: Halder Gomes
The massive arrival of television in the countryside of Brazil, in the ’70s, puts in jeopardy the small movie theaters businesses. Francisgleydisson is the owner of Cine Holliudy, and he must be extremely creative to keep his passion for cinema alive. A Brazilian way of showing its passion for the 7Th art, even in the remotes areas. Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso and Fellini’s Amacord are close references to this current success of Brazilian cinema spoken in local slang. So far the film has only been screened in the state of Ceara, and has has more public than Titanic and other Hollywood blockbusters. A box office hit surprise and an homage to cinema lovers of B films. Canadian premiere.
MARGARET MEE AND THE MOONFLOWER (MARGARET MEE E A FLOR DA LUA)
Friday, October 18th at 7:30 pm
Documentary / 78′ / 2012
Directed by: Malu de Martino
Margaret Mee and the Moonflower is a documentary about the life and work of the botanical illustrator, Margaret Mee, a pioneer and a visionary, one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. Through her diaries, interviews and narratives, the film reveals a tireless advocate for the preservation of Brazilian flora, whose love of nature and whose art provide a constant reminder of the need to preserve our environment. Canadian premiere.
A LONG JOURNEY (UMA LONGA VIAGEM)
Friday, October 18th at 9 pm
Documentary / 95’ / 2011
Directed by Lucia Murat
The awarded-winner documentarian Lucia Murat continues in this film to portray her struggles and fights against the military dictatorship in Brazil during the sixties and seventies. However, this time, she follows the long journey of her brother, Heitor, who was sent to London by his family, while she was incarcerated and tortured by the militaries. In London, Heitor dives head on into the “Swinging London” and, just like the European and American youth of the time period, he experiments the mystic allure of India and travels all over the world smuggling drugs and searching for a meaning to his life. Best Documentary in Malaga Festiva and Paulinia Festival, Best Film in Gramado Festival. North American premiere.
TRUST ME (CONFIA EM MIM)
Fiction / 85’ / 2013
Friday, October 18th at 9:30 pm
Directed by: Michel Tikhomiroff
In the thriller Trust Me, Fernanda Machado (Elite Squad) plays Mari, a talented chef, who works hard to save money and open her own restaurant. Until the day she finds Caio, played by famous TV actor Mateus Solano. A charming investor, he comes up with the money for her dreams to come true. However, things are not always what they seem to be and they find themselves in the midst of lies, corruption, and theft. World premiere.
TAINÁ – AN AMAZON LEGEND (TAINÁ – A ORIGEM)
Saturday, October 19th at 3:30pm
Fiction / 83’ / 2011
Directed by: Rosane Svartman
Friendship, adventure and magic are the main ingredients of the feature Taina – an amazon legend. The film is 100% shot in the Amazon Rainforest, with strong and charming images of people and animals in their real environment. It tells the story of Tainá, a 5 years old orphan Indian girl who dreams of becoming a warrior and discovering her true origin. As a girl, Tainá shouldn’t fight. However, she has her mother’s heritage, who was the last of the Amazon’s lady warriors. With the help of Laurinha, a smart city girl, and Gobí, a nerdy indian. They learn to overcome their mutual differences while going through their eventful journey. Taina confronts biopirates ancestral enemy of her family, Jurupari, the incarnation of Evil, who wants to destroy the Forest while revealing her origin’s mystery. Canadian premiere
CHESHIRE CAT – THE MANY LIVES OF JOSÉ LEWGOY (EU EU EU JOSÉ LEWGOY)
Saturday, October 19th at 5pm
Documentary / 94’/ 2011
Directed by: Claudio Kahns
The film depicts the history of one of the most important actors of television and cinema while revealing one of the most egocentric, biting and fascinating characters of Brazilian culture. Jose Lewgoy, who studied drama at Yale, drew a respectful international career filming with the most celebrated filmmakers and actors of this generation. He went from independent French movies in the beginning of his career to Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, and many other productions for TV and theatres. Lewgoy travelled through decisive moments in the development of the Brazilian cultural movement. Very well documented with footages from all over the world, the narrative is conducted in a non-chronological sequence. His personal recordings unveil the dreams behind the persona, the sweet and sour sides. The movie shows decisive moments with interviews from friends, movie directors and professional colleagues (like Millôr Fernandes, Werner Herzog and Tônia Carrero). Canadian premiere.
HELIO OITICICA
Saturday, October 19th at 5:30pm
Documentary / 94’ / 2012
Directed by: Cesar Oiticica Filho
The film allows a unique immersion in the thoughts, the trajectory and the intimacy of Hélio Oiticica, one of the greatest artists Brazil has ever produced. The narration is made by the artist himself who conducts us through one of Brazilian culture’s most fertile periods of time. Helio Oiticica and the filmmaker Julio Bressane make a docufilm from historic tapes, or as named by Haroldo de Campos, Heliotapes: cassete tapes Oiticica exchanges and sends to his artist and writer friends. The documentary is a collection of these tapes, movies made by Oiticica himself and others who filmed him in his works. All these creating this delirium ambulatorium in which the artist tells us about his life in a kaleidoscope of the 1960’s and 1970’s culture, finally enabling us to be presented to Hélio Oiticica by himself. North American premiere.
ETERNAL AMAZON (AMAZÔNIA ETERNA)
Saturday, October 19th at 7 pm
Documentary / 88′ / 2012
Directed by: Belisario Franca
The Amazon rainforest is a living laboratory for sustainable experiments that unveil new relationships between human beings, corporations and this natural heritage. It is there that new guidelines are being drawn up for a new global economic model: the green economy. But how much are the services really worth? And who should profit from them? At a time when the world is discussing the impact of human actions on the environment, Eternal Amazon presents a critical analysis of how the world’s largest tropical rainforest is understood and appreciated. The documentary reveals successful initiatives, exploring possibilities with specialists and plunging into a sensorial journey through the daily lives of Amazon rainforest dwellers. North American premiere.
BUDDIES (COLEGAS)
Saturday, October 19th at 7:30pm
Fiction / 103’ / 2012
Directed by: Marcelo Galvão
Buddies is a road movie that shows the simple things in life in a poetic light through the eyes of three young people with Down syndrome, who love movies and work at the video library of the institution where they have always lived in. One day, inspired by the movie “Thelma & Louise”, they decide to run away using the gardener’s old car to have a freedom experience. They travel to uncommon places in search for three simple wishes: Stalone wants to see the sea, Aninha looks for a husband and Marcio needs to fly. During this search, they embark on several adventures as if life was just a children’s play. Canadian premiere
WORLD’S WEST END (A OESTE DO FIM DO MUNDO)
Saturday, October 19th at 9 pm
Fiction / 102” / 2013
Directed by: Paulo Nascimento
When nothing else remains, it might not be the end, but the beginning. Argentina. An old gas station lost in the outskirts of the old transcontinental highway is Leon’s haven. A man of few words, gestures and no friends, his solitude is only broken by the occasional truck that stops by to refuel and by the humorous visits made by the sarcastic Silas, a biker who looks like a retired hippie. With the unexpected and mysterious arrival of Ana both men’s routines are thrown off-balance. At the foot of the towering Andes, well-hidden secrets come to light, reopening wounds and changing forever the characters’ lives. North-American premiere
MARCELO YUKA: FOLLOW THE SIGNS (MARCELO YUKA NO CAMINHO DAS SETAS)
Saturday, October 19th at 9:30pm
Documentary / 95’ / 2011
Directed by: Daniela Broitman
A musician with a social message, Yuka was at the height of his success as the songwriter, drummer and leader of O Rappa – one of the lead Brazilian pop-rock bands in the nineties. But in 2000, nine gunshots during a robbery in Rio de Janeiro put him in a wheelchair at age 34. This documentary accompanies Yuka’s transformation since then, revealing his irreverence and complexity as an artist and activist. While searching for physical, mental and spiritual health, Yuka takes risks with new sounds and becomes in one of the main voices of social justice and peace in Brazil. North American premiere.
COMPLETE FEIJOADA (FEIJOADA COMPLETA)
Thursday, October 17th at 7 pm, screened with First Day of Any Year
Fiction / 20’/ 2012
Directed by Angelo Defanti
This story is not about Pedro. Pedro is a good guy, even when asleep, and he is friendly to everybody. This story could be about Pedro, but instead, it is about Carol, his wife, and how she is fed up with so much goodness. Based on the short story by Luis Fernando Verissimo, inspired on the song by Chico Buarque. Canadian premiere
SORRY
Thursday, October 17th at 7pm screened with First Day of Any Year
Fiction / 2’20” / 2013
Directed by: Rodrigo Pesavento and Ian Ruschel
Flesh, Blood & Apologies. This surprisingly and dark humouristic film is a creative collective from the group The Wolfpack. North American premiere
IRON CRIB (BERÇO DE FERRO)
Thursday, October 17th at 9 pm screened with They Killed My Brother
Documentary / 16’12 / 20132
Directed by Rafaela Galindo
The documentary reveals the reality of women living in “Colônia Penal Feminina do Bom Pastor” (a female prison), where mothers and children narrow their bonds for a short period of six months. North American premiere. Director in attendance
MAUÁ SURROUNDINGS (MAUÁ, LUZ AO REDOR)
Thursday, October 18th at 9 pm screened with THEY KILLED MY BROTHER
Documentary / 5’ / 2012
Directed by Juliana Vicente
In downtown of São Paulo, the Mauá Community is now threatened to be evicted. The documentary presents the struggle, arrival, dreams and destination of the people who do not want to return to their homeless condition. North American premiere
SANÃ
Friday, October 18th at 5:30pm screened with XAPIRI
Documentary / 18’ / 2013
Directed by: Marcos Pimentel
In the beautiful scenery of the scorching dunes of Maranhão state, an albino boy and his searches amidst the immense landscape of sand and sea. Best Short Documentary at All is True Festival. North American premiere.
QUINHA
Friday, October 18th at 7pm screened with CINE HOLLIÚDY
Fiction / 19’ / 2012
Directed by: Caroline Oliveira
A little girl, Quinha, and her mother, Rosa, head out through the Northeast region of Brazil to go to Quinha’s baptism. During this journey, both women search for their own miracles: Quinha looks for signs of magic, while Rosa hopes for her estranged husband’s return. Despite a few unexpected bumps in the road, they both manage to find small moments of salvation along the way. North American premiere
INVISIBLE PICTURE (RETRATO INVISÍVEL)
Friday, October 18th at 7:30 pm screened with MARGARET MEE AND THE MOONFLOWER
Fiction / 20’/ 2012
Directed by Denise Soares
Young Monica has a busy day-to-day life taking care of her grandfather, who is in a vegetative state. Her routine is shaken by the unexpected visit of her friend Lara, who will unveil secrets unknown even to Monica. North American premiere
THE STORY OF THE BOYS WHO WALKED AT NIGHT (A HISTÓRIA DOS MENINOS QUE ANDAVAM DE NOITE)
Friday, October 18th at 9 pm screened with A Long Journey
Fiction / 16’ / 2013
Directed by: Flavio Barone
Diego is forced to spend the holiday with his second disabled cousin, Vicente, what seems boring. That changes into a journey of adventure and friendship when he discover the secrets that inhabit the shadows of the farm. North American premiere
SUASSUNA (SUASSUNA, A PELEJA DO SONHO COM A INJUSTIÇA)
Friday, October 18th at 9:30 pm screened with TRUST ME
Documentary / 8’/ 2013
Directed by Filipe Gontijo and O. Silva
The life and thoughts of a libertarian writer, Ariano Suassuna, one of the most popular authors in Brazil. The animation is inspired by the rhymes and illustrations etched into wood a common art form from Brazil’s hinterland, where the writer came from. North American premiere
BOY AT FIVE (MENINO DO CINCO)
Friday, October 18th at 9:30 pm screened with TRUST ME
Fiction / 20′ / 2012
Directed by: Marcelo Matos de Oliveira and Wallace Nogueira
Richard finally finds a friend, but he can’t be of his friend. Best Short Film, Best Actor at Gramado Festival, North American premiere.
THE ADVENTURES OF TECA (AVENTURAS DA TECA)
Saturday, October 18th at 3:30 pm screened with TAINA- AN AMAZON LEGEND
Animation /3’ / 2012
Directed by: Lucia Araujo
Animated skits about friendship and family. North American premiere.
