São Paulo – Six Brazilian movies that were box office hits will be screened in Lebanon starting next Tuesday (04) at the 3rd Brazilian Film Festival. Feature films such as “João, o Maestro”, the life story of pianist João Carlos Martins, and “The Movie of My Life”, directed by Selton Mello, will be showing until September 16 at movie theaters Metropolis Empire Sofil, in Beirut, and Cascada Mall Empire, in Bekaa.
The festival is organized by Brazil’s embassy in Beirut and by the Brazil-Lebanon Cultural Center, in collaboration with the two movie theaters. The movie about João Carlos Martins opens the festival. “It’s the first time that it will be shown outside of America,” says the head of the educational and cultural department of Brazil’s embassy in Beirut, Thiago Oliveira.
Directed by Mauro Lima, “João, o Maestro” was based on the life story of the internationally renowned pianist, played in adulthood by actor Alexandre Nero. The movie portrays the artist’s journey, from his first solo concert at 20 years old at Carnegie Hall, to the achieved fame and the battle against a disease throughout his life. “An inspiring story of talent, love, tragedy and perseverance,” states the press material.
“The Movie of My Life” tells the story of the son of a French father and a Brazilian mother facing the path from youth to adult life, the first love and his father’s absence. “Just Like Our Parents” is another film in the festival. It shows the dilemmas of a woman named Rosa, who needs to be flawless at work and as a mother, daughter and wife and that, after an important finding, commits herself to the mission of rediscovering her true self.
Another movie in the festival is “The Other End”, a story about the relationship between Angela and Diego. Diego takes the phone book of his mother, a therapist, and calls her female patients. One of them is Angela. Another movie to be shown is “Araby”. The movie’s central character is André, who finds the journal of a worker of a steel plant and gets engaged in the plights of the class. “Bach in Brazil” is also in the program, with the story of a retired German teacher that gives music lessons to children in a correctional facility in Brazil.
According to Oliveira, all the films were acclaimed by the public and critics. “We chose the best of Brazilian films in 2017 to bring to Lebanon,” said Oliveira. They are all award-winning movies. “A common trait is that they are all great movies,” says Oliveira.
This is the third time that the embassy organizes the festival and the previous two editions were very well-received by the public, with over 800 moviegoers in each, according to the head of the embassy’s educational and cultural department. Oliveira sees the festival as an important promotion initiative to Brazilian cinema, which, according to him, is becoming more and more recognized in the world, including in the Middle East and the Arab countries.
In the festival’s audience there are both Brazilians living in Lebanon, looking to watch Brazilian movies, and Lebanese and foreigners living in the Arab country that are interested in Brazilian cinema.
The movies will be shown in Portuguese with English subtitles. They will be shown between September 4 to 9 at Metropolis Empire Sofil, in Beirut, and between September 11 to 16 at Cascada Mall Empire, in Bekaa.
Quick info
3rd Brazilian Film Festival
From September 4 to 16, 2018 – Lebanon
From September 4 to 9 at Metropolis Empire Sofil – Achrafieh, Beirut
From September 11 to 16 at Cascada Mall Empire – Bekaa
Further information:
https://www.facebook.com/events/232930950745435/
Program:
Metropolis Empire Sofil – Achrafieh – Beirut
Tuesday, September 4
7 pm – Opening with cheese bread and guarana (soda)
8 pm – João, o Maestro
Wednesday, September 5
8 pm – Just Like Our Parents
Thursday, September 6
8 pm – The Other End
Friday, September 7
8 pm – Araby
Saturday, September 8
8 pm – Bach in Brazil
Sunday, September 9
8 pm – The Movie of My Life
Cascada Mall Empire, Bekaa
Tuesday, September 11
7 pm – Opening ceremony
8 pm – João, o Maestro
Wednesday, September 12
8 on – Just Like Our Parents
Thursday, September 13
8 pm – The Other End
Friday, September 14
8 pm – Araby
Saturday, September 15
8 pm – Bach in Brazil
Sunday, September 16
8 pm – The Movie of My Life
Movie Trailers:
João, o Maestro
The Movie of My Life
Just Like Our Parents
The Other End
Araby
Bach in Brazil
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani