Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival 2010 winners

The 3rd Los Angeles Brazilian Film Festival (LABRFF) has just announced its winners, awarding 12 categories. Besides the trophies, the festival had special awards given by Teleimage: the best feature film received $10,000 in services and the best short film received $5,000 in services. Estúdios Quanta also rewarded the best documentary with $5,000 in services.

The awards night was presented by the Brazilian actress Rita Guedes and among the public we had Fenando Meirelles (who gave the best director award), Ash Baron Cohen, Steve Solot, Daniel Dreyfuss, Donald K. Ranvaud, Henrique Goldman, Denise Dummond, Ivan Spacek, Igor Spacek, Babi Xavier, Caco Monteiro, Tatiana Issa, Raphael Alvarez, Igor Cotrim, Fernando Pinto and many others. After the awards ceremony, Maia Entertainment announced the worldwide release of the closing night film In Therapy (Divã), directed by José Alvarenga Jr., coming up in next July.

London Int Documentary Festival – 23rd April – 8th May

This year the London International Documentary Festival will present four Brazilian films dealing with different themes…

On May 1st (6.30pm) the Tricycle Cinema will screen Rio Breaks, by Justin Mitchell and Vince Medeiro (the latter being from Huck Magazine and Little White Lies). The film follows the story of two young best friends, Fabio and Naama, as they navigate their way between the dangers of life in the slums and the joys of surfing on their favourite beach, dreaming of winning a competition and becoming professional surfers.

On Thursday 6th (8.30pm), again at the Tricycle Cinema, it’s time for High-Rise, a revealing examination of rich penthouse dwellers in poverty-filled Brazil. The film, directed by Gabriel Mascaro, presents an analysis of the dominant Brazilian classes through a dialogue with the inhabitants of nine penthouse apartments in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Recife.

Finally, on May 8th (2.30pm) the British Museum presents the shocking truth of Human Organ Traffic in Roberto Orazi and Alessandro Giliolti’s film H.O.T. The documentary exposes the protagonists of this global trade: the donors, often coerced or tricked into having a part of their body removed, with the false promise of a job or of receiving a substantial amount of money, the mediators, the organ-hunters, and the criminals who organise the smuggling of people and organs across different countries and continents.

And finally Because We Were Born was shown on April 23rd. Fourteen-year-old Nego and fifteen-year-old Cocada meet every day at a petrol station near their favela in Pernambuco, where they try to make a little money to support themselves and their families. The world of these two boys, old before their time, has little in common with how the people they exchange a few words with now and then at the petrol station imagine childhood to be. Yet both believe that somehow they will fulfill their dreams.

More info: www.lidf.co.uk

It’s about Walter Salles in SFFF

Acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles crafts personal, socially conscious stories that are emotional without being manipulative and simple without being simplistic. Among them: the gritty “Terra Estrangeira (Foreign Land),” the earthy fable “Abril Despedacado (Behind the Sun)” and “Linha de Passe,” which earned Sandra Corveloni the best actress award at Cannes. “Central do Brasil (Central Station)” collected dozens of prizes and received Oscar nominations for best foreign-language film and lead actress (Fernanda Montenegro); “Diarios de motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries),” the story of a cross-continental trek that shaped Ernesto (Che) Guevara, was an international hit and major award winner.

The 54-year-old, twice a BAFTA honoree, will receive the Founder’s Directing Award on Thursday at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

Latin American film series in Te gusta World Cinema New Orleans

Te gusta world cinema?

If so, you’re got a busy couple of weeks ahead of you, with a trio of foreign-language film series on tap in New Orleans, one involving Latin American films, one involving French films, and the third a grab-bag of foreign cinema.

Here’s a snapshot for the Latin American section ‘Las Americas‘:

The Spanish-language film series, focusing on recent films from Latin America, started last week at the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center (1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.) and continues through March 11.

Hollywood Brazilian film Festival

 Welcome to the 2nd Annual Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival!

Come and celebrate the contributions to Brazilian cinema by Brazilian filmmakers.