Brazilica Film Festival Returns

There's some 'reel' good news for film buffs as Brazilica organisers Liverpool Carnival Company are delighted to announce the return of its popular Film Festival for 2016.

Building on the success of the film screenings last year, organisers will be taking the programme to another level for 2016 with Brazilica Film Festival.

Nine films celebrating Brazilian life and culture will be screened at various venues across the city between Saturday, 9th July -Thursday, 4th August, with the majority of films FREE to attend.

The whole film spectrum will be covered with everything from comedy, musicals and drama features as well as some of the very best Brazilian documentaries and biographies. There will be a variety of films for all THE FAMILY to enjoy.

Discover how Rio's famous carnival was created in 82 Minutos at The Old Library on Lodge Lane on Saturday, 9th July. This fascinating documentary takes a look at this cultural phenomenon that attracts the eyes of the whole world every year and shows behind the scenes footage from samba school Portela. To put the documentary in context, it will be screened in Brazilica's headquarters or barracão, while the festival preparations are taking place. It is the new 4D screening experience, with live action in the background!

Samba & Jazz - Rio de Janeiro to New Orleans explores the synergy and parallels between these two cities and its rhythms and cultures in a musical documentary being shown at the Capstone Theatre at Liverpool Hope University Campus on Monday, 18th July at 7pm. The ?lm portrays, the authentic artistic expression of these people who, although separated by geographic boundaries, share a common feeling: a passion for music and for the popular manifestations that evolves the universes of Samba and Jazz.

Marvel at the remarkable career of Brazilian singer Tim Maia in a biopic about his life on Tuesday, 19th July at FACT. Follow the father of Brazilian soul music, from his childhood in the Tijuca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro until his death in 1998 at age 55. The film includes his passage to the US, where he explores a new style of music and lifestyle prior to being deported to Brazil, where the support from his former band members, who were beginning to enjoy the massive success of 'Jovem Guarda' that would grip the entire country, was no longer existing. Tim Maia never hid his true nature from anyone. He was iconoclastic, ironic, outspoken, polemical, and confrontational but always humorous and a gifted singer who enjoyed a remarkable musical career.

After 'Paris, Je T'aime' and 'New York, I Love You', the 'Cities of Love' cinema franchise is back with a celebration of love for the vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro, known for its sensually cinematic sights and sounds. You're bound to fall in love with the city youself after watching Rio, Eu Te Amo (Rio I Love You) on Tuesday, 21st July at The Old Library, Lodge Lane at 7.30pm. This collaborative ?lm brings seven international and four local A-list directors, including award-winning international directors, Paolo Sorrentino, John Turturro and Fernando Meirelles to the city known for its natural beauty, sensuality and warmth to put their stamp on Rio's romance. The 10 short love stories and their respective transitions will deliver diverse, innovative and unabashedly romantic renditions of LOVE IN THE CITY of Rio de Janeiro.

Also guaranteed to pull on the heart strings, Tudo Que Aprendemos Juntos (The Violin Teacher) will be shown at The Lantern Theatre on Tuesday, 26th July at 7.30pm. The movie tells the story of Laerte, a talented violinist who, after failing to be admitted into the OSESP Orchestra, is forced to give music classes to teenagers in a public school at Heliopolis. His path is full of difficulties, but the transforming power of music and the friendship arising between the teacher and the students open the door into a new world.

In the mood for a dance off? Then don't miss A Batalho Do Passinho at Kazimier Garden on Tuesday, 28th July at 8.30pm. A form of favela funk dance, the Passinho exploded into Rio de Janeiro in 2008 and has become one of the most important cultural manifestations in the last 10 years. The documentary "Passinho Dance Off - The Movie", directed by Emílio Domingos, closely follows the phenomenon and shows the evolution of this dance culture.

Comedy drama Que Horas Ela Volta (The Second Mother) will be screened at FACT on Tuesday, 2nd August at 7.30pm. The tranquil and orderly existence of a live-in housekeeper who's humbly served a middle-class Brazilian family for over a decade is completely turned upside-down when her daughter suddenly appears. Unspoken class barriers are suddenly exposed, petty snobberies revealed and weaknesses in THE FAMILY uncovered.

The story of Joaosinho Trinta will be told in a biography/drama at The Old Library, Lodge Lane on Thursday, 4th August at 7.30pm. When Fernando Pamplona is suddenly dismissed from the samba school 'Salgueiro' in 1974, his assistant Joaosinho Trinta accepts the challenge of preparing the school for the carnival in record time, having lost the support of the person who had been his boss, his greatest mentor and friend. Trinta shares Joaosinho's ?rst carnival, a parade of innovations and technical challenges that marked a signi?cant change in the Rio carnival samba school's artistic design and creativity.

Head to Unit 51 to see a film which has been described by the Guardian as a "Charming & Unforgettable Experience." Only When I Dance is a documentary following two teenagers, Irlan and Isabell,a from rough, working-class Brazilian neighbourhoods who aspire to the heights of ballet. Being shown on Saturday, 6th August at 4pm, the aesthetic power of Beadie Finzi's lensing and the unquestioned support of the kids' families is such that the impoverished favelas of Rio serve merely as a colourful backdrop to the dancers' training. The picture's real tension lies, rather, in the international competitions that can make or break careers.

Film Festival Programmer Moulay Drissi said: "We are very excited about this year's Brazilica film festival. Cinema is a great way to enter and discover the rich history and creativity of Brazilian art and culture. Again this year, we looked at highlighting the life of a major Brazilian artist and exploring behind the scenes of the Rio carnival.

"The final roster includes films and documentaries celebrating Brazil's music and dance as well as comedy and drama. All of the screenings are free, and to be shown in fantastic venues across Liverpool."

So grab your popcorn, take your seat and enjoy a Brazil-iant evening at the movies with these fantastic additions to this year's jam-packed programme of events. With further music and event announcements to come, 2016 is certain to be the best Brazilica Festival ever.

To post a comment, you must register and login.