Jorge Coutinho

In Esdras Baptista's film archives, kept at his home for decades, one can feel the fervor of those who believed in a new tomorrow. Filmed in Brazil in the early 1960s, in the heat of a libertarian political movement, the filmmaker's images materialize the incandescence of collective desires at the historic moment of their emergence. Utopia, though unattainable, is never a mere abstraction. A force that mobilizes actions and feelings, it constitutes the impetus necessary for human existence.

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A Brazilian production that portrays a journey of struggle, faith, hope and transformation through powerful life experiences.

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This biopic documents the life and work of one of Brazil’s most prolific artists: Milton Gonçalves. This actor and director are credited with more than sixty television titles, seventy movies and twenty plays. Known from classic full-length features like Macunaíma, They Don't Wear Black Tie and Kiss of the Spider Woman, his dramatic versatility also encompasses major Brazilian soap operas, including O Bem Amado and Roque Santeiro. With his talent, he overcame barriers faced by many Black performers in Brazil. An active on-screen and on-stage presence since the 1950s, his name is synonymous with the history of Brazilian television, theatre and cinema, making him a landmark talent in the performing arts world.

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Filmmaker Roberto Farias' passion for cinema is revealed by his daughter Marise Farias through an intimate look, from childhood to his political, economic and cultural role in Brazilian Cinema. Through Roberto Farias himself and friends such as Luís Carlos Barreto, Cacá Diegues and Zelito Viana, the film tells the stories of the director who achieved a direct dialogue with the public through successes such as O Assalto ao Trem Pagador (1962), the trilogy with singer Roberto Carlos (1968 to 1971) and Pra Frente Brasil (1982). Texts from an unpublished book of memories are interpreted by his brother, actor Reginaldo Faria.

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The trajectory of musician and comedian Mussum as vocalist of the group "Os Originais do Samba" and later in cinema and TV as a member of "Os Trapalhões", a group that revolutionized the way of making humor on Brazilian television.

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The life and work of the late samba singer-songwriter Candeia.

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This documentary investigates the aesthetic, political and existential trajectory of emblematic Black Brazilian actor Antônio Pitanga. His career spans over five decades, and he has worked with iconic Brazilian filmmakers Glauber Rocha, Cacá Diegues and Walter Lima Jr. He was a prominent figurehead and outspoken activist during the Brazilian dictatorship, a period of unrest in Brazilian cinema. "Pitanga" deep dives into the world of Antônio and the history of Brazil. The documentary was directed by his daughter Camila Pitanga, one of widely recognised faces in Brazilian television and cinema right now. The film is also a poem, and a tender ode to fatherhood.

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Four candidates for a federal judge position embark on a madcap, no-holds-barred race to outdo one another, each committing his own brand of mayhem.

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The old servant and chronicler Dom Sabas tells how his desolate South American town is the scene of a ruthless power struggle. The landowning Assis family, reduced to a widow and son, tries to hold out against the young, despotic mayor. No less effective then actions are anonymous rumors and accusations, which often stir the inhabitants' moves.

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During a showing of rare Afro-Brazilian Cinema films at the Cinematheque of the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro, actor/filmmaker Zózimo Bulbul gathered some of the most notorious Brazilian black directors to talk about their works, their lives and their perspectives on the future.

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A Maranhense young woman and a carioca tourist photographer fall for each other and get separated by destiny and a woman obsessed with his family's fortune.

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The adventures of a man with amnesia who struggles to rediscover his past while learning to live in the present.

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Rich and spoiled kid, frustrated for not being chosen to join the soccer lessons his idol Zico was going to give, asks his father to clone the player. But a small girl smells something fishy going on and asks her friends to help save the Brazilian soccer star.

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Helena is a sweet, honest, sensitive and a warrior woman who faces the premature pregnancy of her daughter Joyce, who in turn is abandoned by her boyfriend, the irresponsible Caio. The biggest problem is the girl's father, Assunção, Helena's ex-husband, who does not accept the situation. Lonely and alone, Helena awakens a passion for the endocrinologist Carlos Alberto, and has her feelings matched. But Carlos is committed to the possessive Paula. The girl's parents, Zuleika and Rômulo, anxiously await their daughter's wedding with Carlos, who will save the family from financial decay. But Carlos is the type of man that women don't really forget. Even married to Paula and in love with Helena, he is still harassed by ex-wife Sheyla, who is not satisfied with having lost him and dreams of a rapprochement.

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A young rock singer meets his childhood heroine, a famous singer who is now wallowing in alcohol and sex.

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The transition from imperial Brazil to the Republic, marked by intrigue, rebellion, and popular indifference. Held in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of the Republic in Brazil.

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'Abolição' shows how much the liberation of the enslaved transformed the structures of Brazilian society, both in the countryside and in the city, and the changes generated in the lives of black people themselves. The narrative is centered on the period in which the Lei Áurea was about to be signed by Princess Isabel, on May 13, 1888. At that time, the abolitionist theme was widely discussed in urban centers, while in rural areas slavery relations were still established. The enslaved Iná Inerã, spiritual leader and warrior, represents the fight to maintain African identity at any price, paid with her own life, if necessary. Journalist Lucas, in turn, is a freed black man who believes in peaceful integration between whites and blacks.

