São Paulo – A Brazilian film exhibit is opening this Thursday (30) in Doha, Qatar, with “Central Station”, by Walter Salles. The film is the first to be shown at the Qatar Brazil Cinema Showcase, a series of screenings to be held every month throughout the year. The project is part of the Year of Culture Qatar Brazil 2014, an initiative by the governments of both countries, with the aim of mutually promoting Qatari and Brazilian culture.
“Central Station” will be shown this Thursday (30) and Friday (31), at 7:00 p.m., at the Museum of Islamic Art. The film tells the story of Dora, an elderly woman who writes letters for the illiterate at the Central Station of Rio de Janeiro. One of her clients, who used to write to the father of her nine-year old son Josué, dies run over by a car when leaving the station. So Dora decides to accompany Josué in search of his father in the Northeast of Brazil.
The 1998 film was awarded the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Golden Globe for Best Film in Foreign Language, as well as a series of other national and international awards. The Brazil Cinema Showcase is organized by the Doha Film Institute (DFI) and the Qatar Museums Authority. According to information from the Itamaraty, the Brazilian foreign office, the festival’s films were selected by the DFI with help from the MIS – the São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound, and the Buenos Aires International Film Festival.
Qatar has organized similar projects with other countries. In 2012, the country exhibited films from Japan, and last year from the United Kingdom. “We have had a very successful couple of years with Qatar Japan 2012 and Qatar UK 2013 and it’s exciting to continue the cultural journey with Brazil in 2014. Through cinema, we learn so much about other cultures and the world around us,” stated Abdulaziz Al-Khater, DFI Chief Executive Officer, in an announcement by the institution.
This Thursday, before the film screening, there will be a welcoming reception to inaugurate the exhibit, taking place at 6:00 p.m. at the auditorium of the Museum of Islamic Art. Tickets cost 35 QAR (equivalent to US$ 9.60, in current exchange rates) for the general public and 25 QAR for students (US$ 6.80). The list of films that will be shown in the coming months will be released soon, according to information from the DFI.
Brazil Cinema Showcase
Screening of the film “Central Station”
January 30 and 31, 2014, 07:00 p.m.
Museum of Islamic Art
Further information: http://www.dohafilminstitute.com/events/dfi-brazil-cinema-showcase
*Translated by Silvia Lindsey
