São Paulo – When Film and Audiovisual student from Santa Catarina Luiz Henrique Vieira started filming the documentary ’Hinges of Paint’ [‘Gonzos de Tinta’] with his university colleagues, he had no idea the project would traverse Brazilian borders to reach other continents. But the short film on arts was awarded in the North African nation of Algeria and in India. Pictured above; a film extract.
“Algeria is a country I have always admired and found very interesting,” he said, clarifying; however, he did not think about reaching the Algerians with a film. The short film records an artist residency in Joinville, Santa Catarina, and was awarded Best Documentary at the Digital Gate International Film Festival in Algeria in February. The award ceremony occurred online.
The young filmmaker said he came across information about the Algerian festival when looking for international competitions to enter ‘Hinges of Paint.’ He went after events centered on artistic productions and realized Digital Gate, from Algeria, could be a good opportunity. The surprise came to learn the film was among the 20 shortlisted for the final jury.
‘Hinges of Paint’ won the documentary category. The festival’s films were made available on the internet for a few days for the public to watch. Although the main languages spoken in Algeria are Arabic and French, the Brazilian documentary was screened with English subtitles. “It is a festival in Algeria, but it screens films from all over the world, so we chose to send it in English to reach as many people as possible,” Vieira explained to ANBA.
‘Hinges of Paint’ documents an artistic residency in November last year at Galeria 33 in Joinville, bringing together 11 artists from Santa Catarina selected by Ricardo Kolb. They spent three weekends immersed in abstract art production at the gallery, crafting works that resulted in an exhibition. “The short film intimately documents this artistic residency,” said Vieira.
The documentary brings conversations and testimonials of each artist participating in the residency, with diverse views, and shows the works produced. “The most important thing for me, in this project, is the world is getting to know their art; I think this is more gratifying for the documentary team,” says Vieira, delighted to give visibility to the artists of his region alongside his colleagues. The Aldir Blanc culture incentive law supported the residency in the municipality of Joinville.
In addition to recognition in Algeria, ‘Hinges of Paint’ was awarded this year at two festivals in India. The production won the Jury Prize for Best Student Film at the Reels International Film Festival and Best Documentary Short Film and Best Cinematography in a Short Film at the Global Monthly Online Film Competition. In addition to India and Algeria, the documentary has already been screened in Turkey, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It is scheduled to also premiere in Portugal in the middle of the year.
In addition to the direction of Luiz Henrique Vieira, the film is produced by Vanessa Neitzke and features cinematography by Gabriella Boczkovski, camera and sound by Kevin Pedrozo Osorio, and editing by Eduardo Augusto Cardozo. All are Cinema and Audiovisual students at the Regional University of Joinville (UNIVILLE). “Everyone had a great participation; it was a very collective effort,” said Vieira.
The filmmaker is 25 years old and, before ‘Hinges of Paint,’ had already co-directed another documentary. The production, called ‘Caco,’ originated from a film workshop and addressed the history of Joinville-based poet Caco de Oliveira. Vieira is in the second year of the Cinema and Audiovisual course. Before, he started a degree in Journalism but changed course when he realized his passion for documentary cinema.
Currently, the director is taking advantage of the recent release of the documentary in January this year to submit the work to several festivals. According to Vieira, there was a pre-launch in Joinville, at Galeria 33, with a full house. The awards served as an incentive for students to believe in the strength of the production and seek more space. Vieira says he did not imagine the short film would take on the current dimension. “What happened was a very pleasant surprise,” he says.
The name ‘Hinges of Paint’ [‘Gonzos de Tinta’] is the same name given to the exhibition made from the artist residency. The word was chosen because it references the connection between the many artists in the residency, as a hinge connects two parts, through which the parts can move. “Very different artists together for a purpose,” explained Vieira.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