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A rock singer goes to Brazil to shoot a video, but winds up getting kidnapped and enduring a number of seemingly bizarre and hilarious events.

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'Ti-Ti-Ti' presents a humorous plot, set in São Paulo, whose central theme is the professional, familial, and romantic rivalry between André Spina and Ariclenes Martins, or Ari, as he is known to those closest to him. The two were childhood friends and always fought a lot, engaging in tireless disputes over the same girlfriends.

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In the tiny poor town of Asa Branca, in the middle of Brazilian Northeast, Roque Santeiro is worshiped as a saint. He was supposedly killed by a bandit, 18 years ago, trying to save the local church. After his disappearance, local leaderships such as landowner Sinhozinho Malta and mayor Florindo, took profit on that to control the humble population. They even make up a widow, Porcina, who should have married Roque secretly before his death. What they don't expect is that Roque is alive, and he's back to, allegedly, "save his people". Now Malta, Florindo, Porcina, and others must hold him down and explain the "truth" to their commoners, in a desperate attempt to save their own bottoms. Meanwhile, mysterious facts surround Asa Branca, such as a Werewolf, a film crew who are trying to shoot a movie about Roque's story, and violent murderers.

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The story begins with the arrival of millionaire Antônio Carlos Volpone in Brazil. After living in Cairo for 18 years, he returns to his homeland for two reasons: first, to clarify the murder of his father-in-law, Dr. Telles, of which he was accused; second, to get closer to his ex-wife Estela, now married to Orlando Aranha. The millionaire also attracts media attention, and reporter Amélia Bicudo decides to investigate his life. To mislead his enemies and move freely, Volpone uses numerous disguises: the executive Anabela Freire, the doctor Nilo Peixe, the industrialist Augusto Melo Sampaio, and the driver André Silva. With the help of his loyal secretary and friend, Mosca, he confronts his main rival, Orlando Aranha, and Renata, Orlando's sister, who holds secrets about the murder of Estela's father.

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In the 1930s, novelist and politician Graciliano Ramos is accused of being a communist sympathizer. He is then arrested and sent to the Ilha Grande prison, where he experiences the disturbing treatment reserved for common prisoners.

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Quilombo dos Palmares was a real-life democratic society, created in Brazil in the 17th century. This incredibly elaborate (and surprisingly little-known) film traces the origins of Quilombo, which began as a community of freed slaves. The colony becomes a safe harbor for other outcasts of the world, including Indians and Jews. Ganga Zumba (Toni Tornado) becomes president of Quilombo, the first freely elected leader in the Western Hemisphere. Naturally, the ruling Portuguese want to subjugate Zumba and his followers, but the Quilombians are ready for their would-be oppressors. The end of this Brave New World is not pleasant, but the followers of Zumba and his ideals take to the hills, where they honor his memory to this day. Writer/director Carlos Diegues takes every available opportunity to compare the rise and fall of Quilombo with the state of affairs in modern-day Brazil.

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Balogun's most political film is a confrontation with the African wars of liberation. Based on Carcase for Hounds, Meja Mwangi's novel about the Mau-Mau uprising, it is set in an unnamed country and thus offers the vision of a pan-African struggle for freedom and against colonial oppression. The central figures in the straightforwardly and powerfully told story are the guerrilla leader Haraka and his adversary, the English colonial official Kingsley. In the end, the film becomes a homage to the freedom fighters from all over Africa: the final images show Patrice Lumumba, Steve Biko, Nelson Mandela and Amílcar Cabral, among others.

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Rio de Janeiro crooks rove about, performing petty tricks to survive, and get involved with a woman who steals cars.

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70-year-old widower living in a poor Rio de Janeiro suburb falls in love again when he finds a woman of approximately the same age.

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This adaptation of a classic Brazilian novel focuses on the relations of charismatic characters within a tenement.

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A Deusa Negra is a love story that spans two centuries. In 18th century Yorubaland, Prince Oluyole is taken prisoner in the course of internecine warfare fanned by overseas slave traders. He is sold into slavery in Brazil. In present day Nigeria, at his father's deathbed, the young Babatunde promises to go to Brazil and search for traces of their once-enslaved ancestors. Beginning with a Candomblé ritual, his journey takes him ever deeper into this culture and, in a dream-like sequence, affords him a deeper understanding of his ancestors' suffering and powers of resistance. Balogun effortlessly links present with past, real with magical worlds and discourse with trance. The hypnotic atmosphere is also heightened by the music of the Nigerian drummer Remi Kabaka, which plays with repetitive patterns and distortions.

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After assaulting a Hollywood film crew, a group of residents of a community in Rio de Janeiro decided to produce a film that would express the reality of Brazil - with the theme of Inconfidência Mineira.

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A Brazilian production that portrays a journey of struggle, faith, hope and transformation through powerful life experiences.

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