THIS IS KAREN JONZ
Saturday, October 19th at 5 pm screened with CHESHIRE CAT – THE MANY LIVES OF JOSÉ LEWGOY
Documentary / 8´15´´/ 2012
Directed by: Alex Kundera
The life of a Brazilian girl who lives by doing only what she likes. North American premiere
CONFETTI (CONFETE)
Saturday, October 19th at 5:30 pm screened with HELIO OITICICA
Documentary / 18’ / 2011
Directed by: Mariana Kaufman and Jo Serfaty
Confetti follows the wistful path of these tiny specks of paper through Rio de Janeiro’s street carnival: from manufacturing to the celebrations exploding in the streets, and to the trash bins, where it all ends on Ash Wednesday. ‘Confetti’ accompanies the of masses of human bodies, suspended in time by the pulsing colors and sounds one of the world’s largest street carnivals. Canadian premiere
LULLABY (ACALANTO)
Saturday, October 19th at 7 pm screened with ETERNAL AMAZON
Fiction / 23′ / 2013
Directed by: Arturo Saboia
An illiterate lady seeks to soothe the missing of her son asking for a friend to read several times the same unique and old letter sent by her son ten years ago. Through these readings, a great friendship and complicity were born between them. Cannes Court Métrage 2013. North American premiere
PATIO
Saturday, October 19th at 9 pm screened with WORLD’S WEST END
Documentary / 17’ / 2013
Directed by: Ali Muritiba
In a prison yard they play football and talk about freedom. Best Short Film at It’s All True Film Festival. Cannes Critic’s Week 2013. North American premiere
THE PACKAGE (O PACOTE)
Saturday, October 19th at 9:30 pm screened with MARCELO YUKA: FOLLOW THE SIGNS
Fiction / 18’ / 2013
Directed by: Rafael Aidar
In the outskirts of Sao Paulo, the young Leandro starts in a new school. In the classroom, he meets Jefferson who introduces him to his new group of friends. As the days go by, the boys hit it off and grow more intimate until they decide to be together as a couple. Their relationship is at stake when Jefferson informs Leandro that he is HIV-positive. Facing the news, Leandro must decide whether they continue in this romantic relationship or not. Nominated do the Teddy Award: 63º Berlin International Film Festival. Canadian premiere.
Special Program (Non Competitive)
FOREIGN EYES
MOACIR
Sunday, October 20th at 4pm
Argentina / Documentary / 75’ / 2011
Directed by Tomas Lipgot
Moacir is a Brazilian man who has been living in Argentina for 25 years. He is semi-illiterate and, despite his lack of any formal musical education, possesses an amazing talent for singing. At the age of 65 and with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, Moacir seemed to be just another case of a helpless patient. However, after 15 years of being hospitalized, he is granted his freedom and leaves the Borda Psychiatric Hospital. This story follows Moacir’s passionate endeavor to fulfill his greatest desire: to make a record of his songs, which have been lost for more than 25 years. This is a tale riddled with stridency, music, dance, confrontations, chaos, humor and charm. North American premiere
KID’S SESSION
Brazilian films for small kids. In Portuguese.
DETECTIVES OF THE BLUE BUILDING (DETETIVES DO PRÉDIO AZUL)
Saturday, October 19th at 2pm
Fiction / 26’/ 2013
Directed by: André Pellenz
Three friends Tom, Mila and CapimIn live in an old blue building. They are neighbours. Every afternoon they get together and try to solve the problems of the building. North American premiere
HAUNTED TALES (HISTÓRIAS ASSOMBRADAS)
Saturday, October 19th at 2pm
Animation / 15’/ 2005
Directed by: Victor-Hugo Borges
Three short stories your grandma never told you….. because you would have wet your bed…North American premiere
THE OTHER DOLL
Saturday, October 19th at 2pm
Animation / 10’ / 2013
Directed by: Humberto Avelar
An enchanted world where magic creatures live in harmony with real people, this special series is adapted from the fantastic works of Monteiro Lobato, one of Brazil’s greatest writers. North American premiere
BRAH-ZOO-KAH
Three films produced by Brazilians living abroad.
GARIBOUS
Saturday, October 19th at 2:30pm
Burkina Fasso / Documentary / 47’/ 2013
Directed by Denis Franco Goedelt
Recounts the lives of over 1 million children between 5 to 17 years living in West Africa in a situation analogous-slavery. The documentary aims to present this social phenomenon in Burkina Faso, showing the public why these children named Garibous or Talibes live inhumanely, without any right. North American premiere
HEALERS
Saturday, October 19th at 2:30pm
Canada / Documentary / 30’/ 2013
Directed by Gabi Veras
Healers tells the story of a woman known as Dona Josefa who has been a healthcare worker, midwife, and community leader for over 50 years. Director in Attendance
FOOD FOR ALL
Saturday, October 19th at 2:30pm
Canada / Documentary / 23’21” / 2012
Directed by Marcelo Paolinelli
Food for All investigates the alternative food system created by one of Brazil’s largest cities, Belo Horizonte, which in 1993 declared that food was a basic right of citizenship. The film explores captivating stories of people whose lives were transformed by Belo’s inspiring “food with dignity” programs. Director in Attendance
CLOSING SCREENING AND AWARDS CEREMONY
MEETING SEBASTIÃO SALGADO
Sunday, October 20th at 5:30 pm
Documentary / 75’ / 2013
Directed by Betse de Paula
Sebastiao Salgado is one of the world’s most famous photographers. Betse de Paula’s pleasingly informal film about the photographer is very much a family affair–almost a home movie. No photographer in recent years has more selflessly travelled the world in search of beauty and sublimity. North American Premiere